Dennis Lombardi understands the pressure that comes with competing at a high level.

But the Palmerton senior entered this season with a renewed focus and sense of purpose.

His goal was simple.

“I just want to have fun this season,” Lombardi said. “And that’s all I’ve been doing.”

The results have been a reflection of Lombardi’s mindset.

Nowhere was that more evident than this weekend’s Coal Cracker Tournament at Lehighton.

Lombardi came from behind to win close matches and dominated in others to reach the final at 145 pounds.

His run ended with a loss to top seed Jaryn Hartranft of Catasauqua in the final, but Lombardi’s 5-1 weekend - which included three pins - showcased more potential of an already promising season.

Lombardi placed sixth at the Carlisle Tournament in the middle of December before recording a runner-up finish at the Governor Mifflin Holiday Tournament at the end of the month.

Entering the Coal Cracker, Lombardi hadn’t lost since the finals of the Governor Mifflin Tournament.

He opened with three straight pins to reach the quarterfinals.

Lombardi, who was seeded third, rolled past Corbin Christiano (Palisades) in 1:05 before topping Anthony Curra of Abington Heights in 2:56 and Wyoming Area’s Rocco Pizano (5:30) to advance to the quarters.

He earned them all. Just like his 13-11 decision over Hazleton’s Devin Youngcourt in the quarterfinals and an 11-10 win over Kennett’s Tyler Maier in the semis.

Just call Lombardi the comeback kid.

“He had five wins in this tournament, four out of the five, he was losing in those matches,” said Palmerton head coach Justin Petersen. “Ideally, you don’t want that. But at the same time it does show that he has this resilience about him that he can deal with adversity, he never feels like he’s out of a match, and he just keeps his head down and he continues to do what he needs to do, and that’s very special. Not many 18-year-olds can say that to keep a level head about themselves throughout a match, and that’s key.

Lombardi trailed 10-7 against Youngcourt in the third before getting a reversal to make it 10-9. He gave up an escape to go down 11-9 before securing a takedown to tie it with two back points as time expired, giving him the win.

“It’s a big confidence booster, knowing that I have the ability in neutral, bottom and top to score when I need to,” said Lombardi. “So if I’m down in a match, I’m never really worried about the score until it’s over. Anything can happen.”

Lombardi got an escape to start the third against Maier before giving up a reversal and getting one of his own. He held on for the final 45 seconds to take the win.

In the finals, Lombardi gave up a takedown and got turned, with Hartranft getting the pin in 1:42.

“Going into the tournament, I knew that if I was going to make it to the finals, I was going to see him,” said Lombardi, who also lost a 15-3 major decision to Hartranft on Dec. 21. “He was the top seed and had some tough opponents, but he’s a tough kid.

“For me, I just tried to come into the tournament with the mindset that I wanted to make it to the finals no matter who I had to wrestle, and I think it was good.”

A top seed at the district tournament two years ago, Lombardi is on track to be a factor deep into the postseason this year.

“Coach Petersen, my freshman year, before I would go out for a match, he would always say, ‘Let it fly,’” Lombardi said. “And I wanted to get back to that ninth grade Dennis, because last year wasn’t the best for me. I was real tight and I wasn’t as loose as I used to be. Coming into this year, I realized I was going to have to make the change and go back ... and I’ve just been letting that take me where I need to be.”

MEDALISTS

... Jim Thorpe had three wrestlers land on the podium at the two-day, 45-team tournament. Thorpe’s Gabe Heaney (152) was seventh, while Cameron Tinajero (160) and Jared Newhall (172) both placed eighth. Tamaqua’s Aiden Schlier (106) was sixth, while Northern Lehigh’s Matt Frame (215) and Northwestern’s Mason Brensinger (160) were seventh.

MORE MEDALS

... In the girls tournament on Saturday, Northwestern’s Josephine Wehr placed third at 113 pounds. Wehr pinned Navaeh Fegley (Selinsgrove) in 4:48 for third. Layla Bravo of Lehighton was fourth at 132 pounds. After losing her first match, Wehr had two pins on her way to another fall in the third-place match. Bravo had a pin and a decision to reach the third-place match after losing her opening bout. This marked the first year for a separate girls event.