Author: BTSPhilly

BTSP would like to recognize the generosity of our Annual Gala Sponsors.

Beat the Streets Philadelphia is proud to announce that 11 of our wrestlers have earned the opportunity to compete at the 2024 USA Wrestling 16U & Junior National Championships in Fargo, North Dakota this July—one of the most prestigious youth wrestling tournaments in the country. The following BTS Philly wrestlers are excited to represent Philly on the big stage next month:

Representing Pennsylvania on the national stage, these athletes are stepping into a spotlight reserved for the best. Fargo is more than just a tournament—it’s a proving ground for future champions, a launching pad for collegiate dreams, and a celebration of the countless hours of dedication our kids have put into this sport.

We are incredibly proud of this group and all they represent: resilience, hard work, and the powerful impact of community support. Last year, Luis DeSilva and Samiyah Rahming brought home hardware from Fargo — we’re excited to see who will rise to the occasion this time around.

Opportunities like this aren’t just about medals—they’re about growth, confidence, and believing in what’s possible. Let’s go Philly!

Help Us Get to Fargo

Sending 11 student-athletes to the USA Wrestling National Championships is a tremendous honor—but it also comes at a cost. With expenses totaling approximately $1,200 per wrestler, this opportunity represents a significant investment in the futures of our kids.

We believe every young person who earns a spot at Fargo deserves to be there—without cost being a barrier. Your support helps cover travel, lodging, meals, and competition fees, ensuring our athletes can focus on what matters most: showing the world what Philly is made of.

If you’re inspired by our kids and would like to support their Fargo journey, please consider making a contribution to help us create a life altering experience for our youth.

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Matt Valenti is currently the Associate Head Coach at the University of Pennsylvania. He will become the Head coach of Penn Wrestling beginning with the 2025-26 season. In this episode, Matt shares his experiences as a student-athlete, as a coach, and as an administrator at Penn. The programs he has helped develop are very similar to what Beat the Streets offers, but at a different level.

Support the show

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Clinton Matter shares his thoughts about our organization from its inception until present day. Clinton is a co-founder of Beat the Streets and currently serves as the Chairman of our Executive Board. He is a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania where he was a captain of the wrestling team. 

Clinton was recently interviewed by Ryan Warner on the Wrestling Changed My Life Podcast. That episode is #488 and can be found on most podcast hosting platforms.

Ron Cordero has always been a good student. In high school, he maintained a grade point average that ranged from 3.3 to 3.7. According to Ron, although his time management has not been one of his best qualities, he’s been consistent with his school work. “I try my best in every class,” he said. “I respect my teachers and they respect me.” In addition to attending Central High School where he was a successful student-athlete, he’s been working 11 hour shifts at a restaurant in downtown Philadelphia to make ends meet.

Ron’s the middle child in a family of five which includes his mom, dad, and two brothers. The Cordero Family are native to Santo Domingo in the Dominican Republic. They moved to the United States when Ron was just 8 years old. With no beds available, they slept on the floor of a family member’s apartment in New York City before eventually moving to Philadelphia.

The recently graduated Beat The Streets Philadelphia student-athlete is a recipient of Drexel University’s Liberty Scholarship. For over ten years, the Drexel Liberty Scholars program has provided educational opportunities for students from historically underrepresented backgrounds. Designed to break down barriers to higher education, the scholarship program covers 100% of tuition and fees.

Ron admits that he never would have considered attending a prestigious school such as Drexel had he not been involved with Beat The Streets. “Coach Rick (Rick Mascino) told me about the Liberty Scholarship,” says Cordero. “One of my high school friends, Boobie (Abubakare Diaby) won the scholarship and wrestles for Drexel now.”

He became involved with Beat the Streets during his freshman year of high school. Boobie and another friend, Max Cramer introduced him to the program. Ron was a football player with aspirations to learn a new sport hoping to get in better shape. “I wanted to learn more about wrestling but when I got here, I realized that the Penn and Drexel wrestlers were here as well.” There was more to the program than just wrestling.

Ron first met Drexel student-athlete Evan Barczak. Described as “always positive and always helping”, Barczak would help instill qualities in Ron’s life that he hadn’t experienced before. “Evan was very prominent in my high school career,” says Cordero. Barczak, a recent graduate of Drexel and a multiple time NCAA National Qualifier, was a mentor and coach for Beat The Streets throughout his college career. 

As he learned more about the mentoring program at Beat The Streets, he eventually connected with Maximus Hale, a student-athlete at the University of Pennsylvania. They talked for over an hour the first time they met. “He’s a pretty nice dude,” says Cordero. They had a lot in common as Hale was also a two-sport athlete in high school. “I respect Max because he works hard. I got a little bit of me from Max.” Hale is an NCAA National Qualifier and USA Freestyle All-American. He’s been Ron’s mentor since they met.

Meeting weekly and sometimes more, Hale and Cordero spent a lot of time together on and off the mat. Max encouraged Ron through the scholarship application process helping with his time management skills. “I struggled with time management myself,” says Hale. “I think we helped each other during this process.”

A portion of the scholarship application involves writing an essay about something important to the applicant. Ron chose to write about food insecurity problems in the city. He realized, at a young age, how difficult it is to find healthy food options where he lives. As an athlete, this is important to Ron. “There’s a bunch of dollar stores with not very good food choices,” he says. “I did research and shared my thoughts. I hope that more people can learn about food deserts and other issues families face so we can help fix the problem.”

Ron realizes he now has an opportunity that many like him do not have. “With Beat The Streets, I’m fortunate to have an ‘anchor’ in my life,” says Cordero. “I know a lot of people don’t have this.” Ron will be attending Drexel University this Fall without the burden of school loans and tuition bills. He’s enrolled in the health and medical preparatory program at the university. Ron hopes to eventually get a degree in medicine. “I just like helping people,” he says.

“With Beat The Streets, I’m fortunate to have an ‘anchor’ in my life,”

If you would like to contribute to Beat the Streets and help to create more opportunities for kids like Ron, you can visit our Donate Now page here. If you would like to consider giving in other ways, either as a mentor or wrestling coach, please fill out one of our interest forms and we’ll be in touch!

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Kaya Sement

In this podcast episode, we get to speak with Kaya Sement, a Lead Mentor at BTS Philly. Kaya is a sophomore on the University of Pennsylvania wrestling team and brings tons of experience into the BTS room.

Kaya first became involved in Beat the Streets as the Lifting Coach for the student-athletes. He soon realized that being a coach meant more than just teaching the student-athletes technique.

“One day, one of the kids came up to me and said, ‘Can I ask you some advice?’ And I was like, ‘Yeah, definitely.’ And we ended up talking for 15 minutes.”

But it didn’t end there.

“There was another kid standing behind him, watching over the conversation. And when our conversation wrapped up, he came over and he’s like, ‘Wait, you’re giving out advice? Can I ask you another question?’ I was like, ‘Yes, of course, I’m not just your lifting coach. I’m here for you guys.’ And we ended up talking again for 15 minutes. And just seeing how appreciative they were. And I feel like you can’t even put words into the face that he made. I thought about that a lot after that.”

When sidelined from wrestling with an injury that spring, Kaya thought about these experiences and decided to take his involvement with Beat the Streets to the next level. He became a Lead Mentor, which allowed him to have an even more significant impact on the student-athletes.

Beat the Streets Philly Executive Director James Mangan added, “He committed to be a coach and a mentor this past year and our kids really respected him and looked up to him and confided in him.”

For Kaya, though, working with the BTS athletes came naturally.
“The first thing I noticed was like, I don’t have to be a motivator there. Those kids are very self driven. They want to be there. Their parents aren’t making them. Nobody’s forcing them to be there. They’re self motivating. So they’re honestly some of the easiest kids to coach because you put up the program, give them some tips, and they work hard. So that’s definitely what I love.”