Tyrone’s A.J. Schopp looking to make an impact on the scrappy Purdue wrestling program

Former Tyrone Area wrestling standout A.J. Schopp didn’t always know he wanted to get into coaching.

But others, like Penn State’s Zain Retherford, could recognize the Purdue assistant’s potential years ago.

Retherford remembers training at the same time as Schopp at Ken Chertow’s gym when he was younger and watching Schopp hit moves from the top position he’d never done before.

“When I was about 100 pounds, he rolled around with me and worked with me in those positions I wasn’t so good at,” Retherford said.

Now, Schopp is in his third year of coaching at the Division I level and will return to the area when the Boilermakers take on the Nittany Lions at 7 p.m. Friday inside Rec Hall.

For Schopp, who will be taking part in a dual at Rec Hall for the first time — either as a wrestler or a coach — in front of a crowd full of his friends and family members, his sights are set on nothing less than a win for the black and gold.

“Everyone’s looking for them to come out on top,” he said, referring to the No. 1 Nittany Lions, “but I can guarantee our guys will bring a fight. They will step out on the mat, shake hands and go right to work.”

That “fight” mentality from the No. 24 Boilermakers is something also recognized by Penn State coach Cael Sanderson, who said that’s what he likes and respects most about the program.

“They wrestle hard,” he said. “Last time they were here, every match was a dogfight. They were ready to go and motivated, so we got to be ready to compete because they compete hard.”

That mentality that has made Purdue an up-and-coming program in the Big Ten has resonated with Schopp, who spent his collegiate career wrestling for Edinboro, a smaller program that finished third in the NCAA tournament his senior year, thanks to in part his third-place finish and Bellefonte native Mitchell Port’s second-place finish.

After graduating, the three-time All-American took a job at another smaller program, South Dakota State, where he established a reputation as a rising young coach for his work with No. 1-ranked 133-pounder Seth Gross.

“I feel like it’s a lot more rewarding and fulfilling to be at a program like that,” he said. “You can really turn something into something to be proud of.”

Schopp joined the Purdue coaching staff in August, and according to head coach Tony Ersland, has hit the ground running.

“When you bring someone in, you always think there might be that period of time where you have to get to know each other, but I think he’s really jumped on board and has been willing to help in different ways,” Ersland said. “He has a lot of ideas, and he’ll speak up and bring those ideas to the table. Overall, I’ve been really happy with how he’s been fitting in with the team and the perspective that he’s brought.”

Part of what Ersland said drew him to Schopp as a competitor and as a coach was his skill-set on top — the same thing that impressed a young Retherford.

Volunteer teaching and coaching at programs and camps like Young Guns and at Chertow’s is what Schopp said did inspire him to want to pursue a career in coaching around his sophomore or junior year of college.

“Being able to see those guys compete and do the stuff I was teaching them kind of felt good,” Schopp said. “I feel like everyone would love to have a kid come up to them and say, ‘Thank you for giving your time to help me with that,’ so it’s definitely something I take pride in.”

Schopp’s college coach at Edinboro, former Penn State wrestler Tim Flynn, said he’ll still be rooting for his Nittany Lions on Friday. But he’s proud of the work Schopp has done since leaving his program in 2015.

“A.J.’s still pretty new into his career and has already had a profound effect on kids,” he said. “I think you saw that at South Dakota State, and now at Purdue.”

Schopp and his Boilermakers will face a Penn State squad on Friday looking to break a school record by winning its 39th straight dual. Despite its underdog status — and perhaps even inspired by it — Schopp reaffirmed his team is aiming to leave Rec Hall with a “W.”

“You never back down from a challenge and all you can ask for is an opportunity,” Schopp said. “If you don’t have any opportunity, you’re not going to do anything, so we’ve got the opportunity and we’re going to take it head on.”

This story was originally published January 18, 2018 at 10:43 PM with the headline "Tyrone’s A.J. Schopp looking to make an impact on the scrappy Purdue wrestling program."