Second in a series
Keanu Dillard has a substantial goal he’s trying to achieve, and the clock is ticking. It has been building for the last four years, though it has nothing to do with the first Saturday in March inside Hershey’s Giant Center.
“It would be really cool to be class valedictorian,” the Bethlehem Catholic senior said. “I’ve been taking a lot of AP classes, really pushed myself there. I’m in the top-10 in my class.”
Dillard won’t find out about that until May, but he understands for there to be any chance to have that happen he must continue to push himself every day in school. He’s got to kill that AP physics test and every other exam, project and paper between now and then.
He also understands the daily process, thanks to something his parents got him started with in elementary school. Gabe and Korrine Dillard insisted the oldest of their three sons chronicle his daily goals, from sports to academics to fun activities to friendships.
It began with goals of getting all 4s on his report card and winning the day’s track meet. A decade later, Dillard willingly puts pen to paper each day to express his thoughts on maintaining his grades, his relationships with his brothers and wrestling.
The Bethlehem resident is almost as good at wrestling as he is in the classroom. He is on the brink of doing something only 14 others in Pennsylvania high school wrestling annals have accomplished: winning four state titles.
Dillard would be only the second wrestler in tradition-rich District 11 to accomplish that, joining Catasauqua’s Matt Gerhard.
Since last March when he won his third consecutive PIAA Class 3A title, Dillard has heard the conversations and comparisons, and been asked about it plenty, too.
Always his own toughest critic, he is fighting through the daily physical and emotional grinds to put himself in the best position to finish his prep career in style.
“It is a little hard to get away from that talk,” he said. “But it is the goal I’m working toward. It’s not something that belongs to me.”
Dillard’s journey began at birth thousands of miles from the family’s Bethlehem home in Oahu, Hawaii. His parents were married there and gave their sons Keanu, Reef and Waimea Hawaiian names. They moved to Pennsylvania in the first year of Keanu’s life.
Bethlehem Catholic’s Keanu Dillard has spent most of matches the last four years finishing on top. He is vying for a fourth consecutive state title. (April Gamiz/The Morning Call)
When Dillard was 5, his father insisted he and 4-year-old Reef join the Bethlehem Bulldogs wrestling program. It was challenging at first, but the brothers found their sport. They played many others, including football, baseball and track, but wrestling was their passion.
“Being able to put my hands on someone and express myself that way,” Dillard said, “I liked it. I always wanted to do big things.”
Wrestling has introduced Dillard to several people who have had an impact on his life. But it first has allowed him to strengthen the bond with his brother, Reef.
Their scraps in the room and competitive sprints have only made them closer.
“We always stick around each other,” Dillard said. “Even though he has his [driver’s] license, we still take the same car to practice. We hang out at football games. We’re really close. It’s awesome.
“Having him on the same team has helped me more than him. We get after it, sometimes. Things get chippy. If he wins a sprint, I have to win the next five. But the second we’re off the mat, we’re good. It’s great to be able to share something that is hard with someone so close to me.”
Dillard has had help along the way in developing his relentless work ethic. It started when he visited the Bethlehem Catholic wrestling room while in middle school. He watched state champions Kenny Herrmann and Cole Handlovic train and lead the room.
He then teamed with upperclassmen Tyler Kasak and Kollin Rath, among others. They all gave him a road map for what was to come for him.
Dillard’s high school career began late because of injury. He didn’t debut until Jan. 11, 2023, and finished his freshman year with a 24-0 record and District 11, Northeast Regional and PIAA Class 3A gold medals.
Bethlehem Catholic then had a coaching change with Mike Cole replacing the retired Jeff Karam. Cole was a 1984 state champion at Montrose and a two-time NCAA third-place finisher at Clarion, where he is second in career wins (150) and tied for second with 61 career pins.
The husband to Stephanie and father of three had a successful Wall Street career and coached at various levels. This was his first head coaching job at the high school level.
Cole donated time and money to clean up the Bethlehem Catholic practice room, but he did not try to invent the wheel. The Golden Hawks have been one of the state’s most successful programs the last 15 years. He has fine-tuned things, including the weight training program.
But most of all, Cole brought an approach that focuses on the mental side of the sport. He learned his senior year at Montrose that he needed to adjust his mindset if he were to have a chance to achieve his lofty goals, which included state and national titles.
“I realized that I was brutal on myself,” Cole said. “So, I made a promise that when something good happens, I’m going to take 10 minutes and just appreciate it and not be critical of myself.
“It was one of the healthiest things I did for myself.”
Dillard has been equally demanding of himself. He understands that progression has nothing to do with the color of the medal around his neck. But his self expectations are extremely high.
Cole has spent the last three years working with Dillard in regard to having that balance between drive and expectation and enjoyment.
“Negative anxiety is the most evil thing,” Cole said. “Positive anxiety is the most fabulous thing. There is a huge difference between the two. He needs to figure out how to trigger positive anxiety, the excitement to win.
“He will. He’s further along than any other kid I could possibly know at his age. I would love to see him continue that.”
Dillard has had impactful interactions with others in recent years. John Hughes, Benton’s four-time state champion from 1988-91 whose son is a Bethlehem Catholic graduate, gave Dillard perspective in the summer before his sophomore season.
He told Dillard that he was not defending his state title, rather fighting hard every day to become a state champion the next year.
That resonated with Dillard, who was 41-5 on his way to second titles at the district, regional and state tournaments in 2024.
He lost in the Ironman and Beast of the East finals his junior year, but rebounded to win his last 21 bouts including three decisions over Northampton’s Gabe Ballard to win districts, regionals and states for a third year in a row.
That triggered the talk about joining the state’s elite, including Hughes who didn’t lose a match his last three years at Benton and Chance Marsteller, who was 166-0 with four state titles from 2011-14 at Kennard-Dale.
Marsteller trains many of the state’s elite at his club, Steller Trained. He has made sure Dillard has not focused on accomplishments but the mindset of getting better at wrestling.
Dillard’s summer before his senior season was littered with injuries. Cole believes they contributed to some of Dillard’s inconsistency this year.
“He’s faced more adversity this year than he has in the three years I’ve seen him,” Cole said. “The injuries sustained over the summer have impacted a little bit of his confidence, his forward stalking mindset.
“I see him working through that. He’s done a nice job.”
Cole also has raved about Dillard’s impact on his teammates no matter how he’s feeling about himself.
His work ethic alone has given fellow Golden Hawks a blueprint on preparation and dedication. Despite finishing fourth at Ironman and third at Escape the Rock, Dillard has progressed in every aspect of his game.
“He has a leadership skill set I’ve never seen,” Cole said. “In all my years of coaching — I’ve coached NCAA champions — I’ve never seen a kid be a leader like him.”
Cole said a lot of credit goes to his parents who he said undoubtedly are great leaders in their home by establishing a set of expectations not only for him as an individual but regarding his value to the team.
The Bethlehem Catholic coach said he knows firsthand that that kind of leadership in the house is critical to the development of young men and women.
“I won a state title my senior year,” Cole recalled. “I told my dad I was going to take a couple weeks off. He said, ‘OK, but you’re going to practice on Tuesday.’
“He said I didn’t have to practice but I had to go be with the kids because that was my job, that the kids wanted to be around me. He had such wisdom.”
Despite his training and background, Cole is not sure how much Dillard is enjoying his senior season and how much he is stressing about the chase for a fourth state title.
But Dillard said those around him have made it a memorable final high school season.
“I’m enjoying the people I’m with,” he said. “They’ve made it fun, made the year fly by.”
Dillard’s highlights include the daily pre-practice dodgeball games with teammates Mason Thomas and Mike Nicosia, among the team’s best, and time with his brother and best friend in their final school season together. Both are committed to Lehigh.
His daily notes to himself include reminders from Hughes and Marsteller about working harder today than yesterday and lofty goals that are getting closer to reality.
Dillard will begin his journey to a fourth state title at this weekend’s District 11 tournament at Liberty’s Memorial Gym. He will compete at 133 pounds, his fourth weight class in four years. He spent the regular season competing at 139 and 145.
“I feel a little faster [at 133],” he said. “It was hard for me to finish shots up a weight. That shouldn’t be an excuse. And it also will help my brother.”
Being valedictorian would be a great way to end Dillard’s time at Bethlehem Catholic. Winning a fourth state title would be a great way to end his high school wrestling career but not the best way.
“Winning a state title with my brother,” Dillard said, “that’s going to be my favorite accomplishment come March if that happens.”
Senior writer Tom Housenick can be reached at thousenick@mcall.com
District 11 and the PIAA Wrestling Championships
District 11 wrestlers who have …
Won four state titles: 1 (Catasauqua’s Matt Gerhard, 1981-84)
Won three state titles and finished second once: 2 (Bethlehem Catholic’s Luke Karam, 2013-16; Nazareth’s Sean Kinney, 2021-24)
Otherwise won three state titles: 13
Otherwise made four state finals: 1 (Nazareth’s Zach Horan, 2008-11; one title, three runner-up finishes)
Otherwise had four top-4 finishes: 1 (Nazareth’s Sammy Sasso, 2015-18; two titles, one runner-up finish, one third-place finish)