Nazareth, Bethlehem Catholic are tops
Both teams stood head and shoulders above the field to take prize
Nazareth lost several close bouts in each of its three dual meets against Bethlehem Catholic in the EPC, District 11 and PIAA Class 3A team finals.
It also lost standout 172-pounder Noah Okamoto to shoulder surgery in the second of those three meetings.
Then, inexplicably, the Blue Eagles won the team titles at the district, Northeast Regional and PIAA individual tournaments.
Coach Dave Crowell each week found fewer words to explain how that reversal transpired.
“To wrestle one great tournament is, well you know what is going to happen next week,” Crowell said. “And then you wrestle at regionals better than [at districts]. Then, I’m going, ‘Oh, gosh.’
“Thursday [at states] wasn’t a great round for us. It was OK. Then, gosh, [Friday and Saturday] was … not to put down any other teams I’ve coached, one of the greatest performances by a team in a state tournament.”
This analysis comes from a coaching legendary with 569 career dual-meet wins — sixth most in PIAA history — 24 state championship wrestlers, which is second most; and 100 district champions in his three Lehigh Valley stops, so he has perspective.
Friday night’s blood round at states was the highlight of Nazareth’s improbable run and proof of the program’s team-first mantra. Nine of the Blue Eagles’ 11 state qualifiers were involved. Six of them won, including all three in head-to-head matchups with Golden Hawks.
Bethlehem Catholic’s talent level to win league, district and state team tournament titles and wreck the other 13 schools not named Nazareth or 2A state team tournament runner-up Notre Dame-Green Pond in dual meets is so ridiculous, consider this:
Golden Hawks coach Jeff Karam believed freshman 106-pounder Shane McFillin would have been a 3A state medalist … except the state champion in that weight class also was a freshman in the Bethlehem Catholic room.
Returning starter Charlie Pavis lost his preseason wrestle-off to freshman Cole Campbell, then beat him in the Tony Iasiello Memorial Christmas City Classic final, then lost another wrestle-off to Campbell who later won state silver at 113 pounds.
Freshman Marco Frinzi was 10-0 this season, but couldn’t crack the lineup because brother Dante, a four-time state qualifier, was at the same weight.
Freshman Charlie Scanlan won 20 matches as the 145-pound starter, but could not make the individual postseason lineup.
“People say, ‘Man, we’re a year away,’ ” Karam said. “We arrived early.”
Nazareth and Bethlehem Catholic, the state’s two best teams by a comfortable margin, are The Morning Call’s all-area 3A wrestling teams of the year.
“I love wrestling Nazareth,” Karam added. “It’s going to be a great match every time because they’re just a great team.”
Bethlehem Catholic crowned seven individual district champions and Nazareth added five. The combined 12 by the two programs were the most in any class in one season in District 11 history.
They combined for 21 state qualifiers. The numbers these two programs produced this season was ridiculous.
Not much figures to change next season.
Karam graduates one starter and has 17 returnees with considerable varsity experience.
Crowell loses five starters but has several promising incoming freshmen who figure to plug in at least a few of those holes.
Good luck EPC, District 11 and the rest of the state in 3A.