The 2015-16 wrestling season was certainly one to remember.

Week after week, another record was set or milestone achieved.Arguably the biggest highlight came this past Saturday, when Jim Thorpe's Kevan Gentile captured the first state championship in school history and became only the second wrestler from Carbon County to leave Hershey with a gold medal.Gentile's triumph put a bow on a remarkable postseason that featured four District 11 Class AA champions; two Southeast Regional titlists; one Class AAA Northeast Regional gold medalist; and a total of 14 state qualifiers from the Times News area.In addition to Gentile, Lehighton's Connor Frey (third, 195), Northern Lehigh's Ryan Farber (sixth, 160), Northwestern's Caleb Clymer (sixth, 145), Palmerton's Jared Mooney (eighth, 182) and Tamaqua's Tanner McHugh (eighth, 126) all finished their seasons on the podium at the PIAA Championships.And, as if there was anything else left for Gentile to accomplish, his achievement Saturday also secured the school record for wins, as the senior broke a tie with Dillon Smith by notching his 142nd career victory."It's really hard to put into words how much this means to me," Gentile said. "I've been working for this for my whole high school career, constantly pushing and doing offseason tournaments just to get better, and finally it paid off."Gentile wasn't the only wrestler to establish a new mark for career wins, as Frey earned his 124th victory earlier this season at the Schuylkill League Championships to surpass Derek Brownmiller."It means a lot to me," said Frey, who also set the single season record for wins with 42 and will continue his wrestling career at Old Dominion University. "Brandon (Brownmiller) was my middle school coach, and Jared (Brownmiller) and Derek have come in and practiced with me over the last few years. I wouldn't be where I am today without them and their family."My goal was to represent my town and get it back on the map. And this win means a lot."Frey (144-29) and Gentile (142-25) were in position to break their respective school records after both reached 100 career victories at last season's PIAA Championships..Frequently a target for many wrestlers, a total of nine area grapplers hit the landmark win total this season.Four pairs of senior teammates ended their careers with triple digits in the win column, as Lehighton's Tegan Durishin (123-40) and Zach Kemmerer (108-43); Northern Lehigh's Matt Schmall (120-30) and CJ Young (101-43); Northwestern's Jarett White and Quentin Bernhard; and Panther Valley's Darren Goida (104-54) and Ali Capobianco (123-56) all accomplished the feat. The lone junior to reach 100 wins this season was Tamaqua's McHugh."It's a team sport and we always stress that, but when you're performing as an individual, it's always nice to get those accolades," said Northern Lehigh head coach Steve Hluschak. "A hundred wins is nothing easy."The triumphs were especially memorable for Lehighton head coach Danny Williams, who had watched a talented group of seniors progress from their days together in the junior high ranks.Lehighton set a program record for wins this year with 19 and also became the first team in school history to reach the finals of the District 11 team tournament."To get to the level that they're at now, it's less of what I do as a coach and more about what they do as athletes," said Williams. "They do all of the extra stuff. Their parents have been tremendous for us, doing whatever they need to do to have them compete at the next level."Trent Thomas enjoyed a stellar senior season for Pleasant Valley, earning a title at the Northeast Regional event at 220 pounds a week after taking second at the District 11 Class AAA tournament."I cannot begin to express how proud of Trent I am," said Pleasant Valley head coach Justin Micklos. "He has accomplished something not many people in PV history were able to do."The 2015-16 campaign was also dotted with great team successes, as area programs held four of the top eight positions in the final District 11 Class AA power rankings.Northwestern Lehigh became the second Times News squad in as many years to qualify for the state tournament after topping Lehighton in the true second place match to finish a grueling day that featured four matches in roughly nine hours for the Tigers at the District 11 team duals."It shows a lot of heart. It shows a lot of character," said Northwestern head coach Jim Moll. "It shows that they really wanted to be out there (at states) and they wrestled well and got it."With a truly unforgettable season in the books, one can only hope next year is as memorable.