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Mar 31, 2026 By Jonathan Guth 6 min read

Kai Vielma will never stop working, and his goals remain intact, but the Connellsville junior feels like a huge weight has been lifted off his shoulders after winning a state wrestling championship on March 7 at the Giant Center in Hershey.

The Stanford commit is wrestling without trepidation, which was evident during his performance in the NHSCA High School Nationals at the Virginia Beach Sports Center in Virginia Beach, Va.

Vielma capped the three-day tournament on Sunday with a victory in the finals at 145 pounds to capture a national championship in the junior division.

In addition to finishing 7-0 and only being taken down once in the tournament, Vielma was able to enjoy some time on the beach with his teammates and friends.

“I accomplished a big goal of mine in winning a state championship, and that has provided a calming effect for me,” Vielma said. “I go into every match looking to dominate, but I have learned that it is not the end of the world if you lose. There are other things in life that are important.

“I had the opportunity to go to the beach, ride scooters with my buddies and eat some ice cream. Of course, I had to wait until after weigh-ins to have the treats, but they were on Thursday, and we only had to weigh-in one time, so we were all very happy about that.”

Vielma wasn’t entirely sure if he was going to compete in the national championships after returning to Connellsville from the state tournament, but he is glad he made the choice to wrestle.

“I was thinking that I needed a break, but I figured as it got closer to the event that I should go,” Vielma said. “I love to compete, and it is something that is fun for me. Plus, I love Virginia Beach.

“It was a huge tournament, but I was able to have some relaxing moments, too. I felt like I wrestled at my best because I was free of all the pressure and worries. I definitely want to continue to win championships, but I know that my state championship can never be taken from me.”

Vielma won three matches by fall, including the finals, and earned two technical falls. He won by decision, 8-1, in the semifinals.

Vielma’s closest bout was an 11-7 victory over Brant Laughlin of Seneca, Mo., in the quarterfinals.

Vielma opened up the match with three takedowns in the first period. He had a 9-2 lead after his third takedown, as he allowed Laughlin to escape, but Laughlin scored a reversal with 47 seconds remaining in the frame to cut the deficit to 9-4, however, Vielma also had a scary moment as he felt a shooting pain in his knee.

Laughlin, who is a two-time state champion, allowed Vielma to escape in the third period, and scored a takedown to cut the deficit to 10-7 with 59 seconds remaining. Laughlin allowed another escape, but Vielma held on for the win.

Vielma was pleased with the match, and glad to be challenged, but he was concerned in regards to his knee.

“We got into a scramble, and when he reversed me, I kind of messed up my knee a little bit,” Vielma said. “It’s fine now, but I thought maybe I hurt it badly when it occurred. I had about an hour until I wrestled again, so I just pushed through it and was able to advance to the finals, which was the next day. I had my leg wrapped for the finals.

“It was a good match, and I was glad to wrestle someone like that. He was no chump, but I wish I would have extended my lead a little bit. I wrestled phenomenal this weekend and felt very smooth. I am just going out there and having a good time.”

Vielma’s final competition of the spring will be back at Virginia Beach for the Virginia Beach Duals. He will compete for a club team, but will see plenty of familiar faces.

“I will be competing on a club team, but there are a bunch of Connellsville guys going down,” Vielma said. “I love going down to Virginia Beach, and if I happen to lose a match or two, it will be OK because you can use losses to make you a better wrestler. We never shy away from tough competition.”

Vielma wasn’t the only Falcon competing for a national title in Virginia Beach, as Tommy Gretz, Nolan Rice, Jake Lilley, Luke Lilley, Daniel Smith and Karson Snyder all competed.

Each Connellsville wrestler won at least two matches in their respective high school divisions.

Gretz, a junior at 120, finished in fourth place with a record of 5-2. He won four matches to reach the semifinals, but lost to Oklahoma’s Van Smith in the semifinals.

Gretz edged Florida’s Lazaro Soto, 1-0, in the ultimate tiebreaker to advance to the consolation finals, but he was upended by Hatboro-Horsham’s Dominick Morrison, who was third in the PIAA Class 3A championships this season at 121. Morrison, who has committed to continue his academic and wrestling careers at Penn, won a state title at 107 his freshman season before placing fifth last year at 114.

Jake Lilley defeated Dimetry Molina, of California, 14-9, for fifth place at 152 in the sophomore division. Lilley used two takedowns, three near-fall points and two escapes to build an 11-0 lead with 1:39 remaining in the third period, but Molina battled back with three takedowns before Lilley hung on for the win.

Lilley won four matches to qualify for the semifinals and ensure a spot on the podium, but suffered two setbacks to drop into the battle for fifth place.

Rice reached the podium in eight place at 132 in the junior division. Rice’s bracket had a round of 128, and he earned four victories to qualify for the quarterfinals, but he suffered a 1-0 loss in the ultimate tiebreaker.

Rice won his match in the blood round, 4-3, after earning four near-fall points in the second period. Rice was down 3-0 after the first period, but he used his superior top wrestling for the victory. He didn’t turn his opponent in the third period, but rode him out for two minutes.

Luke Lilley was 4-2 at 145 in the sophomore division. Smith, a fellow 10th grader at 145, was 2-2.

Snyder was 2-2 in the freshman division at 170.

Jefferson-Morgan’s Alek Palko placed sixth at 160 in the sophomore division. He advanced to the quarterfinals with victories of 8-1, 14-0 and 7-6, but dropped a 3-2 decision to fall back into the consolation bracket.

Palko used a stand-up for an escape in the second period and hung on for a 1-0 decision over Devon Weber of New York to clinch a spot on the podium. Palko won his next bout, 4-2, but dropped his last two.

The Rockets’ Caleb Dulaney (1-2) and Brayden Hanning (2-2) competed in the sophomore division at 113.

Mount Pleasant’s Parker Holt was 2-2 in the freshman division at 113.