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The 2007-2008 Tiger Re-Cap

The 2007-2008 Wrestling Season Review…

Our wresters continued to uphold the tradition of excellence that has become synonymous with Northwestern Lehigh Wrestling. In every realm they maintained the highest standards, class and integrity. Their sportsmanship was second to none and was noted when the team received the 2008 District XI Sportsmanship award. The team had an excellent work ethic and the competitive spirit like no other.

This year’s version of the Northwestern Lehigh wrestling program featured a core of returning experience. Although the Tigers lost five varsity wrestlers with over 540 total wins collectively, the program continued to excel. The Team started the season with a fourth place finish in the Nazareth Invitational. This is not bad considering the Tigers forfeited three weights at this tournament. Individually the Tigers crowned two champions. Ricky Williams won the 135 lbs. weight class while Ben Clymer won the 171 lbs. weight class. The Tigers had four silver medallists: Evan Yenolevich (119 lbs.), Victor Konno (130 lbs.), Nick Boyd (145 lbs.), and Tyler Sell (285 lbs.). Although Tyler Sell went 4-0 he finished with a second place medal due to scoring criteria.

The Tigers continued the season where they wrestled in the National Ranked Bethlehem Holiday Classic. The team had a strong showing placing fifth only behind Blair, Northampton, Council Rock and St. Marks, all national powerhouses. The Tigers placed a total of seven wrestlers while crowning one champion in Evan Yenolevich. Evan won by a fall in the finals earning him a gold medal. Northwestern Lehigh had three third place medallists: Victor Konno, Ben Clymer and Tyler Sell. The Tigers also placed three eighth-place winners: Dylan Long (103 lbs.), Eddie Faust (112 lbs.) and Ricky Williams.

Northwestern Lehigh wrestled in two dual meet tournaments this season. On January 5^th the team traveled to the Whitehall Duals where they finished with a 3-1 record. On January 12^th the Tigers traveled to Parkland for the Parkland Duals as the only “AA” team in a field of 10. The team finished with a 5-0 record at the duals beating five “AAA” teams.

For the second consecutive year and for the third time in five years the Tigers captured the 2008 Colonial League Title with a perfect 11-0 league record. This is the eighth time in school history that the Tigers won a league title! The road to a perfect league record was tough and competitive. With a few wrestlers out of the line-up with injuries, the Tigers were tested in their first league match against Palmerton but prevailed with a 38-33 score. On December 12, the Tigers faced cross-town rival Northern Lehigh. This would prove to be a classic battle coming down to the last match to decide the outcome. Thanks to a collaborative team effort, the team was able to overcome many adversities throughout the match and beat Northern Lehigh 34-33. Tyler Sell’s exiting overtime victory locked up the one-point match making it the second time since the early 80’s that the Tigers beat Northern Lehigh in a league match. The team continued to work hard and would continue to wrestle better every time the team entered the mat. On January 9, pre-season league favorite Saucon Valley would be the next team to test the Tigers. The Panthers came to Northwestern with one thing on their mind, “To beat Northwestern!” The Tigers wrestled a very good match winning with a convincing 35-27 score. This match was truly a team effort by all fourteen wrestlers. On January 19^th the Tigers traveled to Wilson for what is always an exciting match. Since Coach Klass and Coach Moll are both Wilson Alumni, the

Tigers took great pleasure in beating Wilson 42-22. The team “wrapped-up” the league

title with a perfect league record by beating Bangor 46-26. Overall, the Tigers were able to rise to all occasions, overcome adversity, stick together as a team and work together to produce the perfect 11-0 league record!

For the fifth consecutive year the Tigers qualified for district duals where they beat Allentown Central 46-22 in the opening round. A trip to the finals was secured with a 43-27 win over Lehighton in the semi-finals. The team was able to peak at the right time in the season winning their second consecutive District XI Team Dual Tournaments with a 39-28 score over cross-town rival Northern Lehigh.

Qualifying for team states for the fourth consecutive year and ranked seventeenth in the state by “Off the Mat Rankings,” the wrestlers won their first match with a 38-24 score over Forest Hills. Though the team fell short in the quarterfinals with a close 36-27 loss to the eventual state runner-up Bermudian Springs, the Tigers continued on the winning track with a 38-32 win over Mt. Union and with a 48-24 win over Berwick, placing the Tigers into the top six in the state! The Tigers faced cross-state rival Reynolds and lost with a 47-21 score. Reynolds went on to place third.

In the post season, the Tigers continued to set more school records. The Tigers went five for five in the District XI finals crowning five (Yes Five) Individual District Champions! This is a very rare occurrence in the sport of wrestling. The Tigers had a total of eight wresters place in the top six. Sophomore Eddie Faust was the first of the five Tigers to win in the finals. Eddie was seeded fifth, beating the number one seed in the semi-finals. He beat the second seed in the finals earning him a District XI gold medal. Eddie certainly peaked and wrestled a great tournament outwrestling those who beat him throughout the year. Junior Evan Yenolevich was the second District champion earning his third consecutive District XI Title! Senior Victor Konno found his way back to the finals for a second consecutive year walking away with a District Title! Seeded seventh, Junior Ricky Williams beat three wrestlers who beat him earlier in the season and was one of the front-runners for the tournament’s most outstanding wrestler. (Note to Ricky, “It’s not how you start, it’s how you finish!”) Senior Ben Clymer wrapped up his second consecutive District XI Title with a 15-0 tech. fall in the finals. Both Sophomore Dylan Long and Senior Tyler Sell placed fifth. Junior Eddie Keichel (140 lbs.) placed sixth. While advancing five wrestlers to Regionals, the Tigers finished in second place in the team race behind Saucon Valley.

Continuing on the road to Hershey, the Tigers next stop was at Regionals. The Tigers had yet another strong showing advancing ALL FIVE wrestlers to states. (The Tigers were the only team to advance all of the wrestlers they brought to the state tournament.) The Tigers were able to advance three wrestlers into the finals while crowing two champions. Evan Yenolevich won his second Regional Title while Ben Clymer also won his second consecutive Regional Title. Victor Konno placed second while Eddie Faust and Ricky Williams both placed fourth. The Tigers finished in second place only 2.5 points behind Brandywine who brought seven wrestlers to Regionals. The Tigers almost doubled Saucon Valley’s score while beating state dual meet runner-up Boiling Springs.

The season came to a fitting end when the Tigers brought back four state medals while crowing Northwestern Lehigh’s seventh PIAA STATE CHAMPION senior Ben Clymer! Not only did Ben win the State Title at 171 lbs., he was also named Pennsylvania’s PIAA Most Outstanding Wrestler, which is a huge honor!

For the second consecutive year, Junior Evan Yenolevich reached the PIAA State Championship finals where he fell just short of his goal with a 5-3 over-time decision. Being able to reach the PIAA finals two years in a row speaks volumes about ability as a wrestler! Evan will have one more opportunity to earn the gold medal in the upcoming 08-09 season!

In his third season wrestling, Ricky Williams was able to put together a remarkable post season, placing fifth in the state at 135 lbs. Ricky worked extremely hard in the practice room and made many improvements throughout the course of the year. Some wrestlers work their entire career and do not even qualify for states let alone place. This is a testament to Ricky’s work ethic and dedication!

The Tigers also brought back a state medal from senior Victor Konno. After reaching the semi-finals, Victor finished his senior year with a sixth place medal. He will graduate with two PIAA State Medals, becoming Northwestern Lehigh’s fifth two-time state place winner!

Sophomore Eddie Faust put together a remarkable post season. He also represented the Tigers at states at 112 lbs where he walked away with a lot of experience, which will help to prepare him for the 08-09 season.

For only the second time in school history, the team earned a silver medal with a second place team-finish at the 2008 PIAA State Tournament! The Tigers placed higher than state dual meet champions Burell, state dual meet runner-up Bermudian Springs and state dual meet third-place finisher Reynolds. The 2008 version of the Tigers peaked at the right time and worked extremely hard. Their hard work and dedication paid-off!

A few wrestlers and coaches received post-season honors and acknowledgments:

For the second consecutive year, Evan Yenolevich became a High School All-American making him the 4^th All-American in school history. With 70 wrestlers at his weight, Evan placed an amazing 4^th, beating a number of Nationally Ranked Wrestlers on his journey in becoming an All-American.

Victor Konno received a scholarship from the District XI Referees association based on his academics, an application and essay. Victor was honored at the annual District XI Referee banquet held on March 28.

Ben Clymer was honored as the first wrestler in school history to receive the distinguish honor of being named “Morning Call ‘AA’ Wrestler of the Year.” Ben was also given the exceptional honor of being named Blue Ridge’s “Winter Athlete of the Year.” Ben made school history yet again by representing Northwestern Lehigh as the first wrestler in school history to participate in the 2008 Annual Lions Classic. This is an All-Star meet between the best senior wrestler at each weight in the District XI area vs. the best senior wrestler at each weight in the state of New Jersey.

The Tigers took great pride and went to great lengths to ensure that they represented themselves, the Northwestern Lehigh Wrestling Program, the Northwestern Lehigh School District, the community, and their parents with class, respect, and integrity. Their efforts were noted when the team was awarded the very prestigious 2008 District XI Sportsmanship Award. All District XI officials vote on the Sportsmanship Award. The award was announced at Districts and presented on March 28 at the annual District XI Referees Banquet.

For the second consecutive year and second time in school history, the Tigers received the honor of becoming the “Morning Call ‘AA’ Team of the Year.”

Coach Kleckner was honored as the District XI Assistant Coach of the Year. Coach Kleckner is more than deserving of this distinct honor and has certainly earned the title!

For the second consecutive year, Coach Klass was honored as the “Morning Call ‘AA’ Coach of the Year.”

Our seniors will be deeply missed and impossible to replace. The five seniors combined for a very impressive 154 wins this season and over 370 in their careers. They are all on their way to achieving their personal and professional goals. We wish them well in their journeys and continued successes! Our seniors left their legacy behind and set a great example for our future Northwestern Lehigh Wrestlers!

We look forward to continued success next season. But as always, it will depend upon the commitment each athlete makes to maximize his potential. Translated this means: What will each wrestler do between now and next November to get better? The challenge put forth by the NWL coaching staff is that each wrestler wrestles 30 competitive matches from now until next November. And that each wrestler attends summer lifting and wrestling. While working out in the off-season remember these two sayings, “The harder you work, the “luckier” you will get!” and “Champions are made when nobody is watching.”

I wish to thank all the parents for their patience and diligence. We had an overwhelming amount of support this season. Who knows what can happen if we continue to move ahead in our quest for excellence?