Work ethic, natural talent has Hopewell native Jacob Ealy eyeing Pitt-Johnstown history

Jacob Ealy’s cool, calm and collected approach helped him set history four years ago when he became Hopewell High School's first wrestler to win a state championship.

That approach still works for him at the college level where he wrestles for Pitt-Johnstown.

Going into Wednesday’s showdown against Gannon, Ealy has not lost this season. He’s a perfect 22-0 in the 149-pound weight class, and he’s the No. 1 ranked wrestler in the latest NCAA Division II rankings.

“What makes him so effective is he’s so even-keeled,” said Pat Pecora, Pitt-Johnstown’s long-time wrestling coach. “He’s never too high, never too low. He doesn’t get flustered by anything.”

Obviously, Ealy’s mental approach plays a huge part in his success.

So does his natural talent.

So does his relentless work ethic when it comes to conditioning and practice.

It all adds up to a thriving career that could place him among the greatest wrestlers in the history of Pitt-Johnstown’s proud wrestling program.

Pecora, who’s in his 47th season as coach, has surely coached his share of top-notch wrestlers. He’s tutored 14 national championships who’ve combined for 22 individual national titles.

The first was Carlton Haselrig, who would go on to play six seasons as a guard in the NFL, including five years with the Pittsburgh Steelers. The most recent was Chris Eddins, who won national titles in 2018 and 2019 at 141 and 149 pounds, respectively.

So it’s especially noteworthy when Pecora has this to say about Ealy: “He’s just been one of the best young men I’ve ever coached.”

Wow! That's quite a statement.

Ealy appreciates that praise from Pecora. But he also knows that there’s so much more work to do before he can reach the goals he wants to reach.

“Since I’ve gotten here, I've only improved and it shows with some of the accolades I've received so far,” Ealy said. “I'm really happy with the success I've had so far but I'm still not where I want to be. But I like where it's going.”

To foresee where Ealy’s career might be headed, it helps to reflect on his past.

His crowning achievements in high school, of course, were the WPIAL and PIAA titles he won as a senior in 2019.

A year after placing fifth at states in the 126-pound weight class in Class 3A, he won the 2A state title at 138 pounds by decisioning Saegertown's Kenny Kiser, 7-5. Kiser currently wrestles at Army.

A four-year letterman at Hopewell, Ealy went 42-2 as a senior and finished his career with a 137-21 record. He's second on Hopewell's all-time win list behind Tim Hundenski, a 2010 graduate who went 143-22.

Confidence was a big thing.

“Winning a PIAA title in either double-A or triple-A is a tough task to do,” Ealy said. “So being the first state champion Hopewell ever had, that got me ready for college.

“I put in all the work and came out on top, and realized that's what I have to do every single year if I want to get better and better.”

Even before he won the state title, Ealy accepted a scholarship to Pitt-Johnstown. He did consider a few NCAA Division I programs such as West Virginia, Edinboro and George Mason.

Ultimately, he chose Pitt-Johnstown.

“After meeting with the guys on the team and Coach Pecora, I felt Pitt-Johnstown was the best place for me.”

As a freshman, Ealy didn’t figure on getting much mat time in real matches. In the weight-by-weight preview in the team’s media guide, Ealy wasn’t listed as a project starter at 141 pounds. He was just listed as one of two others “to watch.”

But during pre-season workouts, Ealy made his move by out-wrestling two other possible starters at 141.

“I ended up being the guy,” Ealy said. "It was intimidating. But it's something I was up for."

After earning a starting spot, Ealy went on to win the Super Region I title at 141 pounds and qualified for the national tournament. The Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference Freshman of the Year, and the National Collegiate Wrestling Association Super Region I Rookie of the Year, Ealy went 19-11 overall and 14-9 in dual meets. He was also selected to the NWCA Scholar All-America Team.

As a sophomore in a season that was all but wiped out by the COVID-19 pandemic, Ealy moved up 149 pounds and earned an at-large bid to the NCAA Championships. He placed eighth at nationals to earn his first All-America honor.

Then in his redshirt sophomore season, Ealy went a team-best 29-3 overall and 13-0 in dual meets on his way to winning his second Super Region I title and becoming a two-time NCAA All-American by placing third at the national tournament. He was also named first-team All-PSAC for the second time.”

“He made an immediate impact,” Pecora said. “When we recruited him, we thought we would redshirt him. But then after watching him during some wrestle-offs, we decided he's good enough to go right now. He broke into the lineup his first year and made an impact right away. He had a fantastic freshman season.

“And he’s just gotten better over the years. He's been a force since he arrived. He’s a real hard worker, a steady worker. He’s that type of young man.

“He’s very deceiving, how tough he is. He’s very athletic. He’s got very good hips and good balance. He scrambles well. He’s tough on his feet. He's got a great offense. He’s got a great defense. He’s hard to take down. He’s great off the bottom. He’s tough on top. Like all great wrestlers, he’s good in every position.

"Physically and technique-wise, you have to be good at all positions, and Jacob is good at all positions. He's an overall wrestler technically and mentally. He keeps it together.”

Ealy kept it together Friday when Pitt-Johnstown, ranked No. 7 in the latest NCAA D-II rankings, handled eighth-ranked Millersville, 35-5. In that match, Ealy pinned Craig Cook, who’s ranked eighth nationally.

Ealy, a Business Marketing major, hopes to do the same Wednesday when Pitt-Johnstown hosts Gannon. For Ealy, it will be a No. 1 vs. No. 3 matchup at 149 when he takes on Nick Young (18-3).

Ultimately, Ealy has his sights set on the NCAA Division II Super Region 1 tournament at East Stroudsburg on Feb. 25 and the NCAA Division II Championships on March 10-11 at the Alliant Energy PowerHouse in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.

His goal is to follow the footsteps of Haselrig, Eddins and the 12 other Pitt-Johnstown wrestlers who've won national titles.

"My goal is to get to the top of the podium," Ealy said. "That's my goal every year.

"I think I'm doing the right things to get there. I know I’m doing everything that it takes. I just have to keep doing it."

This article originally appeared on Beaver County Times: Work ethic, natural talent has Hopewell native Jacob Ealy eyeing Pitt-Johnstown history