First Posted: 3/16/2013
Andy Schutz has been wrestling a long time… a very long time. His first recollection of being on the mats was in kindergarten. Today, as a senior at Wyoming Area, he will graduate in a few short months as the most wins in wrestling history at the school.
Schutz overtook former Warrior great Mark Amato’s record of 120-wins to finish out his career with 125-victories against 21 losses. Schutz won his fourth District 2 Class 2A championship last month and was selected the tournament’s Most Outstanding Wrestler. He defeated Kashif Alston of Meyers by tech fall 17-1 in the 126-pound title match.
Schutz has seven PIAA medals to his credit, four for District 2, two NE Regionals and a State Medal he won this year for seventh place.
Andy’s earliest influences were his dad, Mike, Sr., a former grappler himself for Bishop O’Reilly High School in Kingston, and his older brother Mike, Jr., who took home a second-place at Districts during his high school career.
Starting off at an early age is the key to Schutz’s success. His dad enrolled him in the Wyoming Area elementary wrestling program, were he was the coach. The program took the younger Schutz to tournaments all over the region.
By the time Andy was in fifth grade, he started dominating on the mats. “I always loved it, so when I started seeing success with working hard and training hard, is when I started to take it serious,” said Schutz.
Success followed him through junior high until he broke his leg playing football. That setback didn’t deter him, once healthy, he continued training before wresting varsity.
“My dad taught me a lot from the beginning and when we went to the next level, I started training with the Mytyches,” said Schutz. The Mytyches Andy speaks of is the father/son coaches; Steve, Sr. and Jr. “Steve, Jr. has had such success in wrestling… he’s phenomenal,” added Andy.
Mytych, Jr. is pursuing his dream of wrestling in the Olympics. “He brought back a lot of good stuff from the Olympic training camp,” said Schutz speaking of technic and moves the younger Mytych learned while at the Olympic camp.
Even the elder Mytych has had a storied career as a wrestler coming out of New Jersey. “He was a New Jersey state place winner and he still wrestles us in the room and he, he’s still good,” chuckles Schutz.
Andy plans on wrestling in college and hopes to find a Division I school that would be interested in him. Right now, he is not quite sure where that school will be even though he’s had a few offers. “I have a few more weeks to commit, but I know I’ll definitely wrestle in college,” said Schutz. He will try to make his decision by mid-April.
Schutz realizes that wrestling will only be around for just a few more years for himself, so he would like to find a university based on academic record as well as a solid wrestling program. “With wrestling, there’s no where to go after college, so the bottom line is you need to get a good education.”
With graduation around the corner and college looming ahead, his dad Mike and mother Andrea Mauriello will possibly be putting some miles on the car for the next few years.