Bangor alumni back to help
2018 grads Mathewson and Hay an inspiration for young Slaters
Eddie Hay and Haakon Mathewson walked into the Bangor wrestling room at the start of the preseason ready for a good sweat.
The 2018 graduates pushed the Slaters hard. They cut them no slack.
Head coach Richie Smith was pleased with the response of his current wrestlers. He also was proud to have the presence of Hay and Mathewson, who will have their college degrees by the time this season is in full swing and transition from solid wrestlers to coaches after college.
“Having guys come back and coach, guys I had here my second and third year, that was what I wanted,” Smith said. “I wanted guys to be a part of the program and think of it as a family.
“I’ve had guys want to be a part of the culture. That’s a successful moment for me. I was younger then. I had good relationships with Eddie, Haakon, Gavin Sandt and Paulie Mastrogiavanni. They all wanted to come back and help coach.”
Hay and Mathewson are coaching the Slaters’ junior high team, which has a stellar turnout. The other two are there when their work schedules allow.
Their diligence and pride in the program will assure that future varsity wrestlers will be well prepared with an understanding of the sport and Smith’s expectations as competitors and young men.
“It shows we’re doing the right thing,” the sixth-year coach said. “They want to be involved.
“That’s really what I’m pushing this year. Yes, we want you to be a better wrestler, but we want you to be a better overall person, go to college, get a degree, talk about what your life is going to be like after high school.”
Bangor may still be a year or two away from being among the Colonial League’s top programs, but it is trending upward in all aspects.
That brings a smile to Smith’s face. However, it also brought an extra grind to practices.
“They beat us up all the time,” freshman Kody Ward said of the Slaters graduates. “They are making us work harder.”
1. Youth is served
Bangor’s roster features 10 freshmen, 10 sophomores, seven juniors and one senior who has two varsity matches on his resume.
But Smith is excited about the work ethic and projections for this group.
Juniors Sam Woolverton and Riley Stapp are taking on the leadership roles in the room, something they worked on as contributing members to Bangor’s successful football program.
Ward, a District 11 junior high fourth-place finisher last season, Carter Smith, a junior high runner-up at 97 pounds, and Michael Fuller, a junior high runner-up at 115, are three wrestler Smith is counting on right away to be varsity contributors.
They are learning on the fly about all aspects of the sport.
“What’s expected, when to be here, it’s all important,” Coach Smith said.
The first-year varsity wrestlers are enjoying the challenge.
“When you do something wrong,” sophomore Aidan McNulty said, “they’ll tell you. Then [they] make you work harder for that.”
That approach will benefit the youngsters, who will be facing more seasoned competitors every week.
“You could be going against kids who are three [or] four years older than you,” Smith said. “[And they’re] kids who are bigger and stronger than you are.
“It’s a step up, something to get used to.”
2. Slaters lineup
Carter Smith will be at 107 pounds. Sophomore Luke Dalton is at 114. He, like several teammates, took the seventh- and eighth-grade seasons off because of COVID-19 and now is finding his rhythm again.
Sophomore Jace LaBar is at 121. “He has hips similar to what [Pen Argyl three-time state champion] Mikey Racciato had,” Smith said. “He’s pretty funky. He gets his hips in really bad situations, then figures it out and it’s like, ‘How the heck did you do that?’ ”
Fuller is at 127, followed by sophomore Aidan McNulty at 133 when he gets healthy. Sophomore David Sipley returns for his second season and bumps up one weight class to 139.
“[Sipley] has a really funky style of wrestling too,” Smith said. “It’s fun to watch, but [it] also is nerve-wracking and you want to pull your hair out because you never know what’s going to happen.”
A group of young wrestlers will be vying for the 145-pound spot. Sophomore Bo Hatesaul and freshman Riley Waldron are the leading contenders.
“I like [Waldron] a lot because he’s a brawler,” Smith said. “He’s an in-your-face type of kid. He doesn’t back down from much.”
Waldron, like several others, is a football player who is either returning to the sport or new to it this season.
Ward or junior Noah Hillis will be at 152. Hillis has grown plenty since his freshman year as a wrestler and football player.
Smith, a second-year wrestler, has the inside track at 160.
“He doesn’t miss a workout,” said Coach Smith, who is not related. “He’s a soccer kid who wanted to come to wrestling workouts.”
Junior Riley Alvarado, a thirdyear wrestler, is another brawler who will be at 172. He has benefited from working with Hay in scrapping positions.
Junior Riley Stapp, coming off a solid football season on both sides of the ball, is at 189. Junior Sam Woolverton is at 215
Senior Ethan Alvarado, Riley’s brother, is at 285.