Senior night often means more than the sporting event itself.

That was certainly the case for both Lehighton and Jim Thorpe as the Olympians hosted their boys wrestling senior night match.

Following the pregame festivities, the two rivals took to the mats with Lehighton using five pins and three technical falls to come out on top with a 60-11 victory.

“We came in wanting to have a good match tonight and wrestle well, and our kids came out and did what they had to do,” said Indians head coach Floyd Brown.

“They obviously have some good tough kids, and our kids went out and came to wrestle tonight and we did a nice job of getting pins and finishing matches.”

Elijah Guy kick-started the match with the first of four Tribe wins with a pin at 107, followed by Ryder Croizier earning a hard-fought decision against Sahlem Ortiz.

Chase Lobasso then secured Lehighton’s second pin, before Jack Lucykanish picked up the first tech fall of the contest.

Stephen Korte got Jim Thorpe on the board with a first-period tech fall to cap off his final dual meet of his career. The Indians immediately got those points back from Lukas Croizer, who earned a tech fall at 139.

Lehighton took the next three matches, including a forfeit and two wins from seniors Evan Wentz and Konner Nalesnik.

Wentz picked up a pin in just under two minutes, while Nalesnik earned a tech fall in just over three minutes.

“I think we wrestled real solid; everyone showed up and wrestled a good match,” Wentz said. “I’ve known these kids my whole life. To be able to finish this out with them is pretty cool.”

Nalesnik, in particular, saw the night as one final chance to reflect on his high school career and what his next chapter as a college wrestler looks like. As a King’s College commit, he wants wrestling to remain a constant tradition within his family.

“It’s one of the greatest things to say that you’re a wrestler in the Nalesnik family,” he said. “Being able to say I’m keeping the family name alive in the wrestling community is great, and it’s been fun. My sister wants to wrestle. Hopefully when I have kids, they keep it (going) as well.”

Despite the score, the Olympians had another bright moment at 172, as senior Connor Zurawa came back from a 16-4 deficit against Tribe senior Carter Hontz and got a pin in the second period, much to the delight of the Jim Thorpe crowd.

The Indians took the remaining three matches with a forfeit and back-to-back pins from Asher Traylor, who took only 49 seconds, and Marc Macias in the heavyweight bout.

After the dust had settled, both sides could only talk about the significance of its senior class, and what the experience was like during the players’ tenures.

For Olympian head coach Dan Heaney, it’s the time he spent with his seniors that he cherishes the most.

“This is a great group of kids,” he said. “They’ve been with me since I took over as the head coach and even when I was here as an assistant. They’re a great group of kids. I’m sad to see them go because not only are they good wrestlers, (but) they’re just fun guys to be around and they’re team leaders. They do the things we ask them to do.”

MORE THAN A MATCH ... Jim Thorpe honored its senior wrestlers, along with members of its knee-high youth wrestling program before the match. The team’s seniors include Aiden Bowman, Jake Chamides, Tobias Garner, Stephen Korte, Salvatore Orefice and Connor Zurawa.

Lehighton 60, Jim Thorpe 11

107 - Elijah Guy (L) pinned Jake Chamides in 4:19; 114 - Ryder Croizier (L) dec. Sahlem Ortiz, 12-6; 121 - Chase Lobasso (L) pinned Aiden Bowman in 3:37; 127 - Jack Lucykanish (L) tech fall Ryan Broadbent, 16-0 (3:11); 133 - Stephen Korte (JT) tech fall Danny Edgar, 20-2 (1:46); 139 - Lukas Croizier (L) tech fall Joshua Mantilla, 18-1 (2:00); 145 - Connor Dugan (L) won by forfeit; 152 - Evan Wentz (L) pinned Tyriq Palumbo in 1:52; 160 - Konner Nalesnik (L) tech fall Donovan Llewellyn, 19-2 (3:06); 172 - Connor Zurawa (JT) pinned Carter Hontz in 2:42; 189 - Preston DiGrazia (L) won by forfeit; 215 - Asher Traylor (L) pinned Gaetano Sarnelli in 0:49; 285 - Marc Macias (L) pinned Michael McGinley in 2:54.

Records: Lehighton (14-5); Jim Thorpe (2-10).