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Harer brothers win gold at states

By Henry Huber - | Mar 18, 2024

HERSHEY — Prior to his state title match on Saturday, Montgomery senior Conner Harer sat in the middle of the mat and took a moment to take in the atmosphere before his match began. It wasn’t just the nerves of competing in the last high school match that made him emotional, however.

He had just born witness to his brother, Brandt, earning his first state title after falling just short the prior season. Having a chance to share a title with him before he graduated was a dream come true, one he’s been having for quite a while.

“We’ve dreamed of this since were five or seven years old,” said Harer when discussing his brother. “When he won the state title, my heart lit up. All the nerves calmed before my match because I’m so happy for him.”

At the end of a dominant season from both, Brandt faced off against Bishop McDevitt’s Camden Baum, a wrestler ranked two spots above him in the nationally rankings according to FloWrestling. The result was one of the tensest matches of the entire event.

Though a lot of shot attempts were made, neither could break through either defense. They could put each other in bad spots, but precise defensive positioning and unbreakable composure never allowed those to result in takedowns. The pair would trade escapes, ultimately landing in overtime.

In sudden victory, a scramble almost resulted in a takedown for both, but the period ended before it could result in points. Even with the intensity of the match up to that point, Harer never confidence, seeing tiebreakers as an excellent opportunity to win.

“I’m comfortable on top. It’s one of my best positions so I knew if I could just get the ride out, I should be good on bottom,” said Harer. “My coaches always preach mindset, stay ready, stay positive to yourself throughout the whole match, and I did that.”

With Harer riding out Baum the first tiebreaker period, all he had to do was earn an escape. And with flip backwards, he was able to get on his feet. And after rotating and working to pull Baum’s hands off, he secured the takedown, avoiding danger for the remaining ten seconds to seal the gold.

With the win, he had not only avenged his prior loss but also justified all the hard work he put in since then.

“I fell short last year, and it was heartbreaking,” said Harer following the win. “I just had to stay mentally ready. I trained all year for this, and I got it done, so I’m thankful for that.”

In the process, he managed to surpass 100 wins as a freshman, concluding this season with a 54-0 record, almost half of which were pins. He looks forward to briefly celebrating the accomplishment before getting back on the mat and doing it all again.

“I’ve always dreamed of 100 wins and now that I have 100, I’m going to try to get 200,” said Harer. “This is awesome and I’m going to enjoy this tonight and tomorrow before getting back on the mat. I need to get better in all positions. You’ve got to train to get better every single day, and that’s what I’m going to do.”

It’s really over, huh?

With Brandt’s win secured, all Conner had to do to have the perfect ending to his career was win.

Though he’d see resistance from fellow finalist Cael Weidemoyer (Faith Christian), allowing a reversal early in the third to cut his lead to one, Harer was ultimately able to wait him out and avoid the stall call to secure his third straight state title. Contrary to popular belief, it wasn’t much easier than the first or the second, with Weidemoyer and Devon Magro (Bishop McCort) giving each giving him considerable runs.

“Winning states, everyone thinks that once you win it, you’re going to win it every single time and that’s not the case, especially with this sport,” said Harer following the win. “This was the perfect year. This was my last ride, and I was able to win it with my brother.”

That state title stands as the cherry on top of a jarringly large sundae, as Harer was able to round out a career in which the accomplishments seemed to pour in.

In his senior season alone, he was honored for breaking both the Montgomery and District 4 record for career wins, along with securing his fourth sectional, district and titles and finishing undefeated for the second time. Harer was more than content with leaving things off there, as he looks ahead to his next chapter at Rutgers.

“Be dominant, enjoy the sport and keep winning,” said Harer when asked about his focuses heading into his college career. “I’m a winner. I’ve always done it. Whether I win by 15 points or one, I’m always getting my hand raised. I’m going to do it at the next level as well.”

Thus concludes one of the most decorated careers in District 4 history. He sets the District 4 mark to beat for career wins at 191, a mark he can’t wait to see Brandt beat.