Bo Bassett opened up about defeating Montgomery High School’s Brandt Harer in what was his last high school competitive appearance at the 2026 PIAA Individual Wrestling Championships at Giant Center in Hershey on Saturday, March 7. Bassett earned the spot to compete in the final round after dominating the quarterfinal and semifinal with a technical fall against Charley Paige and Jacob Mackie, respectively.
It was the most-anticipated bout, with both competitors entering the mat having won two state championships twice before. Bassett won his third straight PIAA Class 2A title by pinning Harer in the 145-pound category bout in 2:49. In an interview following the bout, he expressed his gratitude towards his parents and fans while stating that he isn’t going to stop working towards his ultimate goal.
“I got to tell my parents, I love them so much,” Bassett said. “I’m so grateful. As dad said what you seek is what you get. So I guess it’s true but grateful for the moment and gonna keep working as far as I can.”
He also highlighted the biggest takeaway from the bout, saying:
“I’m blessed but my biggest takeaway is confidence and really I just keep working harder and praise God more and love him even more, lean in more and smile more.”
“I gotta say thanks for all the support all you guys. I love you all. I couldn’t do without you guys for keeping me going, inspired and motivated. Well, the hype is settled.”
With the win, Bo Bassett surpassed Kennard-Dale’s former wrestler Chance Marsteller’s high school career record of 166-0 with 170-0.
Bo Bassett Reveals The Reason For Decommitting From The Iowa Hawkeyes Wrestling Program
Bo Bassett previously committed to the Iowa Hawkeyes in February 2025. However, five months later, he announced his decommitment to enter the recruitment process again. Bassett highlighted that although decommitting from the Iowa Hawkeyes wasn’t an easy decision, staying in the program did not feel like the right fit for him.
“After a lot of prayer and talking with my family, I’ve decided to decommit from the University of Iowa,” Bo Bassett expressed. “This wasn’t easy, but I believe it’s not the right fit for me as a wrestler, a person, or for my faith journey. I’m grateful for the opportunity, and I’ll never speak a bad word about their program. This is about finding the place God wants me to be. This is a huge decision in my life and it has to be the right one.”
Bo Bassett committed with the Virginia Tech on October 4, 2025.
Read more:
McKendree and Iowa Separated by Mere 2.5 Points in Landmark NCAA Women’s Wrestling After Day 1
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