Nate Wickersham’s wrestling ability is easy to see.

The Tamaqua senior has the size, strength and speed to dominate on the mat, and he’s done so to great effect during his career.

Wickersham has placed third at districts and fifth at regionals in each of the past two seasons, and finished his second straight trip to Hershey with an eighth-place finish at 182 pounds in Class 2A for his first state medal.

The latest in a long line of accomplishments came last week, when Wickersham recorded the 100th win of his career during the Blue Raiders’ doubleheader against Blue Mountain on Wednesday.

While the physical tools are undeniable, it’s the will to win that has been the foundation for Wickersham’s success.

“He doesn’t have the fear of failure,” said Tamaqua head coach Jim McCabe. “He’s not afraid to go out and wrestle better kids.”

This season, Wickersham has compiled a 10-0 record.

One of his most impressive wins was an 8-3 decision over Faith Christian Academy’s Leo Muzika on Jan. 21. Muzika was a District 1 champion, placed fifth at regionals and qualified for states last season.

Though his milestone victory came via a forfeit, Wickersham also posted a 3-2 decision over the Eagles’ Logan Holland earlier that night at 215 pounds to earn his 99th career win. Holland was a state qualifier a year ago.

Finding ways to come through in tight matches fueled Wickersham’s rise.

“Freshman year, I wrestled all right; not to the best of my ability in some matches, I believe,” said Wickersham, who did not place at districts as a freshman. “After that, I really put it to myself that I was going to go after making it to states and getting on the podium.”

Wickersham was pinned by Ethan Finch (Sheffield) in 5:13 in sudden victory overtime in his 170-pound consolation match at states his sophomore year, a loss that brought his tournament to a close on Day 1.

He flipped the script in similar situations last year.

After losing his opening bout, Wickersham survived three tough consolation matches to secure his spot on the podium. He 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.

“Getting there my sophomore year was a great experience, but I knew I could have done better,” said Wickersham. “After that, I made the promise to myself that there was no stopping me from getting better, and that I was going to go do it next year.”

And he did, which came as little surprise to McCabe.

“What it comes down to is, and the sooner kids can realize this, is that it really doesn’t matter if it’s a win or a loss,” the coach said. “It’s how you react to the win or the loss that really determines your true character and how you’re going to be as a wrestler in your career. He’s never shied away from the tough matches.

“The big difference last year was when he learned how to win the big matches by a point instead of losing the big matches by a point. In the long run, in 100 wins, no one remembers if you pinned a kid, or if you got a forfeit, or if you won by a point. People just know that when he went out there, he was a winner. And that’s probably the biggest thing about Nate, is that he knows how to win.”

Win or lose, Wickersham will always push forward. Because he knows each match is a learning experience, and an opportunity to get better.

“Coach will always encourage us when we’re trying to go out and do something on the mat, no matter what happens,” said Wickersham. “During my freshman and sophomore year, I was kind of iffy about that. I was really watching what I was doing during my matches, just trying to hold on in close matches, or just trying to score points right at the end of periods.

“But last year and this year, I’ve just been able to let loose during my matches and just wrestle my own style, working for points all the time. It’s definitely helped, and just freeing my mindset before matches, just with all the nerves going out on the mat, and thinking you can compete with anybody always helps to go out and wrestle hard.”