Pike Road High School sophomore Dylan “Pickle” Yarema is rapidly becoming one of the most decorated young wrestlers for his age in Alabama, adding another major victory to his resume this past weekend with a championship performance at the 2025 Gulf Coast Clash in Mobile.
Now in only his second year of high school competition, Yarema has already become a key leader within the Pike Road wrestling room. His presence has helped elevate expectations within a program that continues to climb.
At fifteen years old and just three wins shy of 100 varsity victories, Yarema still begins every match exactly as he did at age seven: with a quiet prayer for the officials. Moments later, the whistle blows—and the calm turns into a storm.
A lifelong Patriot from the inaugural kindergarten class of 2028, Yarema has been building toward moments like these since third grade, when he first laced up for Patriot Youth Wrestling in 2018. His very first tournament—a 68-pound bracket at the Mountain Brook Tournament in Birmingham—ended with gold.
After his first season as a Little Patriot, he stepped away during fourth grade, then returned in fifth grade to wrestle for the River Rats, a club connected to Wetumpka CrossFit—now known as Wetumpka Training and Fitness.
For the last five years, Yarema has trained at Wetumpka Training and Fitness. As soon as he was old enough to start lifting, he was in the gym, stacking consistency, discipline, and grit on his faith. He also does all of his off-season training at Stronghold/Warrior in Alabaster, a program credited for helping him make major strides in a short period of time. The results have made him one of the fastest-rising wrestlers in Alabama.
Yarema’s varsity career actually began in eighth grade, when he went 41–13 and qualified for the state tournament. A 0–2 performance at the state tournament lit the fire: the day after the state tournament, he began off-season training at Stronghold, set a goal to win a title as a ninth grader, and never looked back.
As a freshman, he capped a standout 51–3 season by winning the Class 6A 113-pound AHSAA State Championship, closing the 2024–25 campaign as one of the top performers in the state. That same winter, Pike Road delivered its best dual season in program history, finishing 22–6, with all seven state qualifiers earning podium finishes. Yarema and teammate Cody Kirk returned home as state champions. With his state title, he became the youngest state wrestling champion from Pike Road.
Statewide recognition has followed. Alabama Wrestling has ranked him as the No. 3 wrestler among all high-school sophomores in Alabama. Part of Alabama Wrestling’s ranking is based on his top three bouts, his 51–3 season culminating in the South Sectional and Traditional State Championships at 6A 113 and his 3–2 record at NHSCA Nationals. He also finished second at the Southeast Regional tournament in the Greco 126 lbs. division.” In the Alabama Wrestling coaches’ poll, Yarema currently sits No. 1 in his weight class.
This past weekend, the Pike Road Wrestling participated in the 7th annual Gulf Coast Clash hosted by the Mobile Sports Authority. PR Wrestling entered a field of 63 teams from Alabama, Georgia, Florida, Louisiana, and Mississippi. Yarema was seeded No. 2 in the 132-pound Elite Bracket, a field of 28 wrestlers. By the end of the tournament, he stood alone at the top—undefeated at 5–0.
Gulf Coast Clash // Match Results:
- 20–2 technical fall
- 21–0 technical fall (after leading 14–0, he added a takedown and nearfall to finish the match)
- 14–2 major decision
- 8–0 major decision
- 12–6 championship decision over Josh White, a three-time Georgia state champion from Athens Christian
It was a performance that showcased every part of Yarema’s skill set: the two tech falls underscored his relentless scoring ability; the shutout victories highlighted his control; and the finals win displayed his composure against elite competition.
What began with a first medal at eight has grown into much more than wins—it has become his standard and a standard for the PR Wrestling program that just delivered its best season ever.
He is a state contender ranked near the top of his class. He is a young man grounded not only in athletic excellence but in character, who prays for referees before every match and then wrestles like every point must be earned.
Three more wins will push him to 100 career victories before his 16th birthday, but the milestone feels less like a destination and more like a mile marker.
Dylan Yarema isn’t simply winning matches. He’s building his character while building his wrestling legacy—one whistle at a time.
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