Hunter Hopstetter went to Bangor wrestling coach Richie Smith after last season to make his intentions clear for this year.
“He said, ‘Coach, I’m wrestling heavyweight next year,’” Smith recalled. “I said that we’re going to have to kill some cows and get you eating in the offseason to get big. He’s embraced the challenge.”
Hopstetter is doing well so far. The junior who weighed in for Tuesday’s Colonial League match against Wilson at 194 pounds, picked up a first-period pin to improve to 12-3 this season. That’s five more wins than he had all of last year competing at 172 pounds.
“It’s been a lot of fun,” Hopstetter said. “I’m working hard in the room, learning a lot, pushing myself to be more athletic, stay out of the bottom. Yeah, it’s been a blast.”
Fellow junior Jaxson Kreider also is up a couple weight classes for the Slaters after missing last season following shoulder surgery. The 189-pounder said he had no hesitation about returning to the sport despite the grueling demand on his body.
“There are definitely easier things I could be doing,” he said, “but I feel as a competitor you want to push yourself and do the things that are difficult to do. Not wrestling last year deepened my want and need to get back out here.”
Kreider improved to 12-4 this season with a 17-1 technical fall over Wilson’s Ryan Bonham in what became a 60-10 Bangor victory.
The Slater, who won 18 matches two seasons ago as a freshman, knows there is a lot of work left to do before the postseason rolls around. But he is happy to back getting after it with his teammates.
The soreness from the pounding in the practice room and in competition is a reminder of all that he missed.
“If you’re going to be in a sport like this where anything is possible,” Kreider said, “there’s no reason to hesitate. If you’re going to, there’s no reason to even go out.”
Kreider grew up in a family that’s built on competition, whether it’s checkers or wrestling. His passion for sports such as wrestler and baseball is surpassed only by the hatred of losing. That has helped the junior push himself to get better on the mat, push beyond his limits.
So far, so good for him and Hopstetter, who won only seven matches last season as a sophomore but has gained confidence on the mat after a solid football season in which he was the Slaters’ leading tackler as a linebacker.
Hopstetter is gaining knowledge and mat awareness each time he rolls around in practice with close friend and upper weight Daniel Zheng and in competition.
“He’s finally learning the art of moving like a lighter guy against heavier guys, getting them off their center,” Smith said. “He’s fun to watch now. He’s opening up his inventory of moves, things he’s willing to try, and they’re working.
“He can still hit those moves against smaller heavyweights, the Fireman’s [carry] and dumps, and he’s learning how to wrestle the heavier heavyweights.. He’s asking a lot of questions in the room. We’re going over a lot of stuff with him. He’s embracing it.”
Hopstetter’s three losses this season are to much bigger 285-pounders: Stroudsburg’s Alex Ball, Freedom’s Daniel Schiffert and Salisbury’s Sam Krauss. He’ll be tested in the coming month, starting Thursday against Notre Dame-Green Pond’s Noah Knorp followed by trips to Trojan Wars in Chambersburg and Parkland’s Winter Duals ahead of a Jan. 7 dual meet against Slate Belt rival Pen Argyl.
“I love the challenge,” Hopstetter said. “I have great teammates and great leaders in Carter [Smith] and Kody [Ward]. We’re all learning together. We’re pushing each other to get better. It’s really a lot of fun.”
Kreider, too, is learning what works for him at 189 which he said is much different than at 152 and 160, where he was a a freshman.
“I’m definitely not where I need to be,” he said. “There’s a lot of work to be done in the room, and I have the coaches who are going to help me get there.
“There are some things I need to get better at and just staying consistent and disciplined every single day. [Opponents’] strength is a big difference, but the sport is the same.”
Up next
Bangor (8-5) hosts Notre Dame-Green Pond on Thursday. Wilson (3-6) is off until the Bethlehem Holiday Wrestling Classic on Sunday and Monday, Dec. 28-29.
Bangor 60, Wilson 10
107: Tyler Mintz (B) by forfeit
114: Isaac Dean (B) by forfeit
121: Christ M’Balla (W) tech. fall Christian Matlock, 21-6, 5:23
127: Mason Steele (B) pinned Vinnie Viscomi, 3:26
133: Jack Lambert (B) by forfeit
139: Jamison Burns (B) tech. fall Garrick Kuder, 21-4, 4:14
145: Carter Smith (B) dec. Justin Hetrick, 5-1
152: Connor Millen (W) tech. fall Dominick Tedesco, 20-4, 6:00
160: Cole Smith (B) tech. fall Jonathan Joseph, 18-2, 5:34
172: Anthony Wheelock (B) pinned Max Vinson, 2:35
189: Jaxson Kreider (B) tech. fall Ryan Bonham, 17-1, 3:22
215: Michael Rocco (B) pinned Naji Pendola, 0:53
285: Hunter Hopstetter (B) pinned Jordan Toledo, 1:53
Referee: Greg Geiger
Senior writer Tom Housenick can be reached at thousenick@mcall.com
