Kegan Handlovic ’08
Career Record: 124-29, 2x D11 Champ, 2x Regional Champ, 2x State Champ
Tournament Championships: 2x Manheim Champ
College: Clackamas CC/Purdue
2008 – 119 lbs.: District Champ, Regional Champ, State Champ (39-1)
2007 – 112 lbs.: District Champ, Regional Champ, State Champ (42-3)
2006 – 112 lbs.: District Runner-Up, Regional Third (23-16)
2005 (Wilson) – 103 lbs.: No postseason (20-9)
Kegan Handlovic blossomed into a two-time state champion after transferring to Easton from Wilson. Handlovic and Jordan Oliver made for one of the best one-two punches of all time as neither lost to a Pennsylvania foe over the final two years of their careers, and Handlovic became one of seven multi-time state champions in Easton history.
After a twenty win freshman season, Handlovic transferred to Easton and had to battle for a spot in the lineup. He traded off duals at 112, before taking control and winning the spot for Reno. There, Handlovic went 3-2. He started to find his footing with a win over D11 champ Gary Atiyeh (Whitehall) in January before a tough two match losing streak to Jon Gregory (Phillipsburg) and a loss in a dual with his former school to Weston Loxley (Wilson). He beat freshman standout Shane Fenningham (Northampton) twice down the stretch, including an 11-2 major in D11 duals to send Easton to the finals. Handlovic went 4-1 at state duals, including an overtime win with future state finalist Bryce Busler (Cumberland Valley). Handlovic started to make a star turn at the D11 tournament, where he beat Fenningham for a third time to go to D11 finals, where he pushed state bronze medalist Bobby Ward (Nazareth) to the limit in a 2-1 (OTRO) match. At Northeast Regionals, Handlovic was pinned in the semis by Gary Atiyeh (Whitehall) but ran off a pair of comfortable backside wins to earn his first trip to the state tournament. At states, Handlovic was pinned in his opener by future state champ Tony Dallago (Central Dauphin) and went 1-1 on the back side, with Bryce Busler (Cumberland Valley) winning a rematch to end Handlovic’s season.
As a junior, Handlovic was a new wrestler. He turned heads in the Sunshine Invitational finals, taking a 3-2 lead over national #1 Eric Grajales (Brandon, FL) before getting pinned in the second period. At Reno, he pinned California medalist Nicolo Naranjo (Gilroy) in the second round to announce his presence as a national caliber wrestler. He continued his roll in quarters with a win over Alaska state finalist Aaron Boss (Colony). Then Handlovic exploded, taking down three-time Oklahoma state champ Willie Gunter (Midwest City) three times in a 6-3 win, then hammering two-time California state champ and Super 32 champ David Klingsheim (Liberty) to make a stunning run to the Reno finals. He was finally stopped by California state champ Thomas Williams (South Hills) to finish with a silver medal. Handlovic dominated Manheim, getting a pin and scoring 32 points in his other three matches. He knocked off two-time Delaware state champ Chris Keech (Caesar Rodney) at the Easton Invitational. He helped erase a 28-21 deficit against Upper Perkiomen when he teched David Irwin and Jordan Oliver finished the match with a fall to beat the Indians. He pinned future state finalist Anthony Marino (Liberty) then at the NHSCA Final Four posted two falls, including one over Oregon bronze medalist Chase Winters (Hermiston) before dropping a tight 5-3 decision to future NCAA All American and four-time National Preps champ Chris Villalonga (Blair Academy). At District Duals, Handlovic teched future state finalist Tyler Rauenzahn (Blue Mountain) and pinned Josh Yuraists (Northampton) to get Easton to their eight straight D11 finals. There, they flipped the regular season result with a 29-26 win over Nazareth, with Handlovic majoring Eric Hurd as part of their bonus point barrage in the lower weights. Handlovic had three bonus point wins at state duals, though Easton fell to Nazareth in the state final. Handlovic was untouchable at the D11 tournament, pinning his way to the finals before a 9-3 win over Kyle Cramer (Pleasant Valley) for his first title. He was similarly dominant at Northeast Regionals, with a tech and a 16-4 major to get to finals, where Taylor Brown (Emmaus) kept things close in a 3-2 Handlovic win. At the state tournament, Handlovic snuck by Patrick Weiger (Central Dauphin) 5-3 win in round one, then got on track by majoring Nick Wykoff (DuBois) in quarters. His semifinal was a rematch of the Manheim final with Zach Cecchetti (Kiski Area), which was much closer the second time around, but Handlovic was able to ride out a 2-1 win to give the Red Rovers a state finalist. He’d have a familiar foe in finals as Taylor Brown made a Cinderella run to finals. After taking a 2-1 lead after one period, Handlovic barrel rolled Brown for five points and nearly pinned him in the second period as he blew open a 7-1 match. Handlovic held on for a 7-4 win to earn his first state title as one of two Easton champs on the evening.
As a senior, Handlovic bonused his way all the way to the Reno semifinals, where he defeated North Carolina state champion Ian Coggin (Chapel Hill) to earn his second straight trip to the Reno finals. Once again, he faced California state champ Thomas Williams (South Hills) and Williams was able to catch Handlovic on his back in a scramble and pin him in the first period. Back in Pennsylvania, Handlovic won his second straight Manheim championships where he snuck by Zack Barrick (Lower Dauphin) 1-0 in semis then thrashed Virginia state champ Roman Perryman (Robinson) 14-8 in the final. At the NHSCA Final Four, Handlovic took future state champ Mike Rhone (Benton) down five times in an 11-6 win, beat South Carolina state champ Ed Coles (Eastside) 6-2, and finished by majoring Tony Buxton (Blair Academy) for a perfect 3-0 day. His 6-4 win over Jon Horak (Philipsburg) helped the Red Rovers avoid the upset against the Stateliners. At District Duals, he hammered Taylor Brown in a state finals rematch, 13-4. Handlovic was the top seed at the D11 tournament and had a wave of local wrestlers move out of his weight class for the postseason. He responded by pinning the field at the D11 tournament, with only Brandon Kennelly (Pocono Mountain West) making it to the third period against Handlovic. Handlovic finally went the distance in the quarterfinals of his regional bout, beating Dave Dotter (Nazareth) 10-3. He got back to his pinning ways by sticking Joe Zoda (Shikellamy) in semis and Mark Uliano (Hazleton) in finals. At the state tournament, Handlovic opened by majoring Nathan Pennesi (Greater Latrobe) then scored double digit points again in a 11-5 quarterfinal win over Dave Calambas (Reading). In the semis, he scored the only takedown and a reversal in a cautious 4-2 win over Chris Kochinsky (Middletown). He met Matt Snyder (Lewistown) in the finals, who suffered an upset in 2007 as Handlovic won their weight class. Once again, Handlovic went on the attack early, scoring a pair of first period takedowns to take control of the bout. Handlovic cruised to a 9-4 decision to successfully defend his state title. Handlovic was selected to the Dapper Dan team, where he’d meet Thomas Williams (South Hills, CA) for a third time. This match up was closer than their Reno finals, but Williams was able to survive a 2-1 match in OTRO.
After Easton, Handlovic wrestled at Purdue.
History of Easton Wrestling 