Pebly Wins 3rd Place in Districts

Each time Paul James Pebly gets his arm raised after a win on the wrestling mat, it’s an affirmation of how far he’s come.

A simple act, done almost thoughtlessly, match after match after match, bears more significance to the Kennett junior.

Winning on the mat is hard, but each time Pebly’s arm is raised, there, clear for everyone to see, the extra struggle is evident.

When Pebly was an infant in the Hunan Province of China, he was found abandoned on the steps of a police station. He was badly burned, leaving scarring on his face and resulting in the loss of his fingers and parts of his hands.

Last Saturday, after pinning Chichester’s Tymeir Bush to take third at 152 pounds in the District 1-3A West tournament, Pebly’s forever-altered arm was lifted and his repaired face was held high. The boy, who helplessly survived a disaster he can’t even remember, had punched his ticket to the 3A Southeast Regional tournament

“It was a goal I had at the beginning of the his year,” Pebly said. “I’m just happy that I can show that anything is possible if you just work hard.”

The two-day regional tournament was held at Souderton High, with the top five finishers from each class advancing to the state tournament the following week.

Pebly is not expected to qualify, but then again, his life story screams of overcoming odds.

“It’s an obstacle, of course,” Kennett coach Kevin Reigel said. “But he’s looking for over, under or a way around it.”

After being discovered by the police in China, Paul James was put in an orphanage for four-plus years until he was adopted by Steve and Jen Pebly, when he was six.

“Looking back, it’s a blessing because they’ve supported me with everything I do,” Paul James said. “They give me the motivation to do stuff that I didn’t think I could possibly do.”

In his elementary school years, Paul James joined the youth wrestling club, but after a few years, gave it up. His friend, Trent Kochersperger, talked him into coming back out in eighth grade.

“I just told him, ‘you’re strong, we need someone like you and you’re not a chump,” said Kochersperger, who will also be competing at regionals for Kennett.

Wrestling gave Paul James a venue to compete, but he took his lumps early, going 4-12 as a freshman.

“Break him down, roll the wrists, he’s not doing that,” Reigel said. “Cross-wrist, he’s not doing that. It made the whole coaching staff just, how are we gonna get to there?”

Paul James has adjusted, figuring out ways to set up his headlock and working on getting better on top with the use of his legs.

“You’re just using your body to beat the other guys,” said Paul James, who also long jumps for the track team. “If you know how to use your body, no matter if you’re missing a limb or anything, if you know how to use your body, you can do anything in wrestling.”

He’s done it well, as a junior. He’s 16-6, with 14 pins. Eight of those pins have happened in under a minute.

Paul James is not blessed with the perfect circumstances to wrestle, but he does not let his circumstances dictate what he can do.

“He just pushes,” Kochersperger said. “In this sport that’s what you have to do to survive. It’s like the jungle. You gotta do what you gotta do to survive and you can’t make excuses for yourself. He doesn’t make any excuses for himself and I respect that a lot about him. It’d be easy for anyone to just give up, but he doesn’t.”

When asked if Paul James was a source of inspiration for his teammates, Reigel paused for a second, but simply stated, ‘no.’ This is who Paul James is, and it’s always been who he is, to the rest of the Blue Demons.

“If you asked all the kids on the team, I think they would sit there and go, you know, actually that is pretty darn impressive,” Reigel said. “It’s not really a daily thing. He’s just one of the wrestlers. … If he’s going with Trent, Trent’s going to rip a headlock and Trent’s gonna do what he does and Paul James can’t hand-fight him. I don’t think they treat him any differently.”

That’s just the way Paul James likes it. In a world that can get a little cold or lonely if someone doesn’t look like everyone else, wrestling has been a big of part of Paul James finding common ground and openness, in his new home.

“I struggle with that a lot, but I’m fortunate to have friends and be surrounded by people who give their love to me and support me,” Paul James said. “(The team) became part of my family. They just encourage me every day and tell me to keep my head up when I’m feeling down.”

Story by Nate Heckenberger via PAPrepLive.com on 2/27/20

A dedicated and passionate group of 250 KHS students remained on their feet from 2 p.m. to 10 p.m. on Feb. 21 for Mini-THON, an event to raise money for the Four Diamonds Fund to benefit pediatric cancer research and families whose children are battling the disease. Through a variety of events, raffles, generous corporate contributions, and donations, students have worked tirelessly in pursuit of this year’s goal, and the donations continue to accrue. Despite the fact that this is Kennett’s fifth year sponsoring a Mini-THON, enthusiasm is certainly not waning.

Modeled after Penn State’s Dance Marathon (THON), Kennett High School’s Mini-THON featured eight hours packed with fun activities, music, and food, all with a carnival theme.

Benefactors of this year’s event include Diamond Level Sponsors Austin & Bednash and Chatham Financial; Gold Level Sponsors High Tech Auto Body, Kennett Education Foundation, and Sinton Air Conditioning and Heating; and Silver Level Sponsors Baccellieri Family Dentistry, Cricket Wireless Kennett Square, Kennett Copy & More, MacElree Harvey, and Perfect Impressions​. In addition, Kennett’s Mini-THON was supported by twenty local businesses that donated food or money

Faculty advisors for the event were Lisa Teixeira, KHS librarian and Humanitarian Club moderator, and Shawn Duffy, social studies teacher and Humanitarian Club assistant moderator. Twenty-five Mini-THON Executive Student Committee Members were led by senior event chairs Ian Dargitz and Ashley Willey, along with underclassman chairs Emma Henderson, Gavin Maxwell, and Grace Pruitt. Joining these student leaders for the event were Kennett alum Michael Bellino and several teacher chaperones.

While Mini-THON participants remain on their feet for eight hours, Kennett’s principal Dr. Jeremy Hritz takes that a step farther — thousands of steps farther actually. Dr. Hritz runs laps around the high school’s track for the duration of the event to demonstrate his support for the students and raise funds through contributions to his personal donor page. This year, he ran 41.73 miles, topping last year’s distance by over seven miles.

Dr. Hritz offered high praise: “Mini-THON is a testament to the initiative and commitment of Kennett High School students. The student leadership involved in planning and executing such an event is incredible, and I am so proud of how our students put together an amazing event to raise money to support an honorable cause. Our students are simply the best!”

Event co-chairs Ian Dargitz and Ashley Willey were ecstatic about the outcome of this year’s event. Ian commented, “Kennett is lucky to have a variety of kind, talented, and hardworking individuals, and their efforts paid dividends this year. Together, we have set a new record by raising over $50,000 for pediatric cancer treatment, and I am confident that our highly capable community will continue to outperform itself.”

“Mini-THON 2020 was unbelievable. This year we decided to change things up and have Mini-THON after school. Even though we had fewer participants, everyone was so dedicated, and we ended up raising a record amount! Also, we invited the Kennett community for community hour, and we were thrilled to welcome families for music, carnival games, and popcorn. The community is a huge factor in our success. I will remember this Mini-THON forever, and I am so grateful to be able to finish off my high school career this way,” added Ashley

If you would like to make a donation, please visit the KHS Mini-THON page at https://fourdiamonds.donordrive.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=donorDrive.event&eventID=2657, search “Kennett High School donor drive” or call the school at 610-444-6617 for more information.