Minisink Valley’s PJ Duke wrestling for another state championship

For the last 14 years, wrestling has been a way of life for PJ Duke.

“I honestly, I don’t even remember a time in my life where wrestling wasn’t involved, even when I was 4,” said Duke, a senior at Minisink Valley High School in Orange County. “I can remember everything about wrestling.”

He has always been one of the best on the mat growing up. Duke won his first New York State Public High School Athletic Association championship at 99 pounds in seventh grade.

“My build for wrestling is good – 5’7”. Can’t play too many sports like that,” he said. “So I’m glad wrestling is the one that I found. I’m lucky to find something I really love.”

Over the next five years, Duke continued to standing out, even winning gold at the U20 Pan Am games last year. FloWrestling currently ranks him as the third-best pound-for-pound high school wrestlers in the country.

“It’s been awesome. I love wrestling, so any second that I get to wrestle is awesome,” Duke said.

He has committed to wrestling this fall at powerhouse Penn State – the winners of 11 NCAA national championships since 2011.

“Ever since I’ve grown up and gotten into wrestling, they’ve always been the school (for me),” Duke said. “So it’s pretty amazing to say that I’m going to be a part of it, and I’m going to be the future of Penn State for the next couple of years. So I’m grateful for that.”

This weekend, Duke will look to add a fourth state championship to his resume. He’s one of 10 wrestlers from Minisink Valley heading to the MVP Arena in Albany for the boys wrestling championships.

“PJ is just a different level,” said Kevin Gallagher, the head coach at Minisink Valley. “His technique and just his ability to turn it on, it’s just pretty incredible to watch.”

Minisink Valley have already won the state duel meet championship earlier this month.

Duke is entering the state tournament with a 41-0 record and the No. 1 seed at 170 pounds. With his high school career winding down, he’s just enjoying every last minute of this incredible journey.

“Doing it with these guys is like family,” Duke said. “So it’s fun every day with my family, and having a blast in the wrestling room and enjoying my last high school tournament, which is kind of it’s crazy to think about. I will never wrestle in high school again, but it’s bittersweet.”