For the first time since 2009 and the second time since 2006, Jim Thorpe will host this weekend's Schuylkill League Wrestling Championships.

The annual tournament is set to begin at 5:00 p.m. on Friday night at the high school gymnasium with preliminary bouts. Quarterfinal and consolation matches will follow later in the evening, with the semis and finals scheduled for Saturday afternoon.The event will feature 14 teams from throughout the Schuylkill League, including wrestlers from Panther Valley and Tamaqua.For Jim Thorpe head coach Shawn Albert, the opportunity to host the event couldn't have come at a better time."As a program, we are excited to bring the Schuylkill League Tournament to Jim Thorpe High School," said Albert, now in his fourth season as the Olympians' coach. "Our school as a whole - the school board, administration, staff, parents and wrestlers - really does a great job, collectively, to provide for our programs. I appreciate that our athletic director, principal, superintendent, and school board trust us, and allow us to host events like this."I've coached at other schools and, obviously, travel to others and I truly believe we have some of the best facilities out there. Our gymnasium is great for a tournament like this. The packed bleachers will give all the wrestlers and coaches that feeling of adrenaline running and the added excitement after a big win."It's the unwavering support of those involved with the program that have Albert eager to host the tournament for the first time as Jim Thorpe's head coach."Our parents are putting together a great concession stand for Friday night and all day Saturday," the coach said. "We have a fully catered hospitality room for all coaches, officials and tournament personnel. There will also be shirts, singlets, headgear and other wrestling apparel for sale with a percentage being given back to our program. In addition, we have had a nice response from local businesses supporting our tournament program through donations to have their ads printed."While the support from the community is key for an event of this magnitude, Albert also knows it wouldn't be possible without the assistance of those from other schools throughout the Schuylkill League."Harry Meyers, athletic director at Blue Mountain and Schuylkill League Chairperson, does an awesome job running the logistics behind this tournament," Albert said. "Over the years, Harry has worked closely with Tim Sweizak, our tournament director, to eliminate many headaches for the head coach and athletic director of the host school."Jim Thorpe athletic director Dustin McAndrew also had high praise for the work done by Meyers and Sweizak, along with Albert, to make the event run efficiently."This tournament would be impossible without everyone helping the way they do," McAndrew said. "Shawn has done a lot of the prep work and paperwork for this. He has taken a very hands-on approach, which is so critical for the event to run smoothly."McAndrew also admitted that advances in the equipment used to manage the tournament would help simplify the weekend's activities."The technology has changed quite a bit since the last time we hosted the event," he said. "The set-up (of how the tournament's run) is very different now, and that should help to simplify everything."And once the logistics are sorted out, Albert can focus on what the event is really about - wrestling."I'm excited for this tournament," he said. "All the coaches in our league look forward to seeing how their wrestlers match up against quality opponents. This is a great measuring tool to see where each wrestler is leading into the post-season."*****CORRECTION…In last week's column, Pleasant Valley's Kenny Yanovich was listed as the only returning qualifier from last year's PIAA Championships, which was incorrect. Palmerton's Zachary Graver also went to Hershey last season as a sophomore and compiled a 31-9 record a year ago.*****DUAL DOMINANCE…Lehighton had a strong showing at its Indian Duals this past Saturday, going 4-1 as a team. Individually, Zach Kemmerer, Ezra Neff and Tyler Cann, who went 5-0, led the Indians. Connor Frey, Dominik Mystkowski and Josh Gornick went 4-1.*****SUSQUEHANNOCK SUCCESS …Tamaqua finished in fourth place at this past Saturday's Susquehannock Warrior Invitational Wrestling Tournament at Susquehannock high school. The Raiders also had quite a bit of individual success, with Colin Mashack (126) and Dylan Rynkiewicz (132) each winning their respective weight classes. Tanner McHugh (113), Malik Roper (145), Chance Szabo (160) and Colin Moyer (195) each taking third place, while Kyle Oliphant (182) took fourth place.