Gateway wrestling making progress

By: HSSN Staff
Sunday, December 17, 2017 | 11:00 PM

Sophomore Evan Whiteside's first season on the Gateway varsity wrestling team featured a team-best 22 victories in 32 matches.

“Evan learned a lot last year,” Gators coach Ryan Sula said. “He progressed mentally and physically. There are still a few habits he needs to break, and he understands that. His goals are not only WPIALs but making it to states.”

Whiteside's potential for reaching those goals — he went 2-2 at the Section 1-AAA tournament last season and qualified for WPIALs — is one of several storylines for the Gateway wrestling team in early portion of this season.

“We have about a dozen kids right now, some with a lot of experience and others just getting started with varsity wrestling,” Sula said. “As they get more matches, we will be able to see what they are doing well and what they need to work on.”

Sula said he was happy to see several of his wrestlers win matches at the season-opening Eastern Area tournament Dec. 8-9 at Gateway.

“Eastern Areas is always a tough tournament with good individual wrestlers and great teams,” Sula said. “I thought we showed a good work ethic and were aggressive.”

Whiteside has moved from 106 to 113, and senior Caleb Lehman is wrestling at 170.

Lehman went 20-15 in 2016-17, and he will be gunning for a return trip to WPIALs in his final season. He finished fourth at 160 at the Section 1-AAA tournament last year and recorded a 1-2 mark at WPIALs.

“Caleb is very important to this program,” Sula said. “He puts his best foot forward in the room. Everyone looks up to his work ethic. We like to have those kids who are able to grind in practice. He works his butt off and is a role model for younger kids.”

Junior Nevin Matthews also returns. He finished his sophomore season at 5-13.

“Nevin's a little bit light for his weight class at 182,” Sula said. “But the way he wrestles and his style, 182 is good for him. A heavier class will help him. He's progressed. He's also one of hard workers in the room that will drill every day and get better. We're looking for a lot from him.”

Junior Bryce Washington finished one win away from a trip to WPIALs as a sophomore, but he won't get a chance to advance further this year. A torn ACL in football will force Washington to miss the wrestling season.

“It was very upsetting to hear of Bryce's injury,” Sula said. “He really turned it on at the end of last year and put things together. But he's already coming to practice and helping out even though he can't compete. That's a huge thing for this team and the younger wrestlers. He's setting a great example. Also, the more he can be here and pick up on things, that will be huge for him next year. He's really found a love for this sport.”

Freshman Jacques Taylor and sophomore Darius Harper also were members of the PIAA-finalist Gateway football team that finished its season Dec. 9 and are making the transition to wrestling.

Taylor, at 220 pounds, made his debut over the weekend at the North Hills Duals. A Junior Olympic wrestler for five years, Taylor played basketball the past two winters.

“We want him to get more comfortable in the lineup and win some matches,” Sula said. “He has a lot of talent.”

Sula said he hopes more football players will explore the possibility of coming out for wrestling.

Gateway wrestlers got in several bouts Saturday at North Hills. The Gators faced the host Indians, Penn Hills, Kiski Area and Pittsburgh Central Catholic, as well as District 3's Cumberland Valley.

Sophomores Jaired Lehman, Oscar Portis and Emadd Khan also wrestled for the Gators on Saturday.

“Dual tournaments are a benefit because they wrestle several times in one day, and I can coach a kid and see his progression from the first match to the last,” Sula said. “We can video each match and show them what they did right, how they improved throughout the day and what they need to work on.”

Michael Love is a Tribune-Review staff writer. Reach him at mlove@tribweb.com or via Twitter @Mlove_Trib.

Tags: Gateway