They showcased feats of power and perseverance, creating legacies and concluding already accomplished careers.

They were the highlights in a season unlike any before, but one that won’t soon be forgotten.

The annual Times News Wrestling All-Star selections recognizes those who have made their mark on the 2020-21 season.

Tamaqua’s Nate Wickersham wrapped up his senior season with his third trip to the state tournament and his second medal. After placing eighth as a junior, Wickersham was third this past season.

“He was a natural born leader from the start,” said Blue Raiders head coach Jim McCabe. “I feel like he pretty much helped lead the team since his sophomore year. What I try to do as a coach is, I try to find some kids, and this year there were multiple kids, that I could say start practice and they knew exactly what to do. Whether it’s the three-minute jump rope or any of the warm-up drills, he and the other seniors helped run that, and that’s what I want them to do. I want them to have the responsibility, not for me to tell them what to do.”

In addition to the state medal, Wickersham was also the Times News/Lehigh Valley Health Network Wrestler of the Year.

It’s the second year in a row the program has secured the honor after Bronson Strouse was named wrestler of the year last season.

Those accomplishments highlighted a great deal of team success for the Raiders this season, who were third in the team standings at districts and also have senior Aaron Coccio and freshman Gabe Erbe on the first team.

“It’s an honor for them as individuals, and it’s a pleasure for me to be able to work with kids that are coachable and want to get better,” said McCabe, who was also named the Class 2A Coach of the Year at districts.

“We had an exceptional senior class. You take the seniors and add up all their wins this year and all their wins over the last four years, and we have a lot to replace. But for our underclassmen to be in the room with those guys helps build them to where they need to get to in their future as the seniors are leaving.”

While Wickersham’s career came to a close, Northwestern freshman Dalton Clymer was busy adding to a family history of success, winning the District 11 Class 2A 145-pound title.

The victory put Dalton among older brothers Caleb and Scott, who also won district titles as freshmen.

“He doesn’t just do the things that worked for him in youth and junior high,” said Tigers head coach Jim Moll. “He was open to changing and improving where he needed to. He asked questions. That is a mindset that is going to pay huge dividends down the road because he is going to get so much better by approaching the sport that way.”

Scott and Ben Clymer were also two-time regional champions, and both also won state titles. Scott accomplished the feat in 2006, while Ben did so in 2008.

Caleb was a three-time district champion and won a state title in 2018 after placing third as a junior and sixth as a sophomore. He was also a regional champ his senior year.

Lehighton also placed three wrestlers on the first team in senior Richard Fronheiser, junior Lukas Ferguson and freshman Aidan Gruber.

Jim Thorpe senior Derek Hunter and junior Gabe Heaney join the first team, as does Northern Lehigh senior Brenden Smay.

Wickersham, Erbe and Smay all won true-second place matches at districts to advance to regionals, where only two wrestlers made it from Class 2A this season.

Both Smay and Wickersham won their bouts in overtime.

“I always speak very highly about Brenden,” said Bulldogs head coach Scott Snyder. “He has been one of my favorite athletes to coach the past couple of seasons. I have been amazed by his resilience. He missed the postseason as a sophomore, missed weight the second day of districts as a junior (placed sixth), and dealing with less than ideal practice conditions as a senior.

“He never let any of this change his goals, and worked extremely hard.”

The same could be said for all of these wrestlers.

The 10 First Team selections are listed below in alphabetical order, followed by the Second Team all stars.

TIMES NEWS Wrestling All-Stars

First Team

Dalton Clymer, Fr., Northwestern (9-2)

Clymer came on strong once he entered the lineup, winning the District 11 Class 2A 145-pound title as the fourth seed to punch his ticket to regionals. His only losses of the season came at regionals. Six of Clymer’s wins this year came by five points or less.

QUOTABLE

: “There were two things that really stood out to me this season that contributed in a big way to his success. One was his willingness to wrestle any opponent at any weight class. Dalton missed a little bit of time early in the season and his first match back was against Northern Lehigh. We wanted to test him right off the bat by moving him up to 152 to wrestle Trevor Amorim, who was a pretty good junior wrestler. He had no hesitations about doing it. Actually, the first three matches he had pretty tough matches. He was eager to compete against them all,” - Northwestern head coach Jim Moll.

Aaron Coccio, Sr. Tamaqua (15-2)

Coccio was undefeated and entered districts as the top seed at 145 pounds in Class 2A. He suffered first two losses of season to Clymer and Saucon’s Cael Markle, who both qualified for regionals but did not advance. Coccio was fourth at districts the past two years and placed third as a sophomore. He qualified for regionals as a sophomore and a junior. He finished his career with a record of 93-46. Nine of his victories this season were pins.

QUOTABLE

: “He just knew how to win. He was probably one of the most naturally strong wrestlers I’ve ever coached; kids struggled against him, and he was a tough wrestler on top. And he was a fighter. I have never ever ever seen Aaron Coccio quit in any match. He always fought the most valiantly he could. He wrestled some phenomenal wrestlers, and he always wrestled to the best of his ability. He loved the sport of wrestling, he loved to compete during the season. He knows the time and effort he put in is what helped him get to his accomplishments and he has a lot to be proud of,” – Tamaqua head coach Jim McCabe.

Gabe Erbe, Fr., Tamaqua (12-8)

Erbe showed his mettle by advancing to regionals with a win in the 106-pound true-second place match at districts in Class 2A. He won his first match at regionals, pinning Archbishop Ryan’s Connor McGuigan in 0:39 before three losses ended his season. Erbe registered five pins within the first minute of the match this season.

QUOTABLE

: “He got to see the next level of high school wrestling, and he fully understood where he’s at and where he needs to be to get to where he wants to be. I’m really looking forward to, not only Gabe, but all the underclassmen working hard this offseason, because we didn’t have an offseason last year. We have some things planned already to get these underclassmen focused, get their technique to where we need it to be prior to the start of the season, so that we can really make big steps during the season to get to the postseason. Gabe understands what he needs to do to take the next step,” – Tamaqua head coach Jim McCabe.

Lukas Ferguson, Jr. Lehighton, (13-4)

Ferguson won his first 12 matches of the season before falling to Notre Dame Green Pond’s Evan Maag at districts at 126 pounds in Class 2A. Maag was fifth at states. Ferguson made it to regionals with a runner-up finish and pinned Faith Christian Academy’s Joe O’Rourke in 1:01 before being eliminated.

QUOTABLE

: “Lukas had a great junior season and was one of our leaders. He was really able to put things together this year and really improved. This year he had a lot more confidence in his ability which is what took him to that next level. As a district runner up and regional sixth place winner, we expect another great season from him,” - Lehighton head coach Floyd Brown.

Richard Fronheiser, Sr., Lehighton (13-3)

After placing third at districts, Fronheiser made it to regionals as an injury replacement at 172 pounds in Class 2A. Like Ferguson, he had a strong start to the season, winning his first 11 matches. He was fourth at districts and also qualified for regionals last year.

QUOTABLE

: “Richard was one of our team leaders this year. He had a great career with us and will be hard to replace. He will be continuing his wrestling career at King’s College next season. Richard was a pleasure to coach and was one of those kids who showed up for everything we did in the offseason. He was not only a leader in-season, but in the offseason as well,” - Lehighton head coach Floyd Brown.

Aidan Gruber, Fr. Lehighton (12-3)

Gruber was impressive throughout his freshman campaign at 113 pounds. He narrowly missed out on qualifying for regionals, falling to Northern Lehigh’s Brenden Smay in overtime of the 113-pound true-second place match at districts in Class 2A, He will certainly be one of the team leaders heading into his sophomore season.

QUOTABLE

: “(Aidan) had a great freshmen season and just missed being a regional qualifier. Aidan came is as a very seasoned freshmen and was one of the most successful wrestlers on our team. We expect big things from him over the next three seasons,” - Lehighton head coach Floyd Brown.

Gabe Heaney, Jr., Jim Thorpe (25-4)

The junior placed third at districts – his best career finish – at 152 pounds in Class 2A after losing the true-second match 9-2 to Palisades Mason Smeland, who made it to states. He had a run of 12 straight wins during the year, a stretch that pushed his record to 17-1 at that point. Heaney registered 13 of his victories by way of pinfall, putting a stamp on a remarkable season.

QUOTABLE

: “Gabe grew a lot this year as a junior. This year he wrestled a higher weight class and I thought he battled some tougher opponents and in most cases, won. In a year where the amount of qualifiers at districts were cut to the top two, I was both impressed and proud of his performance at districts. He wrestled all the way back to have an opportunity to wrestle for true second. While he did not qualify for regionals under this year’s qualifications, he’s a regional qualifier in my book,” – Jim Thorpe head coach Shawn Albert.

Derek Hunter, Sr., Jim Thorpe (10-4)

After getting a late start to the season Hunter was a district runner-up at 285 pounds in Class 2A and made it to regionals, where he was sixth. Hunter was fifth at districts as a junior. He placed third at districts and sixth at regionals as a sophomore to qualify for states. Seven of his wins this season came by pinfall. Hunter Faith Christian Academy’s Luke Slack in 4:57 in his first match at regionals before three losses, two of which were to former state qualifiers, ended his season.

QUOTABLE

: “Derek came back late in the season after having shoulder surgery right before season started. I was happy he had a chance to wrestle the postseason in his last year. He’s a strong athlete that is a two time regional qualifier and a state qualifier. His ability to make the district finals after only competing for a week prior was impressive,” – Jim Thorpe head coach Shawn Albert.

Brenden Smay, Sr. Northern Lehigh (11-4)

Smay topped Lehighton’s Aidan Gruber 3-2 in overtime in the 113-pound true-second place match in Class 2A at districts to make it to regionals. He won his first eight matches of the season, with five of those victories coming by technical fall and two by major decision. He won his first two matches at regionals, topping Faith Christian Academy’s Cody Wagner 12-1 and posting a 7-0 decision over Northern Lebanon’s Owen Breidegan. His postseason ended with losses to Conwell-Egan’s Charlie Robson and Wagner.

QUOTABLE

: “He was able to become a district runner up and fall one match shy of being a super regional qualifier. I am also proud of that fact that he is continuing to wrestle this postseason in hopes of landing a spot on Kutztown University’s wrestling roster where he will be attending school in the falI. On top of this, Brenden is recognized as Northern Lehigh wrestling’s 2021 District 11 scholar athlete representative. Brenden is just a great person and example for our underclassmen and youth wrestlers,” – Northern Lehigh head coach Scott Snyder.

Nate Wickersham, Sr. Tamaqua (24-3)

The Times News/Lehigh Valley Health Network Wrestler of the Year enjoyed a stellar season, one that produced his 100th-career win, his first postseason title at regionals, and his best finish at states, third. This season, nine of his matches were against state qualifiers a year ago. After placing third at districts as a sophomore and a junior, Wickersham was second this past season. Entering the year his previous best result at regionals had been fifth twice. A three-time state qualifier in his career, Wickersham improved his eighth place finish from his junior year with a bronze medal at 215 pounds this season in Class 2A. He was undefeated entering the district final but suffered a tough, 2-1 loss to Saucon Valley’s Dante Mahaffey. Wickersham bounced back, winning the true-second place match in overtime against Notre Dame Green Pond’s Jason Sine to advance to regionals. He ended his career by pinning Savauri Shelton of Bermudian Springs in the third-place match at states. Finishes his career with a record of 114-47.

QUOTABLE

: “I really think it was just a perfect way to leave this program. I think, for him, it’s the icing on the cake. Not only for his career in wrestling, but in the other sports (baseball and football) that he plays. And I think he’ll take that motivation (from his losses) into the future as a scholar athlete at the college that he chooses, and use that to his benefit more than anything else. It will always be a positive outlook for Nate,” – Tamaqua head coach Jim McCabe.

SECOND TEAM

Cole Eberts, Jr., Tamaqua; Reese Szabo, Sr., Tamaqua; Dennis Lombardi, Jr., Palmerton; Randy Steigerwalt, Sr., Tamaqua; Trevor Amorim, Jr., Northern Lehigh; Steven Fritzinger, Sr., Lehighton; Nicholas Zeigenfuss, So. Lehighton; Ben Griffith, Sr., Northwestern; Josh Schaffer, Sr., Northern Lehigh; James Syracuse, Jr., Pleasant Valley.