McDowell hires Brookville graduate, Penn State DuBois assistant as wrestling coach
Josh Knapp thought wrestling at Brookville was a big deal even before his first class there.
The new coach at McDowell, though, found out he was wrong. He learned the Raiders were more a way of life throughout the Jefferson County borough.
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“It was a privilege I didn't fully realize until I left there,” Knapp said. “That's when I realized not everybody gets to wrestle in a program like that. The whole community was behind you. We sold out our gym on two or three occasions where they had to add close-circuit TV sets to watch us.
“It wasn't until college I realized that wasn't normal.”
Knapp graduated from Brookville in 1998, a year before the traditional District 9 power won the PIAA's inaugural Class 2A team wrestling tournament. The heavyweight resumed his career while a student at Messiah University in Mechanicsburg, Cumberland County.
Tenures as an assistant wrestling coach, including five seasons at Penn State DuBois, followed for Knapp. That experience on and at the corner of the mat paid off for the Pennsylvania Department of Corrections counselor when McDowell hired him Sept. 14.
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Knapp, 42, takes over for Dave Onorato, who resigned after three seasons. McDowell Athletic Director Mark Becker announced the move in a news release.
“Coach Knapp brings experience, expertise, leadership qualities and passion to the Trojans' wrestling program,” Becker said. “I'm excited to see our program continue to grow under his leadership.”
Knapp recently assisted the Rambler Wrestling Club. He takes over a rival McDowell program highlighted by senior lightweight Logan Sallot, who announced his verbal commitment to wrestle for Division I West Virginia the day before Knapp's hire.
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Sallot, unlike most on the Trojans' 2022-23 roster, has known their new coach for five years. That's when he began training, with some help by Knapp, as a member of northwestern Pennsylvania's Bad Karma Wrestling Club.
“Out of all the (coaching) options we had going into this season, I think he was definitely the best one for our team,” Sallot said. “I know he's always pushed me to be my best and I know he's going to push everyone in that room, no matter who you are.”
Seniors Caleb Butterfield, a middleweight, and upperweight Troy Peterson, who were District 10 Class 3A gold medalists last season, also are expected back for the Trojans. Practice starts Nov. 18 and the season opens Dec. 2.
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“Being a (head) coach, that's been my goal for a long while,” Knapp said. “I put my time in, so what an honor it is to start off at a great place like McDowell.”
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Contact Mike Copper at mcopper@timesnews.com. Follow him on Twitter @ETNcopper.
This article originally appeared on Erie Times-News: McDowell hires Brookville graduate Josh Knapp as wrestling coach
