Lehigh Valley Live: Freedom wrestlers tasting success!

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Dec
19

By Brad Wilson | lehighvalleylive.com
on December 16, 2014 3:12 PM

Success proves to be a powerful stimulant.

And it may be that athletic success – specifically football – will spark Freedom’s wrestling team to its greatest success in many moons.

The Patriots’ breakout 44-22 win Monday over Northampton came in large part because seniors Jake Young and John Callahan, who originally did not come out for wrestling in November, rejoined the wrestling team in the last couple of weeks. Given that Young was a state placewinner (fifth) as a sophomore and Callahan owned 66 career wins entering the season, they are an enormous addition.

But it was a reinforcement that may not have happened without the success both enjoyed playing for Freedom’s football team this fall, a team that went 9-3 and reached the District 11 semifinals. Callahan had doubts about wrestling and Young health concerns (his shoulder sports a huge ice bag after he competes).

But their taste of success in football made them want more of it.

“Football was one of the best seasons we could have imagined,” Callahan said. “Jake and I talked about it and we wanted to continue feeling the way we did in football on another winning team. It’s really fun to be on a winning team.”

It’s been a while since Freedom’s wrestling team has been known for winning. This winter, though, the Patriots, unbeaten at 7-0, not only want to win, they know they can.

“Somebody asked me if I needed to dial back our team’s confidence, and I said I don’t know if I want to,” Freedom coach Brandon Hall said. “I’m here to instill confidence in them. I want them to have confidence that they will win matches because when you expect to win matches you do win matches. They’re supposed to have a lot of confidence.”

And they should – because Freedom’s big wins, it says here, won’t stop with Northampton.

Once Young gets down to be able to wrestle at 170 – which he said he will be by the Bethlehem Holiday Wrestling Classic Dec. 28-29 at Liberty – the Patriots will have an upperweight group – Young, Evan Callahan, John Callahan, Jake Rugis and Josh Newhart – equal to or better than any in the Lehigh Valley and District 11. Admittedly these are not banner times for big boys across the area, but that makes what Freedom has even more important – a bonus-point hammer up top could swamp teams who can’t equal the Pates’ talent and eye for the fall. The Northampton match started at 182 and it was 23-0 Freedom very quickly.

Then add in lightweights such as Dylan Brown, maybe the best wrestler in D-11 who didn’t make states last season, and Jonah Zych, maybe the best wrestler you have never heard of (but you will) in the Eastern Pennsylvania Conference, solid veterans in the middle such as Willy Byrnes and Adam Evans, and a strong ninth-grade group in Andrew Evans, Ben Huber and Andrew Youwakim, and suddenly it hits you: this is, potentially, a top-5 area team. Or more.

Now there are caveats. That 44-22 score over Northampton might flatter Freedom slightly because the K-Kids were missing starters Michael Scheetz and Jason Kocher. Freedom is counting on several wrestlers who are not tested or proven against top competition. Injuries seem always to be a factor for the Patriots, starting with Young. They don’t wrestle Bethlehem Catholic, Parkland, or Nazareth, matches that could provide strong tests of the kind the Pates will need. They do meet Liberty (Jan. 24) and Easton (Jan. 21).

But it says here Freedom need not stand in awe of any of those teams, talent-wise, except maybe Becahi and even there, up top, not at all.

What those teams have, though, that Freedom does not is the legacy of success and the history of winning, attributes that a price cannot be put on. When a wrestler dons an Easton or Nazareth singlet, he expects to win, especially against a foe not from a Parkland or Becahi or Liberty.

Now, though, by vanquishing a foe Freedom had never defeated in any of their lifetimes, maybe the Patriots will start to feel that same confidence whenever they take the mat flowing through their veins. Maybe this year it’s the black and yellow singlets that should inspire fear in foes. Maybe this year, at last, as Young said proudly Monday, it’s Freedom’s year.

And if it is, it will have started in many ways with success on the football field, success that Callahan and Young now want to duplicate, or better, on the mat. Given Monday’s win, the Pates seem well on their way.

Brad Wilson may be reached at bwilson@express-times.com. Follow him on Twitter @bradwsports.