PJ Duke named recipient of Junior Dan Hodge Trophy, presented by WIN Magazine

As a self-proclaimed four-year-old maniac, PJ Duke was tearing up the house. His father, Peter, a New York City police officer, was gone most of the day, leaving his mother, Annie, to attempt to pacify the rambunctious preschooler.

“I am the first in my family to wrestle,” PJ Duke explained. “Wrestling was a way to control me, wear me out and get me tired.”

His first two years in the new sport were rough. Wins were less frequent than tears. But Duke stuck with it, and after some generous bribery from his father, on-the-mat success quickly followed.

“I was a big baby and would cry all the time and didn’t win a match for almost two years,” Duke recalled. “My dad would bribe me with Pokémon cards and toys. Then around age seven or eight, something clicked. I started going to Tulsa and Reno (tournaments) and got ahead of the curve.”

Ever since, Duke has taken off running with the sport, achieving seemingly inexplicable milestones for his age.

New York’s 11th four-time state champion while representing Minisink Valley High School in Slate Hill, N.Y., Duke compiled a 152-1 career prep record and won Outstanding Wrestler honors at the 2024 and 2025 state tournaments, winning every match by pin or tech fall.

Some of Duke’s other accomplishments include two Super 32 Challenge belts, titles in Fargo and at Ironman as well two U.S. Open titles in the U20 division. In 2024, Duke earned a bronze medal at the UWW U20 World Championships.

After being named the recipient of the 2024 Junior Schalles Award, now Duke has been named the winner of the 2025 Junior Dan Hodge Trophy. The award is named after the former Oklahoma national champion and is presented annually to the nation’s best high school wrestler by WIN Magazine.

The late Dan Hodge won three NCAA titles for the University of Oklahoma (1955-57) and never allowed a takedown in his college career. He also pinned 36 of his 46 victims.

“It is pretty cool,” Duke stated. “I worked my whole life for this, and it has always been a dream to be No. 1 in the country.”

“This is amazing,” Duke’s high school coach at Minisink Valley, Kevin Gallagher, said. “You don’t get a bigger honor. I couldn’t be happier for PJ. He is a gifted athlete, but also the hardest worker I’ve ever seen. It was a pleasure to have him all these years.

“He is a great teammate and leader. He is the kid that is jumping up and down for a freshman wrestler who gets a big win. He helps in practice. PJ is just such a humble, well-liked kid.”

Duke recently won the Senior World Team Trials Challenge Tournament at 70 kg, in which he defeated back-to-back NCAA champions in Nebraska’s Antrell Taylor and Ridge Lovett, before outlasting former Virginia Tech three-time All-American Bryce Andonian to punch his ticket to Final X on June 14 in Newark, N.J., just an hour from his hometown. Duke joins Jax Forrest (Bishop McCort/Johnstown, Pa.) as the second men’s Final X competitor who is still in high school.

Set to square off in a best-of-three showdown to decide a Senior World Team spot against fellow New Yorker, Yianni Diakomihalis, who Duke grew up receiving autographs from, no expectation is too high for the future Penn State Nittany Lion.

“I’ve always went up an age level and weight division even when I was younger,” he explained. “I’ve adapted to it and become comfortable. I work really hard, so I trust my training. I am comfortable wrestling college guys because I train at RTCs and wrestle college guys in practice. I know I am training just as hard or harder.”

“When I was younger, I’d be traveling hours to get matches. My dad got annoyed if I would just pin everyone quickly, so he started making rules. I would need at least three takedowns or to score 10 points before a pin. He taught me to always adapt, score points and build my lead, which stuck with me now.”

As Duke prepares for Final X, potential U20 obligations as well as his freshman campaign in State College next fall, he was sure to reflect on those within his New York circle who paved the way for his rise to wrestling stardom.

“My parents did everything they could for me. They are at the No. 1 spot. Coach KD (Khaled Dassan) of the KD Training Center helped me so much. He would go all over with me. His commitment to his athletes is unmatched and unparalleled.

“I have to thank Coach Kevin Gallagher for all his help and support over the years. Minisink Valley is my home. Everyone here is family.”

And according to Gallagher, that gratitude is reciprocated.

“I heard him say his style is ‘I just love wrestling.’ He loves to score; it is fun for him. What a lesson for young wrestlers who put pressure on themselves. His ways, leadership and training habits have rubbed off on other kids in our program. Until PJ loses, I don’t ever doubt him.”

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