With Riyell Wann watching and waiting, Panther Valley wrestling head coach Kris Nalesnik peers out over the mats spread across the gymnasium floor at Jim Thorpe’s Christmas Tournament.

Nalesnik, along with assistant Casey Hedash, are analyzing what they see, as Wann studies what is unfolding in front of him before his fifth-place match at the recent two-day event.

It’s a new experience for the freshman.

And, in many ways, his coaches.

Wann is eager to make the most of his opportunity with the Panthers, a program he’s only spent a matter of days with before finding himself in the fifth-place match at the tournament.

It’s also a fresh start for Panther Valley, which has been without a wrestling team since the 2019-20 season.

“There’s nothing I love more than teaching these kids, not just about wrestling, but about what wrestling does for you as a person,” Nalesnik said. “When we get ready for a match, it’s just like anything else in life, you have to prepare, you have to be ready, you have to know what you’re doing, you have to plan out where you’re going to go with it.

“There’s something to be said for having that drive and determination instilled in you, and we try our best as coaches to get that in all of our wrestlers. The nice thing about our wrestlers is that they’re receptive, they listen, they do what we ask of them. There’s no better feeling for me as a coach then to watch somebody go out there, do something we taught them how to do, and to see them actually execute and have success with it.”

There have been many teaching moments and learning experiences for the Panthers, and there will be several more as the season continues.

“It’s been a challenge,” said Hedash. “I’ve only been in a position coaching at the college level, and then the high school level, and then coming back and having essentially 35 first-year kids, we started assuming little things.”

The challenges of having over 30 wrestlers finding their way in the sport have been met with open arms.

“It’s been really good,” said Wann, who came to Panther Valley from the Dieruff High School. “I appreciate everybody for helping me to feel welcome and comfortable. I just moved here about four weeks ago and just started wrestling. This is my first varsity tournament.

“I wrestled in a lot of youth tournaments and would place there. I just want to keep trying to do the same thing here.”

Wann, who had two practices prior to the tournament, posted two pins and a pair of decision victories in the tournament at 160 pounds. His three losses came by a combined six points.

In his fifth-place match, Wann fell 3-0 to Tamaqua’s Bradley Whalen, who also topped Wann 3-2 in the quarterfinals.

“On either side of that 3-2 match, both kids got a really good life lesson,” said Nalesnik. “And that’s the important part about it. That’s what I love about it.”

It’s a message that both Nalesnik and Hedash received under Todd Herzog at Northern Lehigh. And one they strive to bring back to a Panther Valley program with a rich wrestling tradition.

“Wrestling for Coach Herzog instilled in me a different level of discipline and drive that I strive to have in my coaching career,” said Nalesnik. “I push these kids to reach the best possible versions of themselves that they can be. I am trying to make these kids win, not just on the mat, but in life.”

Nalesnik wrestled under Herzog in 2003 and 2004, while Hedash competed for the Bulldogs in 2006-08.

“I had the opportunity to wrestle in the team state finals, to wrestle out at states twice and get my 100 wins,” said Hedash, who was away from coaching the sport at the high school level for two years while working on the Army Base at Fort Drum in northern New York. “And we want to change the norm and the expectations of the program (at Panther Valley).”

“And the nice thing is, we have a lot of kids who have those exact same values,” added Nalesnik. “They want that to happen too. They’re willing to work and put in that effort to make it happen.”

From where they sit, that can make the losses even tougher for both Nalesnik and Hedash.

“That’s the part that hurts the most for us. We’re out there and we’re wrestling these matches with those kids,” said Hedash. “As much as we say that we don’t, I’m there sweating in the corner; if I could get out there and do it for them, I would. That’s where the frustration lies, because they want it so bad, but we’re behind the eight-ball. We’re trying to catch up as fast as we can.”

One wrestler trying to make up for lost time is junior Justin Kuehn.

“I’m really grateful,” said Kuehn. “It’s been three years since I wrestled. It’s been really hard adjusting, but these guys have had my back, and it’s just been great to work with everyone.”

Kuehn, a student at Carbon Career & Technical Institute, had interests in other sports, but couldn’t find anything quite like wrestling.

“Wrestling’s always been my No. 1 (sport), and I could just never really get into anything else,” said Kuehn. “When I was a kid, I played flag football, but wrestling was always my favorite thing. It’s just great.”

The connection Kuehn makes with wrestling is the same one that draws so many to the sport, one that creates a kinship among teammates, provides structure and discipline, and builds a confidence on and off the mat, something Nalesnik and Hedash, both teachers in the district, can already see – on and off the mat.

“They’ve been receptive to everything, and to see the way that they’re walking around the school, with the Panther Valley wrestling hoodie on, they’re walking with their chest back a little bit, and they’re getting some confidence in themselves as young men and women,” said Hedash. “That is the most rewarding part. We went down to the first tournament at Brandywine, and we had the staff there at the tournament thank us for all of our kids cleaning up their stuff in the bleachers and being so respectful. It’s teaching life skills.”

It’s a sense of pride and purpose within the program, which also has a co-op with Marian this season. A partnership that benefits both schools, and is another opportunity for student athletes from both schools to create connections.

“I can’t tell you how many times I’ve seen our kids talking to kids from other schools who they never met before, and without wrestling, would have never had that opportunity to have these conversations,” said Nalesnik. “And wrestling allows them to make friends with people from hours away, who they’ll still stay in contact with in the future.”

Those bonds between programs and among wrestlers will ultimately raise the level of performance and enhance the camaraderie for all involved.

“It comes down to iron sharpening iron, and that’s our goal as we move forward,” said Hedash. “Because we get that we have certain weight classes where we have some tough kids, but we need to reach out to the Lehightons, to the Jim Thorpes, to the Tamaquas in the offseason as we move forward, because that’s where we’re truly going to grow. Our kids are hungry; they’re constantly asking what they can do, but there are only so many hours in a day of practice , and there’s a progression to it, too.”

It’s an evolution that is already underway.

“I wasn’t really as into wrestling as I used to be growing up. But now that I’m back into it, I really feel that love for it again,” said Wann. “I just really enjoy being with my teammates and coaches, and being able to wrestle, and have them with me. They help me and push me. I’ve only been here for a few practices, and I already feel a connection.”

One that can be seen before, during and after matches. And one that will last long after the final whistle blows.

“My goal has always been to get these kids the opportunity to wrestle,” said Nalesnik. “Wrestling has meant so much to me in my life that it just didn’t feel right that these kids didn’t have that same opportunity for the past three years. The school board was all about it; they wanted to keep wrestling, but they just didn’t have the interest at the time. As soon as these kids said, ‘Hey, I want to wrestle.’ To me, it was about making it happen, we have to get wrestling back.

“I’ve had nothing but support from the school board, there has been zero push back. The board, the administration, the other teachers, they have done so much to help me make this program happen, and now we are going to reward that by turning these wrestlers into productive citizens to help the district improve to where it should be.”

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30-SOMETHING … Panther Valley’s Maddison Maynard has been the most explosive scorer in the area this basketball season. Maynard has already had three games of 30 or more points in the Panthers’ first nine games. Maynard started the season with a 34-point explosion in PV’s opener at Northern Lehigh. She has since added a 31-point performance against Schuylkill Haven and a 30-point outing against Jim Thorpe.

No other girl in the area has had even one 30-point game this season, while only one boy - Panther Valley’s Steven Hood - has scored at least 30 points in a game. Hood had a 31-point performance against Pine Grove on Dec. 12.

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DOUBLE-DIGIT SCORERS … Only three Times News area players finished the calendar year scoring double-digit points in each of their team’s games.

Panther Valley’s Maddison Maynard scored 10 of more points in all nine of the Panthers’ contests, while Bethie Morgan also accomplished that feat in Palmerton’s first nine games.

Among boys players, the Blue Bombers’ Brayden Hosier is the only one to tally at least 10 points in all of his team’s games. The Palmerton boys have played 10 games thus far.

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A PERFECT 10 ... The Palmerton boys have opened the season winning its first 10 games.

Since the 1990-91 season, the Blue Bombers are just one of five area boys teams to start the year with at least 10 straight victories.

The longest streaks since that time are:

- 15 games by Northern Lehigh in 2006-07

- 13 games by Marian in 1996-97

- 11 games by Marian in 2019-20

- 10 games by Northwestern in 1997-98

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FREE THROW KING ... Lehighton freshman Cole Dietz has become known as one of the area’s top three-point shooters, but on Dec. 12 he accomplished a rare feat from a different line.

Dietz made 15-of-17 free throws against Jim Thorpe during a 57-46 victory.

The 15 free throws made are the most by an Indians player since March 5, 1991 when Joe Gower was 16-of-18 at the foul line during a district playoff game against Blue Mountain. Earlier during that season, Gower made 18 free throws in a contest - also against Blue Mountain.

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TOURNAMENT TIME ... All eight Times News area wrestling teams will be in tournament action this weekend. Three area squads – Jim Thorpe, Panther Valley and host Lehighton – will take part in the Indian Duals on Saturday. Northern Lehigh will be in action at Pottsville’s Mats on the Mecca; Northwestern will compete in the Parkland Duals; Palmeton will participate in the Line Mountain Duals; Pleasant Valley will travel to the South Williamsport Tournament; and Tamaqua will head to the Hamburg Hawk Duals. Be sure to check out Monday’s Times News for coverage of all the action from these events and more. The TN Wrestling Report will debut next week, with highlights from all the action around the area so far this season, as well as the first set of rankings.