When his team steps onto the mat at practice, Jim Thorpe wrestling coach Shawn Albert reminds them of the one universal truth he wants them to remember.

“At whatever level of skill you are at, you’ll never stay the same. You’ll either get better or you’ll get worse,” is the point that Albert stresses.

Albert explained that wrestling is a unique sport, so team wins and losses do not tell the full story of the quality of a program. From last year’s one-win team, Thorpe boasted three of the best senior wrestlers in the Schuylkill League in Cameron Condly, Steven Counterman and Ryan O’Rourke.

This year’s team features marquee wrestlers as well.

In the 113-weight class, senior captain John Newhall needs 27 wins to enter the Jim Thorpe 100-win club, a milestone that has been reached by only 10 wrestlers in the school’s history.

“John has been wrestling since he was five years old,” said Albert, who added Newhall is good on his feet and has pinned many opponents. “Last year, he was one win away from the regionals and we expect him to go far again after the regular season.”

Two juniors return following outstanding sophomore seasons. At 182, captain Austin Williams, who comes off the football field as a linebacker, is a master of the double-leg takedown technique. At 195, captain Ethan Mourdant was one win away last year from being a state qualifier.

“Ethan was also a two-way starter in football. He’s a big-time weight room guy getting stronger and stronger, and has set his target on getting to the state tournament.”

Albert calls captain Will Schwartz (106 pounds) his most committed team member. Only a sophomore, Schwartz has attended several camps and clinics.

“If Will gets into the third period, he usually wins because he has great endurance,” said Albert.

The remainder of the roster is filled with a lot of inexperience, but Albert explained that wrestling programs are often about keeping adequate numbers up so that the more accomplished wrestlers like Newhall, Mourdant, Williams and Schwartz have opportunities to qualify for districts and beyond.

“Eight years ago, our wrestling program was nearly eliminated because of low numbers from the elementary schools all the way up to the high school,” said Albert. “Now, we have 60 kids enrolled in our young wrestlers program.”

Maintaining level numbers sustains the program and the athletes to develop their skills so they can perform successfully in varsity competition.

Albert’s program staff of Terry Levan, Pat Crowley, Joe Oliver, and Blake Yurchak have consistently taken raw talent and molded it into successful wrestlers. This season, Jim Thorpe will compete in five tournaments and host a Christmas tournament that will showcase 20 teams from all over the state.

“Tournaments give each of our kids an opportunity to wrestle as many as five matches a day,” said Albert. “The more we wrestle, the better we expect to be.”