NTL WRESTLING: WYALUSING HAS HIGH HOPES UNDER NEW COACH (2024-12-01)

BY CHRIS MANNING
Northern Tier Sports Report
It’s a year of change for the Wyalusing wrestling program, with a new coaching staff coming in, headed by former state champion David Patrick. And Patrick is wasting no time building the team from the bottom up.

“Right now we’re really focused on the basics,” he said. “Mastering the basics, dance motion, team unity, we’ve just started doing two days a week with morning practices 6:30 to 7:30 with 15 kids every day so far. That says a lot about where we are mentally as a group, the commitment of the group, and the expectations of the group. We are really honing in on some essential basics, and then we move from there.”

The cupboard certainly isn’t bare as they return one nearly 40 match winner in Ayden Hunsinger (37-6) along with three other 20-match winners in Isaiah Harvey (21-10), Cole Patrick (22-11), and Jonathan Earle (26-12).

“Right now it’s a little different landscape with the top seven from districts go to regionals - the PIAA looked at the situation there - so I really see five going to regionals, and from regionals we’ll see from there,” Patrick said. “I kind of have those five in my head.”

Those include Hunsinger, Earle, Patrick, Harvey, and Ethan Vanderpool (17-18).

“Ethan Vanderpool, he’s just up a lot of weight classes, and we’re just kind of honing in on his technique,” coach Patrick said.

Patrick is really breaking things down by group in practice to individualize what they teach.

“We’re really focusing on specific technique for each group,” he said. “We’re transitioning away from some old habits, and some old techniques that put them in a lot of situations that were not productive or not high percentage scoring situations. At times we’re splitting the room between light weights and upper weights, and the one thing we’re really focusing on is how much wrestling we’re getting into practice. We’re really detailing it out, planning to make sure it’s really effective, that’s our biggest thing. The morning practices, the weekend at the club on Sunday, it’s getting in as much wrestling as we can right now to catch up, because a lot of these guys aren’t out of season wrestlers.”

Hunsinger returns as a sectional champion, a third place finisher at districts a year ago, and a state qualifier two years ago, so he’s got big expectations going into this season as he moves up to 160 pounds.

“I’ve definitely worked on my strength,” Hunsinger said. “Getting bigger for my size.”

He’s hoping the time he’s spent at lighter weights will help him as he moves up.

“I’m going to continue to work on my footwork, and be faster from last year when I was working with CJ (Carr),” Hunsinger said. “Being able to move fast, and I’m just going to keep working on that, and hopefully excel with that. I’ll be able to use my speed, and get around the outside with a lot of people.”

Like most seniors he’s hoping to finish the year on the state podium.

“It’s all mentality,” Hunsinger said about what he learned from states two years ago. “It taught me it doesn’t matter how good you are, it all depends on how you use that in the match, and what you’re thinking.”

Earle was a sectional finalist a year ago, but went 0-2 at districts, a mark he’s looking to improve upon as he moves up to 152.

“We’re working on a lot of hand fighting, just moving our feet, setting up shots,” Earle said. “I’ve worked on my strength and speed, and my footwork.”

Earle wrestled in a lot of close matches last year, including a big win on Line Mountain’s Nolan Baumert in district duals.

“I just need to be able to hang into close matches better,” said Earle. “If I can out wrestle in the third period, then those closer matches don’t become as close.”

Earle is hoping to get to states this year, believing he has a better mentality this year.

“Just how to make it deep into the third period against guys who are tougher, against guys that are probably better technically than me,” he said. “Figure out how to wrestle those kinds of guys.”

Cole Patrick is another returnee who made districts a year ago, going 2-2 in the tournament.

Team wise they’re hoping to at least equal last year’s trip to Milton and finish in the top eight of the District IV Duals.

“That’ll feel great to be back down there with all the best teams in the NTL again,” Hunsinger said.

Coach Patrick hasn’t discussed team goals with his wrestlers yet, but likes where they’re setting the bar.

“The team goal is set by the kids,” he said. “We haven’t done it yet, but the leadership is going to set the team goal, and we’re going to just visit that weekly, and we’re going to see if that bar is raising, and if expectations are raising, we’ll know that they’re starting to come together. That’s one thing we need, we need to get them behind each other, we nee a lot of accountability from leadership, and then the ball starts rolling.”

Patrick believes they could be a dark horse this season.

“I think we’re going to surprise quite a few people,” he said. 

ROSTER

James Rogan (12)

Colton Robinson (11)

Shane Keblitsch (9)

Isaiah Harvey (11)

Bostyn McMicken (10)

Jackson Fischer (10)

Cole Patrick (11)

Zackery Davis (9)

Matthew Johnson (10)

Marshall Huston (9)

Reuben Kinney (11)

Alexa Jayne (9)

Jonathan Earle (11)

Noah Dean (12)

Holden Patrick (9)

Ayden Hunsinger (12)

Christopher Smith (9)

Dominick Hadlock (11)

Yenohiro Alejandrino (10)

Conner Earle (9)

Ethan Vanderpool (11)

Daniel Fox (10)

Jesse Lamb (10)

Brenden Wells (9)

SCHEDULE

Dec. 3 at Montgomery, 7 p.m.

Dec. 7 hosts Gary Woodruff Memorial Duals

Dec. 12 at NEB, 7 p.m.

Dec. 17 at Wellsboro, 7 p.m.

Dec. 19 vs Athens, 7 p.m.

Dec. 21 at Williamson, 1 p.m.

Dec. 27 at Jim Thorpe Tournament

Dec. 28 at Jim Thorpe Tournament

Jan. 4 at Line Mountain Duals

Jan. 6 at Troy, 7 p.m.

Jan. 10 vs Towanda, 7 p.m.

Jan. 14 vs Canton, 7 p.m.

Jan. 16 vs Horseheads, 7 p.m.

Jan. 21 vs NPL, 7 p.m.

Jan. 24 at Ultimate Warrior

Jan. 25 at Ultimate Warrior

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