BETHLEHEM - Less than a month after winning a district dual title, Northern Lehigh proved to once again be the class of the field during Saturday's District 11 Class AA Individual Wrestling Championships.

The Bulldogs left Freedom High School with three individual champions a year after not having any wrestler finish above fifth place."It's a testament to their hard work," said Northern Lehigh head coach Steve Hluschak, who was also named District 11 AA Coach of the Year. "Some of these guys went from fifth to first, and that just doesn't happen overnight."They deserve it. They've put the time in and I'm so happy for them that they've achieved this success and that the hard work has paid off."Colten Rex (113), Matt Schmall (132) and Ryan Farber (145), who all took fifth a year ago, won titles for the Bulldogs. Northern Lehigh had a total of seven wrestlers place in the top three to easily advance to this weekend's Southeast Regional Tournament at Wilson West Lawn High School.Those results also helped Northern Lehigh win the team title with a total of 167 points ahead of Tri Valley, which took second with 154.5 points.The Bulldogs led what was a historically successful day for Times News area wrestlers.A total of 31 placed in the top-six, with 28 finishing in the top-five to advance to the SE Regional Tournament, where Jim Thorpe, Lehighton, Northern Lehigh, Northwestern, Palmerton, Panther Valley and Tamaqua will all be represented.To put that in perspective, 10 AA wrestlers advanced to the regional tournament last season when only the top-four from districts moved on.In addition to Rex, Schmall and Farber, Jim Thorpe's Kevan Gentile (106), Northwestern's Caleb Clymer (138) and Lehighton's Connor Frey (182) all won titles.Rex, who was the third seed at 113 pounds, knocked of second-seeded Mason Edwards of North Schuylkill by a 4-2 decision in the semis, and then triumphed over top seed Willy Girard of Williams Valley, 6-4, in overtime of the finals."I never thought I would be a district champion," said Rex. "But I was able to work hard, and it just came to me. It's a great feeling."The result was one Hluschak couldn't have been more proud of."He had a phenomenal tournament. I'm so happy for him," the coach said. "All year long, we've been talking about how good he could be if he stays on his offense, and he did that throughout this tournament."It's no secret - if he takes shots and is aggressive on his feet, the sky's the limit and he can beat anybody."Schmall and Farber, both No. 2 seeds in their brackets, won close matches in their respective finals, with both knocking off the top seed in the process. Schmall dispatched Jason Jones of Saucon Valley, 5-2, while Farber held off Tri Valley's Chase Schaeffer, 3-1.Despite not being favorites, both believed they could excel over the course of the demanding two-day event, a product of the postseason experience they've gained by already wrestling on the sport's biggest stage during the PIAA Team Championships in Hershey."That gave us a lot of confidence and made us realize that we can be the top team in District 11," said Schmall."We definitely came into the tournament feeling like we could have a couple guys that could be champions," Farber added. "It's a great feeling to actually be able to accomplish it."Northern Lehigh's CJ Young (152) took second to Pius X's Mike Comunale, who was named the tournament's Most Outstanding Wrestler.Nate Farber (160), Austin Arnold (170) and Cameron Kates (285) all took third to round out the Bulldogs' medal contingent.While Northern Lehigh will send the most wrestlers to the regional tournament, Northwestern won't be far behind, advancing six to the event.Though Clymer was the team's only champion, the Tigers also had Quentin Bernhard (120) and Alex Russo (195) take second, which helped Northwestern finish fifth in the team standings with 127.5 points.Coming into the tournament as the fifth seed, Clymer's championship may have caught some off guard.The freshman bounced top-seeded Dylan Rynkiewicz of Tamaqua in the semis, then took advantage of an opening to pin Palisades' Tyler Marsh, who was the No. 2 seed, in the finals.But the performance wasn't a surprise to Northwestern head coach Jim Moll, who has seen Clymer come through in big matches all year."He's a finisher," said Moll. "(When) he gets a pinning combination, he knows how to use it and how to finish a match, and that's huge."He knows the situation and he's comfortable in that situation, and he gets the job done."And getting it done is a feeling Clymer won't soon forget."The cradle just happened to be there and his hips were down, and I was able to turn him," Clymer recalled of the moment. "So many things were racing through my mind at that point. I was so pumped."I was just thinking, 'Ah, I can do this! I can actually win this!' And when the referee called the pin, it was just awesome."Northwestern's Jarret White moved on, taking third over Tamaqua's Tanner McHugh at 126 pounds. Matt Peters defeated Lehighton's Nate Kemmerer in the 106 pound fifth place bout to advance, while Baily Wehr also qualified for regionals by hanging on for a close decision win over Tri Valley's Kyle Stephen.After losing to Clymer, Rynkiewicz came back to take third over Lehighton's Tegan Durishin, a result that put both through to the regional tournament.Frey, a state qualifier a year ago, did little to suggest he's not ready for another trip, and a deeper run, in Hershey.The junior blasted through his first three opponents, winning by fall, major decision and technical fall to reach the finals.Frey was tested against North Schuylkill's CJ Steinhilber in the championship bout, but still came away with a convincing 8-1 decision victory."Winning like that gave me a lot of confidence," Frey said of his first three wins. "They were all good wrestlers, and being able to win like that gave me feel like I shouldn't have a problem in the final."In addition to Frey and Durishin, Lehighton will also have Zachary Kemmerer (120) and Tyler Cann (160) competing in the regional tournament, with Kemmerer taking third and Cann placing fifth.Those finishes, plus Nate Kemmerer's sixth, helped the Indians take sixth in the team standings with 100 points.Serving as Jim Thorpe's lone representative in the medal rounds, Gentile continued his season long dominance as the top seed at 106 pounds. The junior pinned his first three opponents before dispatching Palisades' Zack Wasser by technical fall in the final."It means so much," Gentile said after receiving his medal. "I pushed so hard last year just to place. Now to come out here and actually win, it feels amazing."Seeing Gentile fulfill his potential was a gratifying experience for Jim Thorpe head coach Shawn Albert."You have to be able to peak at this time of year," Albert said. "Kevan's been very consistent all year, and if you want to wrestle at a high level and compete at a high level, you have to be consistent, and that's what's going on with him."Panther Valley's Rian Shubeck, a state qualifier last season, took third at 195 pounds, while Tanner Kennedy (120), Darren Goida (126), Ali Capobianco (138) and Dylan Moyer (170) all placed fifth to advance to the regional tournament.Those results helped the Panthers finish with 84.5 points, good for 10th in the team standings.Another former state qualifier, Palmerton's Zach Graver, was the runner-up at 160 pounds. Graver will be joined at the regional tournament by Jared Mooney (182) and Tre Nelson (220), who were both fifth.