Ben Clymer remembers it well: 65-9.
Saucon Valley beat his Faith Christian team in the first round of the 2018 PIAA Class 2A team tournament.
“One of the wins was a forfeit,” Clymer said with a hint of sarcasm.
Clymer, a 2008 state champion at Northwestern Lehigh, hates to lose. But he knew time and hard work were the only things that would take Faith Christian from state qualifier to where it is now — among the nation’s most elite.
The Lions are the three-time defending PIAA team tournament champions with eyes on a fourth title among many other things.
Clymer and his staff slowly built the program from its humble beginnings to what it is today. They developed year-round wrestlers into ultra competitors who, like him, despise losing.
That is evident when seniors Shane Wagner, Adam Waters and Cael Weidemoyer talk about who has game when it comes to pre-practice handball competitions.
“You are not even top-3,” Weidemoyer told Wagner.
“He’s not even top-3,” Waters snuck in as Weidemoyer and Wagner debated.
They went through much of the roster. Fellow senior Mark Effendian makes the most of his 285-pound frame. Returning state champion Freddy Bachmann was declared an excellent cherry-picker. Clymer even got a vote.
They quickly came to an agreement when they toned down the bravado.
“It might be Josh Snyder,” Weidemoyer proclaimed, “because whatever team he’s on, the other team can’t score. He’s a great goalie.”
The trio had no trouble agreeing that they love wrestling, love all Faith Christian has done for them and the way they want to end their high school careers.
But the calming voice of Waters gave perspective on what matters most to him and his teammates.
“We all really want to go get [that fourth team state title],” the Ohio State commit said. “It’s going to be tough. But even if we don’t get it, we still have God. We still have our savior.”
“This sport doesn’t define us,” said Weidemoyer lost most of last season to a knee injury. “We’re competitive. We’re hungry. Everything is on the line. We’re going to go get it. But, like Adam said, if it doesn’t happen, it doesn’t. But we’re going for everybody’s head. It’s a good balance.”
Shane Wagner is seeing brother Mason miss his senior season because of a shoulder injury. He saw his friend, Weidemoyer, miss most of his junior year after getting hurt. He has struggled to get into the starting lineup, but is motivated by his love for the sport, the program, his teammates and God to keep grinding.
The Arkansas-Little Rock commit who began wrestling in kindergarten started this season with a technical fall at 172 pounds Saturday against Chaminade (New York) to improve his career record to 30-13.
“I loved it then,” he said. “I’ve grown a lot since then, made a lot of friends, developed a lot of relationships. It’s how I found God, through this school. Wrestling has helped me a lot. It’s a blessing to have this sport.”
Surrounded by a roster full of devout Christians who love wrestling and cherish competing as much as he does, Clymer is thankful for the opportunity to lead the Faith Christian program and help the wrestlers grow as young men.
He is proud of the wrestlers’ commitment and life balance they display. He is excited for another journey in his 12th season in charge.
“I could not have envisioned this,” he said. “But I do despise losing and I knew we would get better. I’m proud of the group, the school, the coaches, everyone who jumped into that process of not being content with mediocrity. God gives us a brief life here to compete to the best of our abilities, to get tougher, get better and grow.
“That’s definitely been a heart beat behind everything. It’s cool to see where [the program] has gotten, but I tell everyone that it doesn’t get here because of any one person. It’s neat to see the growth of the program. I try to keep riding the wave, but also keep the Gospel at the forefront of all of it.”
The lineup
Freshman Riley Crandall is at 107. There is a hole at 114. Freshmen Cruz Little and Flynn Arnestad are at 121. Little could work his way down to 114 as early as Christmas with the two-pound weight allowance. Sophomore Brayden Spera is at 127.
Sophomore Freddy Bachmann is at 133 followed by sophomore Nathan Yoder at 139. Freshman Reece Movahed is at 145.
“[Movahed] has a very foreign style to him,” Clymer said. “A lot of Russian ties, a lot of underhooks. He’s fun to watch. Stoic. Slows things down more than speeds things up. He’s very good.”
Junior Joe Bachmann, a two-time state champion, is at 152, up four weight classes from the start of last season.
Freshman Asher Bacon is at 160. Shane Wagner will be at different weights depending which state’s weight classes are being used.
Junior Nick Singer, a returning state champion, is at 172. Waters, a three-time state champion, is back at 189.
Senior Jay Singer, a returning fifth-place finisher at 215, will float between 189 and 215 this season. Weidemoyer (12-5) is at 215. Senior Mark Effendian, a state runner-up last year, returns at 285.
“It is a very complete, filled, tough lineup,” Clymer said, “especially later in the year if guys stay healthy and we get to fill in that 114-pound weight class.”
Faith Christian again has upgraded its schedule. It includes a trip to California for the Doc Buchanan Invitational, duals against two of New Jersey’s top programs in Delbarton and St. Peter’s Prep, a road trip to Wyoming Seminary and the Walsh Jesuit Ironman — the nation’s top individual tournament.
“That will be a cool bonding experience and we’ll get to wrestle some of those California teams who are ranked 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, whatever [nationally],” Clymer said. “It will be an awesome challenge. That was the second tournament we booked, and then started to piece everything else together.”
The schedule
Saturday: Chaminade, New York (61-6)
Dec. 3: Council Rock North
Dec. 5: at Wyoming Seminary
Dec. 12-13: Walsh Jesuit Ironman (Ohio)
Dec. 20: Jonsey Classic Duals at West Chester Henderson
Jan. 2-3: Irvin S. Naylor Duals at McDonogh School (Maryland)
Jan. 9-10: Doc Buchanan Invitational at Clovis (California)
Jan. 17: St. Peter’s Prep, New Jersey, 5
Jan. 22: at Delbarton, New Jersey
Jan. 23-24: Coal Cracker Tournament at Lehighton
Jan. 31: District 1 Class 2A duals at Upper Dublin
Feb. 2: PIAA Class 2A team tournament (site TBA)
Feb. 5-7: PIAA Class 2A team tournament at War Memorial, Johnstown
Feb. 21: District 1 2A tournament at Faith Christian
Feb. 27-28: Southeast Regional 2A tournament at TBA
March 5-7: PIAA Wrestling Championships at Hershey’s Giant Center
