Bronson Strouse left Hershey a day earlier than he was hoping for a year ago.

He watched Nate Wickersham depart the Giant Center about 24 hours prior.

The early exits were hardly what either Tamaqua wrestler wanted from the PIAA Championships.

But the path to get better was clear.

“I just have to get bigger and stronger, and put in the work during the offseason,” Strouse said at the time.

Blue Raiders’ head coach Jim McCabe was happy to lay the foundation.

“We’ll look to mature over the summer in different aspects of wrestling,” McCabe said after the pair were eliminated from last year’s state tournament. “Not only him, but everybody, and work to get back here and progress and place.

“The more you get to wrestle, the more experience you get. Our goal is just to survive that round (consolation) so you can get another match. And as you survive the round, and continue to wrestle, you learn just a little bit more toward overall improvement. That’s what our goal is to try and hopefully do.”

Both Strouse and Wickersham were on the wrong end of close losses last season. Strouse lost 3-1 in sudden victory overtime to Boiling Springs’ Damon James in the second round of consolations at 285 pounds, a defeat that ended his tournament on the second day.

Wickersham was pinned by Ethan Finch (Sheffield) in 5:13 in sudden victory overtime in his 170-pound consolation match, a loss that brought his tournament to a close on Day 1. The match was tied at 4-4 before the start of the extra period.

The pair flipped the script in similar situations this year to make it to Saturday.

Wickersham survived three brutal consolation matches to secure his spot on the podium. The junior started his run with a 6-5 win over Kane’s Cameron Whisner before topping Ian Eckenrode 10-9.

A 5-3 decision in sudden victory overtime over Bishop McDevitt’s Riley Robell, who pinned him a week earlier at regionals, put him on the medal stand.

Strouse decked Tussey Mountain’s Matt Watkins in 0:28 to move into the quarters. The senior edged Northeast Bradford’s Dawson Brown 3-2 in the ultimate tiebreaker period of overtime to reach the semis.

So when Strouse closed out his career with a sixth-place finish and Wickersham wrapped up his junior year with an eighth-place medal, it marked continued progress for both wrestlers – and the program, which saw two wrestlers medal at states for the first time since Matt Benza (AA, 125, fifth) and Andy Breiner (AA, 152, third) in 2000. The pair also earned the school’s first state medals since Tanner McHugh (AA, 132, sixth) in 2017.

“It means a lot, especially with Wickersham placing as a junior,” said Strouse.

“It’s a big step forward,” added McCabe. “Three years ago. we got Bronson here by himself, and we had two kids out of districts. Last year, we had three kids out of districts and (sent) two kids to states. This year, we got four kids out of districts and we brought two to states, but they’re both medaling. And that shows the improvement this year.

“It comes down to the seriousness of every individual on our team to wholeheartedly look at it as a full-time job. And we’re talking about the way we eat, the way we exercise, the decisions we make on and off the mat. And that’s where things could really blossom.”

Strouse has flourished under McCabe, who returned to the program before the start of the 2017-18 season after leading the team from 2000-01-2011-12. Strouse is a two-time district champion, won his first regional title this year and collected his first state medal. He also earned his second Schuylkill League title this season after winning his first as a sophomore.

Wickersham has placed third at districts and fifth at regionals in each of the past two seasons.

The trickle-down effect has been seen throughout the program, even if it doesn’t always show up in the results.

“I’d probably give the biggest shoutout to Reese Szabo,” said Wickersham. “He’s been my best friend for the last couple years, and he’s been hurt the last two years, but he’s still been putting in the work even though he’s hurt. He continues to push me everyday, telling me that I need to get better ... so I’d really give it out to him.

“A couple of my other classmates – Aaron Coccio, Randy Steigerwalt – they could all be out here next year most certainly. And some of the other guys, Carson Krell, he could definitely make it out here. So hopefully they’ll be out here next year.”

Tamaqua was fourth in the team standings at both the District 11 Class 2A individual and Schuylkil League tournaments this season. The Blue Raiders also qualified for the District 11 Class 2A Team Tournament for the third straight year under McCabe.

Coccio made his second straight trip to the Southeast Regional Tournament this season. Krell, another junior, has placed fifth at districts the last two years, just missing a trip to regionals.

Senior Caleb Sell made his first trip to regionals this year.

“It comes down to what happens in the offseason, putting the hours in, and that’s what we have to focus on,” said McCabe. “It’s great for kids to have success and cause that excitement. But everybody else still needs to get into the room all summer long. And that’s the key.”

Strouse’s departure will leave a void that figures to be hard to fill. But his success has shown the underclassmen what’s possible.

“You just have to keep working hard in the wrestling room, and improvement will show in the long run,” he said.

Strouse has set the bar high for those who come after him. But he’s also shown what it takes to get there.

And that it can be done.

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BROTHERLY LOVE

... Northern Lehigh junior Josh Schaffer made his first trip to the state tournament this season. Josh joins brother Jason, who also qualified in 2017. The junior was second at districts and fourth at regionals this season.

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AND THE STREAK GOES ON

... Tamaqua has had at least one state qualifier in each of the past seven seasons, the longest active streak among area teams. The Blue Raiders’ state qualifiers during that stretch include: 2014 - Colin Mashack (AA, 126); 2015 - Dylan Rynkiewicz (AA, 132); 2016 - Tanner McHugh (AA, 126, eighth); 2017 - Tanner McHugh (AA, 132, sixth); 2018 - Bronson Strouse (AA, 220); 2019 - Nate Wickersham (AA, 170); Bronson Strouse (AA, 285); and 2020 - Nate Wickersham (AA, 182, eighth); Bronson Strouse (AA, 285, sixth).

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A FIRST

... With his sixth-place finish at 285 pounds, Strouse became the first Tamaqua wrestler to earn a state medal wrestling in the heavyweight division. Tamaqua’s other state medalists include: 1985 - Garth Lakitsky (AA, 167, third); 1986 - Garth Lakitsky (AA, 167, fourth); 1999 - Matt Benza (AA, 119, eighth), Andy Breiner (AA, 145, second); 2000 - Matt Benza (AA, 125, fifth), Andy Breiner (AA, 152, third); 2001 - Matt Benza (AA, 125, second); 2006 - Andy Snyder (AA, 140, eighth); 2010 - Garth Lakitsky (AA, 189, fourth); 2011 - Garth Lakitsky (AA, 215, first); 2012 - Colin Mashack (AA, 106, sixth); 2016 - Tanner McHugh (AA, 126, eighth); and 2017 - Tanner McHugh (AA, 132, sixth).