Green Knights remain young, but growing program

Returning starters Alex Moser and Kris Kessler sensed something different when they walked into the Pen Argyl wrestling room at the start of preseason workouts.

It was a refreshing feeling. “There was good energy,” Moser said. “Everything was very positive. All the kids were very hard working and hungry.”

They attribute that to the tone Tom Mertz set last season in his first year in charge.

“The environment he created here is awesome,” Kessler said. “Plus, the guys on the team come in, work hard, do what’s expected and push each other.

“If someone doesn’t do that, it doesn’t feel right because everyone else is doing it. I really like what Coach Mertz has created. It’s very building. It benefits the team so much.”

Pen Argyl is still a work in progress. Mertz has a lot of first-year varsity wrestlers mixed in with veterans who are not state championship-caliber talent.

But the Green Knights have a culture in place that creates opportunity for growth on many levels. There are upperclassmen who are leaders, but everyone in the room is equally valued.

“This year in football regarding leadership, a lot more of us stepped up,” Kessler said. “And that’s transitioning to wrestling.

“The upperclassmen are setting good examples, taking in the young kids. With our mindset, it’s big because once we’re gone and the [younger kids] are juniors and seniors, they need to continue that leadership. They are just as important as anybody on the team. That’s something Coach Mertz values, taking care of the whole team.”

Mertz takes time at the end of every practice to talk to the wrestlers about character development, about helping them grow each day as young people — not just as wrestlers.

Severalwrestlerswhocame out for the team last year were not certain they wanted to continuebecausetheyweren’t as good as the veterans.

Mertz reminded them not to judge themselves against those who had been wrestling since they were 5 years old, but rather to the wrestler they were on Day 1 last season.

The relative newcomers and experienced competitors again will team to form a full lineup. That is progress.

So, too, is what’s happening at the lower levels.

There are only seven or eight kids on the junior high (seventh and eighth grades) team, but those class sizes are small. There are huge fifth and sixth grade classes following and there are nearly 80 kids involved in the youth program (kindergarten through sixth grade). That’s up from 57 a year ago.

“We still have a ways to go,” Mertz said. “But if we can get 12 to 15 kids out in each grade at the youth level, that would be pretty good.”

1. Lineup

There will be a mixture of first-year varsity wrestlers and veterans to start the season.

Sophomore Connor Bartholomew and freshman Isaiah Adams are at 107. Sophomore Madacyn Rivera and freshman Blayke Lacey are competing at 114.

Junior Aiden Knorr is a returning starter. He’ll be at 121. Two freshmen with good pedigree are at 127 and 133, respectively: Collin Ramsay and Luca Albanese.

The Green Knights are not as green for the next several weight classes. Junior Vince Reto (139-145), sophomore Hunter Beers (139-145), Moser (152) and junior Nuallan King (160) comprise the middle weights.

“Beers put a lot time in,” Mertz said. “He lifted, committed himself to the gym. King made great strides from the beginning to the end of last year. He won some big matches. He worked really hard. I expect a big year out of him.

Kessler (172), senior Gian Greggo (189) and senior Michael Culver (215) are other returnees. Junior Kael Grim and sophomore Brayden Krasnopera are also in the mix in the upper weights.

“The kids looked pretty good for one week,” Mertz said. “They are way ahead of last year even with a shorter amount of time just because the expectations were already there. We were able to hit the ground running last Friday.

“Last year, you had to get them to trust you with the coaching change and a lot of kids it was their first time wrestling in a couple years so they got the rust out. They are less anxious now.”

2. Pen Argyl’s 2022-23 schedule

(at 7 p.m. unless noted) Dec. 3: Catasauqua’s Rough Rider Invitational, 9 a.m.

Dec. 5: Notre Dame-GP

Dec. 7: at Saucon Valley

Dec. 14: at Palmerton

Dec. 16: Lehighton

Jan. 4: at Salisbury

Jan. 6: at Wilson

Jan. 7: Battle at Valley Forge Duals, 9 a.m.

Jan. 11: Northern Lehigh

Jan. 18: Palisades

Jan. 20-21: Coal Cracker tournament at Lehighton

Jan. 25: at Bangor

Jan. 27-28: Ultimate Warrior at West Branch

Jan. 29: Colonial League tournament at Catasauqua, 10 Feb. 7: at Belvidere (N.J.), 6 p.m.