Thad Benton, Jarrod Deavor, Dave Marko, Russ Knisley and Ryan and Brandon Ickes characterize the 2000 C-K wrestling staff on the Bedford County Hall of Fame.
Courtesy photograph
EVERETT — Thad Benton, who turned one of the completed wrestlers in program historical past for each Claysburg-Kimmel High School and the University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown, has at all times discovered to treat adversity as an ally.
Benton, who was one in all eight people inducted into the 2026 Bedford County Sports Hall of Fame at a ceremony held Saturday afternoon within the Everett Area High School Auditorium, mentioned that he grew adept at thriving when his again was towards the wall.
“I started wrestling when I was very young, and I wasn’t very good then,” Benton mentioned. “The first trophy I obtained in third grade was for ending in third place in my weight class, however there have been solely 4 youngsters within the weight class.
“Then I broke my leg, and coming back from that seemed to motivate me and instilled in me a very strong drive,” Benton added. “I finished my eighth grade season undefeated.”
Things would get higher from there for Benton — a lot better.
He turned a four-year member of the Claysburg-Kimmel beginning wrestling lineup, piling up a glowing profession document of 120 wins and simply 15 losses, whereas successful three District 6 Class 2A championships, two Southwest Class 2A Regional titles, and incomes three placewinner’s medals on the PIAA state match in Hershey — together with a second-place state end at 130 kilos in his junior 12 months. He additionally earned fifth-place and third-place state medals as a sophomore and senior, respectively.
After graduating from Claysburg-Kimmel in 2001, success, and adversity, continued for Benton in his collegiate wrestling profession at UPJ. After successful 25 matches as a redshirt freshman, Benton received 16 matches in his sophomore 12 months earlier than an damage ended his season.
“I tore my UCL (ulnar collateral elbow ligament),” Benton mentioned. “It was a letdown sitting out that season, but I took that experience and used it to drive me to win two national titles over the next two seasons.”
Benton returned to the mat within the 2004-05 season and captured the NCAA Division II nationwide championship at 141 kilos with a 9-4 win over Nebraska-Omaha’s Eli Dominquez within the title bout.
He adopted that up with one other nationwide championship the following season, defeating Central Oklahoma’s Kyle Evans within the 141-pound championship match. Benton’s 17 falls within the 2005-06 season are nonetheless a Pitt-Johnstown document for falls by a wrestler at that weight class, and his 121 profession wins at UPJ rank him sixteenth among the varsity’s all-time winningest wrestlers.
Benton, just like the afternoon’s different inductees, thanked his dad and mom, different members of the family, coaches, and mentors who paved the highway for his success.
“When you surround yourself with good people and work hard, anything is possible,” mentioned Benton, who’s married and is the daddy of three.
Among probably the most optimistic influences in Benton’s life was his highschool wrestling coach at Claysburg-Kimmel, Dave Marko, who served as Benton’s presenter for Saturday’s induction ceremony.
Benton — who lives in Johnstown, has been an assistant wrestling coach at Richland High School since 2008, and is employed as a surveyor with the LTC Energy Company there — gave Marko credit score for serving to him to develop a piece ethic that also serves him effectively immediately.
“He has made such an impact on my life and on the lives of all of the wrestlers that he has coached,” Benton mentioned of Marko, who’s presently the top wrestling coach at Central High School. “So much so that to this day, I try to instill that same work ethic in my kids and in the wrestlers who I have coached.”
Marko is thrilled that Benton has loved such a profitable private {and professional} life, in addition to a stellar athletic profession.
“It’s been an amazing ride for him,” Marko mentioned. “I’m proud to have been his coach, proud of the man and father that he has become, and now, I am proud to be his friend.”
Benton had beforehand been inducted into the NCAA Division II Wrestling Hall of Fame and the UPJ Athletics Hall of Fame.
As a junior, Benton was additionally a distinguished member of the 1999-2000 Claysburg-Kimmel wrestling staff that earned collective induction into the Bedford County Sports Hall of Fame Saturday.
That staff completed second within the staff standings to Wyalusing on the PIAA Class 2A state match and featured 4 state medalists — runners-up Jarrett Musselman and Benton, third-placer Derek Tipton, and sixth-placer Ryan Ickes.
“I am honored to present the 2000 team induction into the Bedford County Sports Hall of Fame,” mentioned Marko, who established a training dynasty throughout his years in Claysburg. “This group of younger males didn’t simply land on the prime of the mountain — they scratched and fought their means there with their arduous work and dedication.
“This team was an absolute joy to coach,” added Marko, who was joined on the stage by 1999-2000 staff members, together with assistant coaches Jarrod Deavor and Russ Knisely, and wrestlers Benton, Brandon Ickes and Ryan Ickes.
Other people within the 2026 Bedford Sports Hall of Fame induction class included:
– Former long-time Bedford High School athletic director and athlete Terry Diehl, whose dedication to athletics spans greater than 70 years as a participant, coach, administrator, official and mentor.
– Former Everett High School and Shippensburg University observe star Wendy (Clark) Evans — who former Everett coach Jeff Batzel, serving as her presenter for the induction, described as “the most talented and accomplished girls track athlete that I’ve ever coached.”
– Former Tussey Mountain High School and Juniata College softball pitching standout Jodie (Wise) Kormanski.
– Les Logsdon, a former three-sport athlete at Bedford High School who starred in basketball on the collegiate degree at Indiana University of Pennsylvania.
– Former Bedford High School pitching standout Aaron Sams, who performed collegiately at James Madison University and was a fifth-round draft decide by the Chicago Cubs in 1998. Sams performed 4 extra seasons {of professional} baseball within the Cubs, Boston Red Sox and Milwaukee Brewers organizations.
– The late Bedford native Sam Fletcher, who had a short Major League Baseball profession as a pitcher within the 1909 season with the Brooklyn Superbas and within the 1912 season with the Cincinnati Reds.
– Osterburg native Donald “Meach” Miller, who made his mark as one of many state of Pennsylvania’s most completed and revered slow-pitch softball pitchers in a profession that spanned from 1973 to 2012.
Other staff inductees included the 1970 Tussey Mountain baseball staff, the 1984-85 Bedford ladies basketball staff, and the Allison’s/Healing Arts/Thomas Chevrolet slow-pitch softball staff.
High college Athletes of the Year from the Mirror’s core protection space honored by the Bedford County Sports Hall of Fame included Claysburg-Kimmel’s Mason Campagna and Isabella Paris, in addition to Northern Bedford’s Nolin Snider and Alyssa Yeatts. Campagna was additionally named the Bedford Gazette’s Male Scholar Athlete of the Year.
Other space highschool Athletes of the Year honored by the Bedford Hall Saturday included Chestnut Ridge’s Dominic Deputy and Juliet Alt, Tussey Mountain’s Noah Lucko and Brianna Gabrielson, Bedford’s Owen Schrock and Kacey Martz, and Everett’s Jakobe Harman and Jade Colledge. Martz was additionally named the Bedford Gazette’s Female Scholar Athlete of the Year.