The Jet's Annual Public Discourse: 172

The Jet's 2025 PIAA AAA 172-Pound Predictions--Through the Eyes of The Hawk

The Jet has spoken before of his cousin, Boris "The Egret" Romanov, and his revolutionary wrestling analytics movement.

But before Boris the Egret, before advanced statistics and encrypted predictions, before multiversal bracket simulations, there was only one man:

Mikhail "The Hawk" Romanov.

The Hawk did not need numbers. The Hawk did not need computers.

The Hawk predicted champions by the way they carried themselves. By the way they stepped onto the mat. By the fire--or lack thereof--in their eyes.

A single glance from The Hawk could tell you if a man was bound for glory or if he was destined to break under the lights of Hershey.

The Jet now channels the wisdom of The Hawk.

He has analyzed the posture, the stance, the way each of these warriors ties their shoes, and he has emerged with absolute certainty.

The results are undeniable.

Champion: Asher Cunningham (State College, W-1)

The Jet has seen many champions in his time.

But The Hawk would have seen Cunningham from across the gym and known instantly--this is the one.

Cunningham does not hesitate. He does not question himself. He does not leave the door open for failure.

31-3? That is not a record. That is a statement.

The Jet has examined his every movement. The Hawk would have approved.

Cunningham will walk onto the mat Saturday night with the confidence of a man who already knows how this ends.

Because he does.

Runner-Up: Brian Heard (Abington Heights, NE-1)

The Jet hears the whispers.

"Jet, what about Heard?"

"Jet, is this the year for Abington Heights?"

"Jet, what would The Hawk say about Heard?"

The Hawk would have nodded in approval.

Heard moves like a champion. He wrestles like a champion.

But in the end, he will run into a man even stronger, even more composed, even more destined for gold.

Heard will fight to the final whistle.

And then he will stand on the second step of the podium, staring at Cunningham, knowing it was never meant to be.

3rd Place: Tucker Seidel (West Perry, SC-1)

The Jet recognizes an old-school grinder when he sees one.

But The Hawk? He would have loved Seidel.

Seidel is 38-2 and has the look of a man who refuses to accept anything less than the podium.

The Jet foresees heartbreak in the semifinals.

The Hawk would have seen that heartbreak fuel a destructive rampage through the consolation bracket.

Seidel will leave bodies in his wake.

He will earn every takedown, every mat return, every second of riding time.

And when he takes third place? It will be with the bitterest of smiles.

4th Place: Gavin Cole (Council Rock South, SE-2)

The Jet respects discipline.

The Hawk respected warriors who knew when to attack and when to defend.

Cole will do both in Hershey.

He will wrestle with precision, he will win in the ugliest way possible when necessary, and he will place because Council Rock South wrestlers always place.

He will not reach the finals.

He will not defeat Seidel for third.

But he will not leave without a medal.

And in the end, that is what matters.

5th Place: Bode Marlow (Thomas Jefferson, W-2)

The Jet knows wrestlers like Marlow.

But The Hawk would have studied him and muttered a single phrase in Russian: "A beast trapped in a maze."

Marlow is 47-3, and yet, he is trapped in a bracket that will not allow him to reach the top.

He will rage against his fate. He will fight like a man who refuses to accept destiny.

And then, after a grueling weekend, he will stand on the fifth-place step, medal around his neck, knowing he was caged by fate itself.

6th Place: Blake Hostetter (Bethlehem Catholic, SE-1)

The Jet does not bet against Bethlehem Catholic.

The Hawk would have said, "Do not waste your breath on foolish questions."

Bethlehem Catholic wrestlers do not leave Hershey empty-handed.

Hostetter will drop a match he should have won.

He will win a match he had no business winning.

And in the end, he will finish sixth.

The Jet has seen it. The Hawk would have expected it.

7th Place: Chase Amspacher (Spring Grove, SC-3)

Some wrestlers dominate.

Some wrestlers survive.

Amspacher will survive.

The Hawk would have observed his stance, his pace, his ability to hang in matches he has no business winning, and he would have nodded in approval.

Amspacher will find himself deep in wrestlebacks.

He will win by the slimmest of margins.

And he will take seventh place by the skin of his teeth.

8th Place: Jack Weldon (Coatesville, SE-3)

The Jet knows a scrapper when he sees one.

The Hawk would have watched Weldon for five seconds, sighed, and said, "He will make the podium, but just barely."

The Jet has run the simulations.

The Hawk would not have needed them.

Weldon will lose early.

He will wrestle back in dramatic fashion.

And in his final match, he will win by one point.

His coach will throw a fist in the air.

His parents will let out a sigh of relief.

And Weldon? He will walk off the mat, medal in hand, knowing he could have finished higher.

Final Hawk Observations

• Asher Cunningham is winning. This is not a prediction. This is the law of nature.
• Brian Heard will dominate, but Cunningham exists. That is his curse.
• Tucker Seidel will break men in the wrestlebacks.
• Gavin Cole will place because Council Rock South wrestlers always place.
• Bode Marlow is a beast with nowhere to run. Fifth place is his prison.
• Bethlehem Catholic wrestlers do not fail to medal. The Hawk never questioned it.
• Chase Amspacher will win a match he should have lost.
• Jack Weldon will scrape onto the podium with a match so stressful it will age his coach five years.

The Jet has spoken. The Hawk has nodded in approval.

The results are inevitable.