One month after reaching the pinnacle of high school wrestling, Daniel Boone junior Tucker Hogan is keeping his feet on the ground and head out of the clouds.
That down-to-earth approach is one of the reasons Hogan said he was able to become his school’s first PIAA wrestling champion and complete a perfect 2022-23 season. It earned him the Mercury All-Area Wrestler of the Year award for the second straight season.
“I was definitely flying high for one to two weeks,” Hogan said. “But now it’s sunk in and people go back to ‘you’re just Tucker’ now. The state title is cool but I don’t think that really defines you as a person. I don’t want to let myself act differently because I’m a good wrestler. I think that I should just act like everybody else.”
Hogan’s actions on the mat definitely spoke louder than his words. He completed a 44-0 season and was forced to go the distance in just 10 bouts. In addition to two forfeit wins, Hogan had 20 falls and 12 technical falls.
Daniel Boone’s Tucker Hogan gets his arm raised after beating Northern York’s Cole Bartram, 4-0, the 189-pound final. (Nate Heckenberger – For MediaNews Group)
Hogan racked up three straight technical falls in the PIAA Tournament before defeating Cole Bartram of Northern York 4-0 in the Class 3A 189-pound championship bout. Hogan credited the little things with helping him complete one of the biggest seasons in Berks County history.
“I think consistency was the theme all year,” Hogan said. “Showing up to practice consistently even though you don’t want to go some days you’ve got to go, and sometimes you’ve got to double practice. So I think consistency is the main thing.”
Hogan was consistent enough to defeat Bartram for the second time in two weeks in a championship match. At the South Central Regional two weeks prior to the state championship bout, Hogan downed Bartram 5-3.
Hogan said he was aware wrestling the same opponent for a state championship was a pitfall that had tripped up plenty of other wrestlers.
But he put that concern and reduced mobility due to an injured left knee out of his mind when he took the mat for the biggest bout of his career – so far.
“I treat every opponent the same if they’re a first-year wrestler or a returning state champ,” Hogan said. “I think you should go out there with the same mindset no matter who they are. I knew what I was capable of doing.”
Daniel Boone’s Tucker Hogan. (Nate Heckenberger – For MediaNews Group)
Hogan and his father, Daniel Boone coach Jim Hogan, knew Tucker’s potential before he wrestled his first varsity match. As a freshman, Tucker went 18-3 during the COVID shortened 2020-21 season and just missed earning a trip to the trimmed-down state tournament.
Fueled by the desire to win a state championship, Tucker Hogan began working out at Alvernia University with Chance Marsteller, an All-American who won four PIAA titles during an undefeated career at Kennard-Dale. Tucker Hogan worked out there with Owen J. Roberts brothers Dean and Dillon Bechtold.
Dean Bechtold, a freshman, lost to Hogan in the semifinals and finished sixth at 189. Dillon Bechtold, a junior, was the runner-up at 215.
Jim Hogan, who wrestled at Bloomsburg University, said he had no second thoughts about sharing the coaching of his son.
“Be good at what you do but have better people surrounding you,” Jim Hogan said. “That’s exactly how I see Chance. I would be a fool not to try to dip into his knowledge as a wrestling coach. He’s wrestling at a world level. I wouldn’t be doing my job as a father not bringing Tucker to Chance. I’ll share.”
Tucker Hogan went 44-2 during his sophomore season but had his state championship dreams derailed with a semifinal loss. He bounced back to finish third.
That loss and Tucker Hogan’s continued training with Marsteller allowed the Hogans to share a special moment March 11 in the Giant Center. The emotions were hard for Jim Hogan to hide, even as Tucker walked off the mat like he had just won any other bout.
“If you’re competing at the state tournament you’re among the few healthy young men who are able to do that,” Tucker Hogan said. “I know the amount of work that the guys put in to get there so I think it’s disrespectful (to celebrate).”
Daniel Boone’s Tucker Hogan scores a reversal against Northern York’s Cole Bartram in a 4-0 win in the 189-pound final. (Nate Heckenberger – For MediaNews Group)
Plus, Tucker Hogan knows from experience that many of those same wrestlers are now putting in the extra work in an attempt to improve from state medalists to state champions. Hogan realizes his 106-5 career record and state championship won’t mean a thing to his opponents next season.
“I think everybody who was at the tournament has the same goal now and that’s to win it next year,” Tucker Hogan said. “For me, personally, it’s just to keep working and doing what I’ve been doing. I know the other people are. I know what it feels like to lose there. It definitely drives you more than winning. I’m still hungry.
“You should still think of yourself as the underdog is a big thing to do because you should never get comfortable. When you get comfortable, I think that’s when you see a lot of top names fall off.”
Tucker Hogan’s name will forever be on the walls of history at Daniel Boone. With only one season left, he is weighing his options about where to continue his wrestling and academic careers.
He said that decision could come sometime this summer. But for now, Tucker Hogan has returned to consistently working hard in an attempt to reach the pinnacle of high school wrestling again next season.
