Early December is always a litmus test for Bethlehem Catholic’s wrestling program. Last weekend the Hawks participated in the Ironman Tournament in Ohio, arguably the toughest tournament in the country and they follow that up this weekend in Delaware for the historic Beast of the East tournament.

Having two of the toughest tournaments in back-to-back weekends is exactly how head coach Jeff Karam and his staff have designed their early season schedule for years and it’s part of the reason why the Hawks have been so successful for the better part of a decade.

“We had some pretty solid guys out of the tournament early last week, so having these big tourneys early helps us learn what we need to improve on,” Karam said. “Getting this type of work early in the season is invaluable for our guys, and even though it can bang you up a little bit, it always makes us a better team.”

The Hawks finished eighth at the Ironman last weekend, placing four wrestlers in the event led by third place finishers Nate Desmond (113) and Kollin Rath (138).

Both wrestlers lost in the semifinals, as Desmond dropped a 6-1 decision to Beric Jordan of Stillwater, before battling back in the consolation rounds to knock off Louie Gill of Reynolds 7-2 for third.

Rath had a 4-1 lead over Kannon Webster of Washington Community going into the third period of his semifinal showdown with the nation’s second-ranked wrestler, but couldn’t hold on during a 6-5 loss. He battled back with a 6-2 decision over Omar Ayoub of Dublin Coffman to settle for third.

“I was proud of both guys battling back through the consys, because in a tournament like this, it’s tough to go through after losing in the semifinals,” Karam said. “Nate lost a tough in the semis and I think Kollin just ran out of gas in his match. Sometimes that happens in these early season tourneys.”

The other two Becahi medalists were Jake Dailey (150, eighth) and Andrew Harmon (157, seventh).

The Hawks will see plenty of familiar faces from the Ironman back at the Beast this weekend, as Karam hopes the team can elevate their performances heading into this tournament like they have done historically.

“We only had 11 guys at Ironman, but I think we’ll have Cole Campbell (121) and Elijah Thompson (HWT) back for this week, which will help,” Karam said. “We’ve always done pretty well going to the Beast after Ironman and I hope we can crack the top-five in the team standings.”

Before heading out to Delaware, the Hawks take on Liberty Wednesday night at Memorial Gymnasium.