The Northwestern wrestling team has been through quite a bit this season.

An outbreak of impetigo early in the year decimated the lineup and forced the team to constantly adjust. All while maintaining some form of routine and order, no small task for a squad that features zero seniors.

But no matter the circumstances, the Tigers kept fighting and never quit.

"That is all you can really ask of any of your wrestlers: Compete as hard as you can," said Northwestern coach Jim Moll. "You will win some and you will lose some, but what matters most is your effort. And we got that from a lot of our guys this season."

That effort paid off this past weekend at the District 11 Class AA tournament, as Quentin Bernhard placed fourth at 113 pounds to earn a trip to this week's Southeast Regional tournament at Wilson West Lawn High School.

Bernhard, who entered the tournament with an 18-8 record, posted an impressive 4-2 mark to advance to the third place match against Panther Valley's Lenny Ogozalek, who had defeated him in overtime in the quarterfinals.

Unfortunately, the Tigers' talented sophomore was unable to compete against Ogozalek and was forced to forfeit the match.

Despite the setback, Moll still has high expectations for Bernhard moving forward.

"I just want him to go out and wrestle hard," the coach said. "Where he places, or whether or not he qualifies for states, will be determined by how he wrestles. I certainly know he is capable of placing this weekend and next."

In addition to Bernhard's impressive performance, the Tigers also had a strong showing from Baily Wehr, who finished sixth at 106 pounds.

The freshman opened the tournament with two consecutive wins before suffering a setback to eventual champion and top-seeded Sammy Hepler of Tri-Valley.

While some might have been surprised by Wehr's outing, the accomplishment wasn't a shock to the Northwestern coach.

"Baily had a good draw," Moll noted. "He went up against kids that we thought he could wrestle with and he made the most of the situation and wrestled hard.

"To make the semifinals as a 12 seed is pretty good. I'm very happy with how he wrestled."

Jarett White, a regional qualifier a year ago, was unable to duplicate his performance this season, falling in the third round of the consolation bracket to North Schuylkill's Shane McGrath, who finished fourth at 120 pounds.

While his season may technically be over, the sophomore will still be able to help Bernhard prepare for what lies ahead.

"Jarret can help Quentin just by being a workout partner this week," Moll said. "We will probably have him and Baily in the (practice) room with us."

Even though Bernhard is Northwestern's only representative this weekend, the positive effect it will have on the rest of the team is obvious, and something the program can build on in the future.