Over the past three years, Quakertown’s Calvin Lachman admittedly had his share of tense moments on the mat.
This season, Lachman has taken a different approach with help from coaching staff and teammates.
The heavyweight entered this week with a 7-1 record and a third-place finish in the prestigious Delaware-based Beast of the East Tournament. He also has been regarded as one of the top three wrestlers in his weight bracket (285) throughout the greater Philadelphia suburban area.
“This past weekend, I really felt confident about my wrestling,” said Lachman, a Lehigh University commit. “I have such a great support system with my coaches, peers and future coaches at Lehigh.
“Wrestling has become stress free and completely enjoyable. I’m grateful for any chance I get to compete and this past weekend represented that perfectly. I won some big matches and lost a fun one to (Nazareth’s and defending state champion) Sean Kinney (5-3 score).”
Aside from Quakertown, Faith Christian continued its assault as one of the nation’s premier programs, as the Lions finished second in the 161-team field composed of teams from across the country. Faith freshman 106-pounder Joe Bachmann (13-0) captured the top spot in his field. Sophomore Adam Waters (13-3) was second at 175, and junior Chase Hontz (11-4) placed third at 150. Sophomores Kole Davidheiser (113 pounds, 5-7), Mark Effendian (285, 11-6) and freshman Nick Singer (165, 9-7) all finished sixth, and sophomore Jason Singer (215, 11-5) and junior Max Stein (157, 9-5) finished seventh in their respective weight classes.
Bachmann viewed the tournament as a read on his progress.
“It was fun and a very cool experience,” he said, “There was good competition, and I saw where my wrestling was.”
The tournament was “such an amazing accomplishment for the guys,” said Lions coach Ben Clymer. “Eight placers led by Joe Bachmann’s title is simply amazing.
“They battled another long weekend in the gym and cutting weight that can really take a toll on them. But they continued to compete at a high level and helped their team to a second-place finish. One better than what they were able to accomplish last year.”
Quakertown followed Faith Christian with a 12th-place finish. There are plenty of signs indicating another banner year for the Panthers, but the club makeup will have a different look. Lachman, though, will play his part and believes he has a sound approach moving forward into the thick of the season.
“I have a great mindset moving forward, as I really think anyone in the country is beatable at this point,” added Lachman, who was 41-7 last season and a state qualifier. “I’m looking forward to a big season, as this is my last go-around in high school.
“I’m hoping to do some big things.”
Quakertown head coach Kurt Handel will look to the core of Lachman, senior and defending state champion Collin Gaj (150, 6–1), senior Mason Ziegler (120, 7-2) and junior Gavin Carroll (144, 5-2) to help anchor a squad with plenty of potential from their underclassmen.
Gaj was the runner-up in the tournament, and Ziegler placed seventh. Carroll made it deep into the consolation rounds.
The foursome will guide the likes of freshmen Gunner Jozefowski (106), Julian Moonlight (113), David Clayton (175) and senior Keondre Lopez (215) – who is wrestling for the first time – all of whom have struggled in the early going.
“Calvin, Collin, Mason and Gavin all should have big years for us,” noted Handel. “We could have three of four freshmen in the lineup at any time. However, we truly believe we can be a good team down the road.
“Our younger guys are already starting to jell. They know how to wrestle, but they just need to get some experience.”We have a good mix of kids right now, and we are pretty confident that we will be able to put it all together.”
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