Gavin Fehr knew he had to change a few things.

The Catasauqua junior decided to take a different approach to his style this season. Fehr finished fourth at districts last season, but he wanted to achieve more.

“This year, I have been focusing more on mental strength,” he said. “I had too many things in my head. I was worrying too much about who I was going to wrestle. It just wasn’t good.”

Fehr has worked to be more aggressive.

“I had to open up more,” stated Fehr. “I talked to Coach Russo, and he has told me for a long time that I could be 10 times better than I am. He told me that I have to attack more. That’s what I’ve been trying to do.”

“I had to work on getting more underhooks.”

So far, Fehr’s plan appears to be working.

He recorded a fall, a decision, and suffered a loss in his three matches at the Dallastown Duals last weekend. The Rough Riders defeated Penn Manor, 48-30, and dropped matches to Cocalico (51-12) and Emmaus (53-9).

For the season, Fehr has a 20-3 record with nine pins primarily at 138 pounds and also at 145.

He has made several strides since his freshman year.

“Gavin is one of the hardest workers in the (wrestling) room,” said Russo. “We always knew he had potential, and it was just a matter of him gaining confidence.

“He is proving it to himself, and teams around the league.”

Fehr began wrestling at the age of five and he entered his first tournament in first grade. Soon after, he began in the Midget program. When he was younger, Fehr realized wrestling was his sport.

“I played soccer growing up, but I knew wrestling was going to be my sport,” he said. “I knew I had more to learn about the sport.

“After fifth grade, I felt like I could have success in the sport. It all started to come together for me then.”

Fehr has plans to wrestle in college, but he is undecided at this time. In the meantime, Fehr plans to continue to make his mark in the Roughies’ program. Catty remained undefeated in its dual season (6-0) with recent victories over Wilson and Southern Lehigh. They traveled to league and state powerhouse Notre Dame Wednesday, which is after Press deadlines.

“My goal is to win districts and get to states,” he said. “We have a good team chemistry right now, and we believe we can finish the year strong.

“I know I just have to keep working and stay confident.”