“This team ranks right up there with one of the best in program history,” says Pequignot, “We only had a full lineup for a couple of meets and still made District Duals (12-7), but we fell short of  our goal of making the top-8 and wrestling at Milton. We had four wrestlers with 30-plus wins on the season and we qualified six wrestlers to Districts, four to Regionals and two to States, which was successful compared to past seasons, but we thought we could do better.”

The Mounties were senior-led this season, and included first-year wrestler Braden Route (215/285, 14-19, Sect. 3rd), two-year wrestler Brady Bower (139/145, 3-18), Ryan Roupp (172/189, 9-11, 18-49), who spent four years with the program, and a trio of young men who Coach Pequignot not only coached since they strapped on a singlet, but who the longtime Coach tags as the backbone of North Penn-Liberty’s wrestling program .. Brayden Pequignot, Riley Oakes and Easton Pequignot.

“This senior class means so much to the program,” says Coach Pequignot, “They exemplify everything we’re trying to instill into our program and had a tremendous impact on recreating the culture and expectations of Mountie wrestling. I’ve coached them since they were in kindergarten .. making this a very emotional season for me.”

Coach Pequignot’s son, Brayden, who missed the start of the season, finished with a 30-13 record, placed 2nd at Sectionals, 4th at both Districts and Regionals and made his second trip to Hershey for the State Championships. He collected 111 wins in his 4-year varsity career, as well as a State tournament win in his junior season. 

Brayden, who has committed to wrestle for Millersville University, was also recognized with the NTL Officials Outstanding Sportsmanship Award and was the recipient of the District 4 Max Shnyder Scholarship.

Oakes, a nephew to Coach Craig Pequignot and cousin to Brayden, went 36-12 this season and placed 3rd at Sectionals, 7th at Districts and was one win away from qualifying for States. The 152-pounder started his career as a freshman 113-pounder and this season alone wrestled at 145, 152, 160 and 172 pounds. He collected 95 career wins for the Mounties and has also committed to wrestle for Millersville, while also being honored by the NTL officials for Outstanding Sportsmanship.

Another nephew to Craig and cousin to both Brayden and Oakes, Easton Pequignot was unable to compete in the postseason this year, but went 19-9 during the regular season while wrestling at 172, 189 and 215 pounds and collected 83 varsity wins over his 4-year Mountie career. 

“Brayden, Riley and Easton have set the tone both athletically and academically over the years,” says Coach Pequignot, “being recognized for the District and State academic teams. Our wrestling program is really taking off and these guys have played a huge role in that. I could not be prouder and they will be missed.”

The Mounties got some outstanding performances outside of their decorated senior class as well, led by Coach Pequignot’s sophomore son, Bryce.

The younger Pequignot followed up his impressive freshman season, when he went 33-8 and qualified for States as a 107-pounder, by racking up 36 wins on his way to winning the 114-pound North Sectional, District 4 and Northeast Regional championships in 2024-’25. Unfortunately, Bryce was unable to make weight on the first day of States and saw his phenomenal sophomore season come to an end.

“Bryce not making weight was disappointing to him as well as myself,” says Coach Pequignot, “This sport can be cruel .. but it teaches amazing lessons. There are no excuses for the issue and it simply cannot happen. He’ll overcome this, put it behind him, mature and be ready to lead this team next season. He has big shoes to fill.”

Another highlight of the Mounties’ season was the performance of first-year 107-pounder Bodhi Nickerson. The freshman finished 31-13, placed 3rd at Sectionals and 7th at Districts to qualify for Regionals, while Charles Aumick was the Mounties’ 6th wrestler to qualify for Districts, placing 4th at Sectionals after a limited season saw the junior finish with a 12-11 record.

The Mounties became adept at dealing with a depleted lineup throughout the season, but it took its toll in close matches and on Liberty’s dual meet record. 

“This season brought on a lot of challenges that created a lot of ups and downs,” says Pequignot, “We finished 12-7 and had to overcome several injuries and illnesses. We only weighed-in everyone one time the whole season .. we had to bump kids up weights to fill holes and we lost a couple matches that we could have won. That hurt us in the District Duals .. we were hoping for a better matchup.”

The Mounties and Coach Craig Pequignot, along with assistant Kevin Lehman, will remember the 2024-’25 season as one of Liberty’s finest. New goals and aspirations will be set for the ’25-’26 season, while remembering a truer purpose.

“The overall goal of mine is to help guide teenagers into becoming successful young men,” says Pequignot, “There’s no better method to do that than wrestling, and I feel like we’ve developed a program that is doing that. We instill the value of family and giving back. I look forward to watching these seniors grow and I hope one day they give back to the program in some capacity. We also have a lot to look forward to for next season.”

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