Are friends becoming foes?  Bo Bassett is inarguably one of the most talented and sought after high school wrestlers in the country, but in the light of the PIAA tournaments, there is an elephant in the room nobody can ignore, the 18-year-old couldn’t get the title he was waiting for. In a show of brotherhood and class, Bassett may express joy at his friend’s victory, but one cannot say the same for his fans. One of Forrest’s social media acts was enough to brew some controversy and rub some fans the wrong way.

High school wrestling is not for the faint-hearted, the rivalry extends far beyond the mat and often spills over into heated rivalries and online drama. This time, at the centre of the drama was one of Bassett’s close circle and fellow wrestling standout, Jax Forrest. The winner posted on X a picture of his triumphant moment on the podium. Talking about his 7-1 victory at the PIAA State Title over Aaron Seidel, the North Carolina native captioned it “Not how I wanted it go, but you have to do what you have to do”, and let’s just say, this did not sit well with Bo Bassett’s fans. I mean, it is not difficult to interpret the caption as a shade directed towards Bassett! But Forrest came prepared with a clapback.

One wrestling fan commented on the post, “What isn’t how you wanted it to go? Give the kid some respect. He was good.” Well, the user is somewhat right, though Bassett lost but gave his full strength to be at #1. Moreover, his career has been nothing but glorious thus far, and maybe Jax Forrest realizes that and didn’t take long to hit back at the commenter with a humble yet fitting response, “I didn’t wrestle my best, not a dig to anyone but myself <laughing emoji>. After all, it was a close call, and the greats recognize each other’s talents and know they both deserved to win with the kind of performance they delivered.

The wrestlers fought hard, with Forrest being more technical on offense and Bassett managing to struggle against the attack. With more than 120 career victories, Forrest is ranked second in the US for high school pound-for-pound wrestlers. And leaving behind his friend Bassett, defeated Aaron Seidel 7-1 to win the 2025 PIAA State Title. As for Bassett, the wrestling prodigy had to settle for number 2.

Bo Bassett dominated the PIAA yet remained at #2

Bo Bassett’s wrestling career is a testament to his relentless pursuit of excellence. At the 2025 PIAA State Wrestling Championships, he clinched his second state title in commanding fashion. In the finals, Bassett faced Hudson Hohman and secured a victory by fall in just 1 minute and 52 seconds, capping a 15-4 lead. Leading up to the finals as well, his run was nothing less than extraordinary.

The Pennsylvania native kicked off the tournament by dispatching Berks Catholic’s Andrew Messner with a 21-6 technical fall. By the time he reached the semifinals, his performance left the fans in awe. Well, he continued to showcase his skills in the semi-finals as well. In the semifinals, Bassett defeated Mason Wagner of Faith Christian with an 18-3 technical fall. Even earlier, in the quarterfinals, he overpowered Brookville’s Cole Householder, achieving a 19-4 technical fall. What’s more, his prowess continues way beyond state competitions.

At the 2024 Walsh Ironman Wrestling Tournament, he dominated the 144-pound weight class, culminating in a 22-4 technical fall over Carlos Stanton from Sunnyside, Arizona, in the finals. Notably, Stanton’s 2 minutes and 23 seconds on the mat was the longest any opponent lasted against Bassett during the tournament. To make everything all the more impressive, he is just 18!

However, despite these remarkable achievements, Bassett remains ranked No. 4 nationally in high school pound-for-pound rankings. This positioning underscores the depth of talent in high school wrestling and serves as a motivator for Bassett as he continues his quest for the top spot.