Gavin Hacker can attribute the start of his wrestling career to his head coach Jon Reed’s kitchen. It would be the beginning of a tight bond between the two.

“I started wrestling in third grade, and it all started because I was close with the Reed family,” recalled Hacker. “Evan (Reed) and I would wrestle in the kitchen. His dad, who was a coach at the time, thought I had some potential and was a natural at it.”

Now, eight years later, Hacker, a junior, is a prominent part of the Rough Riders’ lineup. He recently recorded his best finish in the postseason when he finished fourth at districts in the 121-pound bracket. Hacker lost in the second round of consolations at the regional tournament.

He ended his year with his most wins in a season with an overall 19-17 record (14-12 his freshman year) with 12 falls.

The older Reed was pleased to see Hacker advance to regionals.

“Gavin got a takedown at the buzzer to beat an opponent from Lehighton who beat him earlier in the season,” said Reed. “Gavin has made a lot of strides through the years.

“I have coached him since he was on the youth team, and I was so happy to see him qualify for regionals.”

Hacker decided to clean the slate for the postseason, and it apparently paid off for him.

“Going into districts and regionals, it’s all or nothing,” reflected Hacker. “You know it’s the end of the season and my coach always says, ‘everyone is 0-0 going into districts.’

“That definitely helped my mental game and point of view on the postseason. I definitely wrestled my best.”

As far as his season, Hacker knows there is room to grow. However, he gained a stronger sense of confidence.

“Overall, I don’t think this season went too badly for me,” he noted. “There’s definitely room for improvements and some matches definitely could have been better. But I came out and I just felt so comfortable, and it felt so familiar and was just natural.”

Yet, Hacker won’t soon forget his roots.

“I think my biggest influence on my career has been my coach Reed,” emphasized Hacker. “He has been my coach since I started wrestling and through my whole career except for two years in junior high.

“Overall, he has brought me into this sport and helped me every step of the way and pushed me to my utmost abilities and I don’t think I would be where I am today without him.”