Ryan Farber knew from a young age what he wanted.

"Coming in, I remember when I was in elementary school watching the other Northern Lehigh wrestlers at states and medaling and stuff," Farber recalled. "I knew one day I wanted to be in their shoes, out at states, winning medals, and accomplishing those things."As the years went by, I knew I could do it. It came more into focus, I knew it was within my grasp. I knew it wasn't unforeseeable. Just everyday, working harder and harder, improving in everything. Year by year, progressing even more and accomplishing more."That drive has helped Farber create his own legacy.One that now includes 2016-17 Times News Wrestler of the Year."It's a great accomplishment and award," said Farber, who will continue his wrestling career at the University of Pennsylvania. "To be named this, all the hard work I put in in my life and in my high school career, culminating to this point."Just coming into high school, I wanted to be the best wrestler I could be and win a state title. Obviously, I didn't do that but I came pretty close to it and I have no regrets. I put it all out there. I worked hard everyday. That drives me, to just come in every day and work hard and trust the process. And good things will happen when you get to the district, regional and state tournaments every year."Farber finished a stellar senior season with a runner-up finish at the PIAA Championships, ending the year with a 25-2 record a career mark of 123-26.Bulldogs' first-year head coach Scott Snyder saw the potential in Farber early in his career."I believe the first time I saw Ryan wrestle was the 2011-12 season," said Snyder. "I was coming in the wrestling room to help out when I could, and was going to most of the dual meets. I remember watching him as a seventh grader and being impressed with him."When the 2012-13 season began, I saw him wrestle a few times and thought he was really going to be something special. I am not one to say, 'This guy is going to be a state champ some day,' or 'He is going to be the next national champ,' because nothing is guaranteed in this sport and you never really know how things are going to pan out. With that being said, I liked trying to envision his career panning out pretty closely to the way it did with him being a three-time district champion, a regional champion, and two-time state medalist."But Farber's success this season didn't come without adversity."In wrestling you find out a lot about who you are," said Snyder. "I believe you can go through many successes in wrestling and your true character as a competitor will never be revealed to yourself, your coaches, or your teammates. I think sometimes you find out who you truly are when dealing with injuries or defeat."To me, Ryan's first characterizing moment came at the Bethlehem Holiday Classic when suffering a bad ankle sprain in overtime of his semifinal bout. Ryan could have opted to injury default out of the match, but chose to continue knowing that the odds were highly stacked against him facing a very talented and healthy wrestler."Farber lost that match, 2-1, in double overtime to Pennridge's Josh Stillings, and was forced to forfeit his next two matches.But the setback didn't define - or derail - Farber's season."I missed a couple weeks in the middle of the season," said Farber. "It was kinda tough being off the mat for, I think it was like three weeks or something like that."But I still worked out. I didn't wrestle, but I didn't want to miss a beat when I got back so I did what I could, did it smart, just listened to my trainers and coaches and what they thought. And when I came back I felt like I didn't miss a beat. I was right into it."Farber hit his stride when he came back, securing his third straight District 11 title before ending the year with his second state medal and first Southeast Regional crown."I think his motivation and work ethic is second to none," said Snyder. "He is also very particular about everything from how he trains in the wrestling room to his daily routines in his own personal life. You just don't see those things out of 16-18-year-old kids each year."For Farber, it was simply about trying to follow in the footsteps of the greats who inspired him."They just motivated me," said Farber "I wanted to leave a legacy like they did and accomplish what they did. There wasn't really pressure to outdo them or do what they did, but it just kind of motivated me because I wanted to be in their shoes, fill their shoes, and accomplish what they did when they were here in high school."