Oh brother, this Montour junior is good

October 17, 2014, is a date Collin Funkhouser will never forget. For two important reasons.

Montour High School's football team had just upset Upper St. Clair, which was quite an accomplishment for a Class AAA squad to beat a Class AAAA powerhouse.

Funkhouser returned home after the game, which was played at Upper St. Clair, and found his parents eating pizza from his favorite, Fiore's Pizzaria.

Then came the news that changed his life.

"My parents told me how much they loved me, and that they had something to tell me," said a puzzled Funkhouser. "I didn't know what to expect."

Fortunately, the news was good.

"They told me that I would no longer be an only child," said Funkhouser, who recently completed his sophomore year at Montour. "Mom was pregnant and I would soon have a brother or sister. At first I didn't believe her. All my life I had been an only child. It hit me like a bus."

The initial shock has since worn off and Funkhouser's little brother Billy is now 10 weeks old. And Billy has become a huge inspiration to his older brother.

"It's been great with little Billy," Funkhouser said. "I want to make him proud of me. I want to be a role model for him as he grows up and be there when he needs me."

The only unfortunate thing is that Funkhouser has been so busy this summer with wrestling and football that he hasn't been able to spend as much time with little Billy that he would like.

"I've only been home four or five days in the last three weeks," said Funkhouser, who recently made his first trip to North Dakota State University for the USA Wrestling Cadet National Championships, which were held last week.

"We had a training camp at Pitt-Johnstown before we left for nationals. The 20-hour ride to Fargo was actually a lot of fun since I didn't have to cut any weight. We played cards and listened to music. It was a good time."

Funkhouser competed in both styles. He posted a 4-2 record in the Greco-Roman tournament, then registered a 2-2 mark in the freestyle tournament.

"My goal was to become an All-American," Funkhouser said. "I was disappointed that I came home without a medal, but I'm pleased with my performance."

Montour coach Jason

Bombardier agrees.

"We haven't had many kids at Fargo in the past," Bombardier said. "I'm very pleased with the progress Collin has made over the past two years."

Funkhouser broke into Montour's starting lineup as a 170-pound freshman. He placed fourth in Class AAA Section 4 to qualify for the WPIAL tournament. He finished with a 20-16 record.

He remained at 170 last season and placed third in the WPIAL. He finished with a 27-11 record after posting a 2-2 mark in the WPIAL tournament.

"Collin has definitely turned the corner," Bombardier said. "I expect him to qualify for the state tournament next year."

Funkhouser is a linebacker/fullback for the football team. He's hoping to start on defense this year.

"I've had a life-long dream of attending Notre Dame University," Funkhouser said. "Unfortunately, Notre Dame doesn't have a wrestling team."

With that in mind, his

options are open.