MAT ANSWERS
Top 10 team rankings are here for 2023-24
Faith Christian lost its first four dual meets of the season, but let’s put that in perspective:
Coach Ben Clymer is without three starters, the opener was lost to national No. 1 Wyoming Seminary and the other three setbacks were by the Lions’ B team while the A team was at the nation’s toughest in-season tournament, the Walsh Jesuit Ironman in Ohio, where it still finished seventh in the team race.
The defending PIAA Class 2A team tournament champion will start this season at the top of The
Morning Call’s top 10 wrestling rankings.
Returning PIAA 3A champion Bethlehem Catholic, which has a new coach and several new starters, is at No. 2.
Easton, which won’t have its full lineup until January because of injuries, has been impressive in its two tournaments. Coach Jody Karam’s Red Rovers were third in the team race at the Tom Best Memorial Top Hat and threepeated at the Brian Bealer Memorial Duals at Boyertown.
Many teams have their first dual meet this week, so it will be interesting to see how those play out ahead of the Christmas holiday when wrestlers get the two-pound weight allowance for Dec. 26 and beyond.
Below is the first set of rankings as the 2023-24 season gets rolling. Only the 38 teams in The Morning Call coverage area are considered until we get deep into January ahead of the team postseason.
Morning Call top 10 team rankings
1. Faith Christian (0-4): Once healthy, the Lions should be solid for the rest of its tournament-loaded schedule
2. Bethlehem Catholic (0-0):
Missouri commit Kollin Rath (third) was the only medalist of the 11 entered at Ironman
3. Notre Dame-GP (0-0): The Crusaders have a balanced lineup, which will serve them equally well in dual meets and tournaments
4. Easton (6-0): First win over Nazareth since 2014 has taken early-season confidence level up a notch
5. Saucon Valley (1-0): Panthers’ young lineup had a solid showing at Top Hat, finishing second
6. Nazareth (0-1): Varsity newcomers quickly must get adjusted to the work required to be successful
7. Pennridge (3-3): Did not have two starters for early losses to
Council Rock South, Easton
8. Northampton (0-0): Youth will be tested this month at Beast of the East, Bethlehem Holiday Wrestling Classic
9. Quakertown (0-0): Panthers start their season Wednesday with dual vs. CR South before stops at Beast, BHWC and a dual with Pennridge 10. Parkland (1-0): First big test for first-year coach Eddie Keichel’s club comes Wednesday at Easton
Honorable mention (in alphabetical order):
Emmaus (0-1), Freedom (4-2), Lehighton (2-0), Liberty (1-0), Palmerton (4-4), Pocono Mountain East (4-2), Salisbury (2-0), Southern Lehigh (3-3),
Stroudsburg (1-0), Whitehall (2-0)
Morning Call reporter
Tom Housenick can be reached at 610-820-6651 or at thousenick@mcall.com