Lehigh Valley Wrestling Has Another Awesome Year

Amateur wrestling is the oldest sport in the world, and here in the Lehigh Valley it's got a great following. This past weekend marked the end of the high school season, and college is down to just nationals. Penn State will go for the national title for the fifth time in six years. Lehigh and Rutgers will try to crack the top ten. A few local hopefuls will go for All-American status individually at Madison Square Garden.

It's been a successful year for the local teams. Bethlehem Catholic claimed both the PIAA AAA Duals and tournament championships. Phillipsburg won the NJSIAA duals. Saucon Valley finished second in the PIAA AA Duals, while Nazareth finished fourth in the PIAA AAA Duals and second in the tournament. District 11 won seven AAA gold medals over 14 weights, while winning eight golds overall. A total of 13 local wrestlers made their state finals between the 13 tournaments.

Times do change though, even in a wrestling hotbed like here. Instead of Easton and Northampton dominating like a generation ago, or Easton and Nazareth, or Northampton and Nazareth before that, it's Bethlehem Catholic and Nazareth now. Indeed, this year had some tough moments for many traditional powers. Easton lost their district champions streak, Northampton struggled to win matches they used to cruise through, and Phillipsburg closed their famed "Pit" gymnasium. Even with those down times, Easton and Phillipsburg both had two state finalists. Northampton had a state champion. Sure, maybe Bethlehem Catholic is the place to be right now, but the traditional powers are still there.

It was a fun season. Next year, District 11 will return two state champions, three current or former runners-up, and 12 state medalists in the AAA ranks. Expect it to be a very good year for the Lehigh Valley again.