They were equal parts talent and toughness.

A determined group of athletes who withstood the rigors of a relentless wrestling season.

They embodied the resiliency and ability required to find success on and off the mat.

It’s a combination that produced milestone wins and memorable moments throughout the season.

The 13 wrestlers selected as First Team Times News All-Stars come from seven different schools.

Jim Thorpe and Northwestern each feature three wrestlers on the First Team.

Gabe Heaney, Caleb McDermott and Ridge Snyder are represented for the Olympians, while Dalton Clymer, Lucas Miller and Mason Brensinger were selected for the Tigers.

“As a first year head coach, I was thankful to have wrestlers of their caliber returning to the roster,” said Jim Thorpe’s Dan Heaney. “I am really proud of these guys; they work hard in the room and it shows in how they wrestle.

“Coming into the season, I thought all three of them could do well. Gabe and Caleb have been wrestling together since they were in early elementary school, so the fact that they all qualified and were able to compete together at regionals makes this season even more memorable.”

Lehighton and Palmerton each have two First Team representatives. Aidan Gruber and Lukas Ferguson were recognized for the Tribe, while Daniel Lucykanish and Dennis Lombardi were picked for the Blue Bombers.

Northern Lehigh, Pleasant Valley and Tamaqua each have one representative on the First Team.

Matt Frame was recognized for the Bulldogs, James Syracuse for the Bears and Gabe Erbe for the Blue Raiders.

Frame made a remarkable run to states after not wrestling last year and dealing with the transition from an extended football season.

“One thing that stood out to me was his commitment. If Matt decides to do something, he is committed 100% to whatever it is,” Northern Lehigh head coach Scott Snyder said of Frame. “He made an effort to pull some former teammates back in to the room by signing up and saying let’s go; there are more of you guys that have wrestled in the past and are walking the halls right now. Let’s add some depth to this lineup and make a team run this season. Unfortunately, we didn’t see most of those wrestlers. It was certainly a disappointment, but instead of packing it in, he remained committed and put together a great season. I can’t tell you how proud of him I am for all that he has done with his short time on the mat. The ESU football program is getting a good one.”

Syracuse showed his commitment and grit while coming back from knee surgery to produce the best season of his career, one that ended with Times News/Lehigh Valley Health Network Wrestler of the Year honors.

“I had been asking around. I asked the athletic director, I did some of my own research, and I saw some records, and records are always deceiving,” first-year Pleasant Valley coach Alex Depew said of Syracuse. “You don’t really know. I saw that he had some solid wins, but he was never beating any of the best guys. But I was told he had a lot of potential, and we just had to bring it out of him.

“The first time I met him, he was super polite and shook my hand with a big knee brace on. And I just thought, ‘Oh man, we’re going to have you for an even shorter time.’ We sat down and talked, and he was candid. He said he wasn’t really sure if he wanted to wrestle this year and that it wasn’t personal, but that he wanted to play baseball, and with a new coaching staff, he wasn’t sure. I explained the things I thought I could do for him, and he gave it a shot. It wasn’t a week into it ... I look at James Syracuse like a little brother. We wrestled every single day. He took in the new style of training, and he enjoyed it.”

That winning mentality was present with each of the wrestlers on this year’s First Team.

The 13 First Team selections from seven schools are listed below in alphabetical order, followed by the Second Team all stars.

FIRST TEAM

Mason Brensinger, Northwestern, Sr. (14-6)

• Despite a late start to the season, Brensinger was able to return for the always-tough Coal Cracker Tournament, where he finished seventh. Brensinger placed fourth at districts to qualify for regionals for the first time.

QUOTABLE

: “Mason is a true competitor. He goes out and wrestles hard and scrappy. It’s a lot of fun to watch. He joined the team a little late this season, but didn’t miss a beat. He is a really good athlete, and we will definitely miss him in the room, not just his wrestling, but his personality,” Northwestern coach Jim Moll.

Dalton Clymer, Northwestern, So. (24-12)

• A District 11 champion a year ago, Clymer was second at the Rough Rider Invitational, seventh at the Xcalibur Tournament and fifth at the Bethlehem Holiday Classic before eventually qualifying for states for the first time after placing sixth in his second trip to regionals. He was third at districts.

QUOTABLE

: “Dalton dealt with an injury all year. For him to be able to manage, and stick to, his treatment plan, and figure out ways to wrestle around the limitations it created was really important. It showed maturity. He’s one of those kids that knows how to flip the switch and go out and compete hard,” Northwestern coach Jim Moll.

Gabe Erbe, Tamaqua, So. (26-15)

• Erbe was second at the DKI Invitational, Jim Thorpe Christmas and Schuylkill League tournaments. Erbe was fourth at the district tournament to qualify for regionals for the second year in a row.

QUOTABLE:

“Gabe grew tremendously this year. He looked to wrestle tough kids at his weight or one above without complaining; sometimes asking to move up. In the blood round at districts, he beat Wilson’s Santino Micci (8-4), who beat him earlier in the year (4-2) and was aggressive and wasn’t afraid to score points. Gabe likes to learn; and he will continue to mature on the mat. His freshman year doesn’t really count for experience because of COVID, so this year was his true ‘first year,’” Tamaqua coach Jim McCabe.

Lukas Ferguson, Lehighton, Sr.(23-10)

• Ferguson was a runner-up at the Sam Lovello Classic. He was fifth at districts, and placed sixth at regionals last season.

QUOTABLE:

“Lukas had a great season for us this year. He has been a staple in our lineup over the past four years, and was one of our team leaders this season. Lukas led by example, especially in the weight room. Lukas had many accomplishments, including being a district runner-up, and a regional sixth-place winner last season, and a 20-win season with a fifth place at districts this year. Lukas left a positive mark on our program in his four years with us, and his positive attitude and leadership will be missed,” Lehighton coach Floyd Brown.

Matt Frame, Northern Lehigh, Sr. (20-10)

• After a year away from the sport and a late start during the Northern Lehigh football team’s deep postseason run in the fall, Frame debuted in January and quickly hit his stride, finishing seventh at the Coal Cracker Tournament. He went on to place third at districts for his first medal, fifth at regionals and qualify for states, winning a match.

QUOTABLE:

“Matt was a pleasure to work with in the room. It is easy to work with motivated athletes who set high goals for themselves. I know he struggled with weight management early in the season, and as a result, didn’t want to be at practice from time to time, but he was always there working his tail off. I feel that quality didn’t only benefit him, but the number of underclassmen in our program that got to see his journey, and how his attitude and work ethic carried him to the state tournament. Often, coaches speak on there senior athletes being hard to replace, and that certainly rings true for Matt,” Northern Lehigh coach Scott Snyder.

Aidan Gruber, Lehighton, So. (35-11)

• Gruber placed third at the Sam Lovello Classic and the Tony Iasiello Christmas City event, before a runner-up finish at the Schuylkill League Tournament. He was a district runner-up, placed fifth at regionals and qualified for states for the first time, where he won a match. He was third at districts as a freshman.

QUOTABLE

: “Aidan had an outstanding season this year. After just missing out on regionals the previous year as a freshman (losing in the district true second match), he bounced back with a solid season. He was district runner up, fifth at regionals, and a state qualifier. He won 35 matches this season and got a win at the state tournament, which is a great accomplishment. I have seen his confidence increase as the season progressed, and that should continue into next season. I believe getting the experience at states this year will motivate him to have a great offseason leading into next year. We are looking forward to big things from him in the future,” Lehighton coach Floyd Brown.

Gabe Heaney, Jim Thorpe, Sr. (31-8)

• In addition to collecting his 100th-career win this season, Heaney was first at the Jim Thorpe Christmas Tournament, second at the Schuylkill League Tournament and seventh at the Coal Cracker event. He placed fourth at districts and qualified for regionals for the first time. Heaney was third at districts last season.

QUOTABLE

: “After placing third at districts in 20-21 and not advancing to regionals due to COVID, Gabe came into the season pretty motivated. He had some career goals he hadn’t achieved yet, which I think kept him focused on working hard and improving. Gabe wrestled really well all season long, finishing with over 30 wins and ending his career tied for fourth all-time at 106. He also placed at districts for the second time and advanced to regionals,” Jim Thorpe coach Dan Heaney.

Dennis Lombardi, Palmerton, Sr. (29-9)

• Lombardi was fifth at the Carlisle Tournament, and second at the Governor Mifflin Holiday and Coal Cracker tournaments. He was sixth at districts.

QUOTABLE

: “It is a pleasure coaching these outstanding young men. They feed off of each other because they are workout partners. Dennis was a great leader for us the past few years. He is someone that always sets the right example for the younger wrestlers on the team. Dennis, we will for sure miss next year. These guys are the type of guys that make anyone they wrestle with better in practice, which is what you want,” Palmerton coach Justin Petersen.

Daniel Lucykanish, Palmerton, Jr. (17-5)

• Lucykanish placed at districts for the first time this season, finishing second to qualify for regionals.

QUOTABLE

: “It is a pleasure coaching these outstanding young men. They feed off of each other because they are workout partners. Dan has always had the talent, but just had a rough schedule the past two years, facing a lot of tough guys. He would be close with them, but now he definitely got over the hump this year. These guys are the type of guys that make anyone they wrestle with better in practice, which is what you want,” Palmerton coach Justin Petersen.

Caleb McDermott, Jim Thorpe, Sr. (19-6)

• McDermott was fifth at the Rough Rider Tournament and placed fourth at the Jim Thorpe Christmas Tournament. He was fourth at districts and qualified for regionals for the first time in his career.

QUOTABLE

: “Like Gabe, Caleb has been pretty successful throughout his career, but injuries have had him in and out of the lineup for much of the past two seasons. At one point we thought he may not be back in time for districts. Fortunately, he was and he made the most of his opportunity, placing fourth and qualifying for regionals,” Jim Thorpe coach Dan Heaney.

Lucas Miller, Northwestern, Jr. (27-16)

• Miller placed first at the Rough Rider Invitational, fifth at the Xcalibur Tournament and sixth at the Bethlehem Holiday Classic. Miller placed fourth at districts to qualify for regionals for the first time. He was sixth at regionals to punch his ticket to states.

QUOTABLE

: “Lucas may be the hardest worker in the room. He put in so much extra time after practices, before matches, etc. He truly leads by example with his work ethic, his attitude, and his sportsmanship,” Northwestern coach Jim Moll.

Ridge Snyder, Jim Thorpe, Jr. (28-14)

• Snyder was a runner-up at the Rough Rider and Schuylkill League Tournament, and placed eighth at the Jim Thorpe Christmas Tournament. He was third at districts and qualified for regionals for the first time.

QUOTABLE

: “This season Ridge really matured as a wrestler. He had a great attitude and came to practice every day with the mindset of getting better, and it paid off. In addition to placing third at districts, he finished the year with 28 wins and multiple tournament placings,” Jim Thorpe coach Dan Heaney.

James Syracuse, Pleasant Valley, Sr. (30-5)

• The Times News/Lehigh Valley Health Network Wrestler of the Year, Syracuse placed third at districts in Class 3A to qualify for regionals for the first time. He won the South Williamsport Mountaineer Tournament in early January, and posted 20 of his 30 victories by pinfall. He was pinned once and shutout once in matches this season. His two losses at the Class 3A Northeast Regional Tournament - where his season came to an end - were against wrestlers with a combined record of 64-11 and by a combined eight points. Syracuse will study mechanical engineering at Penn State University.

QUOTABLE

: “Once he started believing what he could do, I talked to him and told him anything that happened in the past, forget about, because you’re a different wrestler this year. I told him I didn’t care if a kid beat him last year, I didn’t care if he had ever beaten a kid. He just continued to improve, he continued to be coachable and buy in, to the point where, he didn’t want to leave the room. He wanted to stay a little longer and keep rolling, and keep grinding,” Pleasant Valley coach Alex Depew.

SECOND TEAM

Aiden Schlier, Tamaqua, Fr.; Jacob Hall, Lehighton, So.; Jacob Ferguson, Lehighton, Fr.; Michael Steigerwalt, Tamaqua, Sr.; Cole Eberts, Tamaqua, Sr.; Nathan Peters, Northwestern, Sr.; Noah Schlofer, Northwestern, So.; Ricky Houser, Lehighton, Sr.; Cameron Tinajero, Jim Thorpe, Sr.; Derek King, Palmerton, Fr.; Jared Newhall, Jim Thorpe, Sr.; James Barruzza, Pleasant Valley, Jr.; Sam Frame, Northern Lehigh, So.