As the 2024 Northampton wrestling season kicks off, head coach Joe Provini provided his assessment of this year’s squad:

“Our numbers are way up. We’ve got 38 kids signed up. We’re looking to take a step forward from last year. We’ve got a good mix of extremely talented underclassmen with some hardworking talented upperclassmen. We’re going to be really solid from 107 up through 172. We’ll have some young guys at 189 and 215 and then (Gavin) Grell being the hammer for us up top.”

Among the returnees is state champion Trey Wagner. The junior, who recently committed to wrestle at the US Naval Academy in college, spoke about his decision, “It came down to some of the opportunities after the academy. Some of the opportunities were just a little bit better. It’s either between a Navy SEAL or a Navy pilot. I’m still deciding on that.”

Sophomore Gabe Ballard, a district and regional champion and state fourth-place finisher, is bumping up a few weight classes and sure to be in the mix for titles at all three levels again this year.

Provini mentioned a pair of freshmen that K-Kids’ fans can look forward to watching for the next four years. “The one you’re going to know about right away is Brayden Wenrich. He’s going to start down at 106/107, it’s a pretty hard cut for him. He’s ranked top 10 in the country. He’s unbelievable. I can’t wait to watch him compete. He’s one of the most talented offensive wrestlers I’ve seen come up to the high school level,” Provini gushed.

He continued, “Carter Chlebove is another freshman. The younger brother of Julian. He’s very talented. He’s going to be 145 and start as a ninth-grader. He’s already one of the hardest working guys.”

The K-Kids have their two biggest duel meets before Christmas this year. They travel to Bethlehem Catholic this upcoming Wednesday and host Nazareth the following week. A proposed dual meet with longtime rival Easton was declined by the Rovers.

There are some rule changes that have been adopted by PIAA that will impact the scoring of high school wrestling this year. You might hear the usual shouts of “Two!” for a takedown early in the season, but takedowns are now worth 3 points.

Nearfalls can range from 2 to 4 points, depending on how many swipes are given. A wrestler only needs to maintain one point of contact to be considered in bounds. The changes bring high school wrestling more in line with college scoring which should lead to more offensive wrestling and bonus point matches.