Gabe Heaney’s connection to wrestling was created at a young age.

Heaney has grown up around the sport, always watching, learning and taking in as much as he can.

“My dad used to be an assistant coach for Panther Valley with Tim Robb,” Heaney said of his father, Dan, who started working with the PV program in 1999.

“I got into it when I was pretty young, and those guys and my other coaches kept me going. By the time I got to fourth grade, I was just loving the sport.”

It’s no surprise that Heaney found success early on.

Heaney captured his first tournament title when he was in second grade at an event at Upper Dauphin.

“When I won that, it just made me really want to keep wrestling, and I was having a lot of fun with it,” Heaney said. “It felt really good to win.”

The Jim Thorpe senior has collected a few more victories - and gone on to win - a few more tournaments along the way.

Heaney hit a career milestone on Feb. 1, pinning Blue Mountain’s Sayyidakbar Akbarov in 1:00 for his 100th-career victory.

And like it has been throughout his career, his dad - who is in his first year as the Olympians’ head coach - was in his corner.

“It was great,” said Dan Heaney. “I was excited for him. You could tell he was excited. He pins a lot of guys, but he’s not usually that quick, so I think he was a little excited for it, and wanted to get out and get to it.”

Coming off a junior season that ended with a career-best third-place finish at districts, Gabe has continued to make strides this year.

Wrestling at 152 pounds, he pulled off an overtime victory in the finals at Jim Thorpe’s Christmas Tournament in December. He was second at the Schuylkill League Tournament, and seventh at the Coal Cracker in January.

Heaney has a record of 28-4 this season, and 103 career wins to his credit.

His trajectory always pointed toward a successful career, something that was obvious in elementary school.

Heaney posted his 50th-career win as a sophomore. Even with a modified schedule and different circumstances surrounding last season, he was able to record 25 victories.

At Panther Valley, Dan Heaney worked with Ed Kennedy as elementary coaches with Gabe while the program was still there.

Robb is now an assistant with Heaney for the Olympians.

The relationships among the coaches, from the youth level to the varsity program, have been vital throughout Gabe’s career.

“I’m always in his corner, I always coach him,” said the elder Heaney, who took over at Jim Thorpe this season for Shawn Albert. “But a lot of times, Tim (Robb) will keep me calm, and he works really well with Gabe. They have a great relationship, and Ed was kind of that guy for him when we were in elementary school. When I would get a little too excited, those guys would keep him calm, keep him wrestling.

“He’s had a lot of good coaches through his life that have worked with him.”

No matter the situation or the season, Gabe knows he can always lean on his dad.

“It’s great,” Gabe said. “I’ve been so happy to have him in my corner my whole life. He always took me to wrestling tournaments, and different clubs. It’s been awesome to have him there with me.

“I talk to him pretty much every day about wrestling, regardless of the time of year.”

Gabe came to Jim Thorpe during his eighth- grade year.

As a freshman, Heaney watched Ethan Mordaunt record his 100th-career victory during a sensational senior season.

“I though that was awesome,” said Heaney. “After seeing him do that, it was just a goal for me.”

Heaney has come a long way since that Upper Dauphin tournament in second grade.

With the postseason on the horizon, Heaney’s latest milestone is a testament to the work it’s taken to get to this point. And an indication that he’s only getting started.

“He’s put a lot of time in, and he did a lot of offseason wrestling,” said Dan Heaney. “He’s put the time in in the weight room, so it’s good to see that the work that he’s put in, is paying off.”