So often in sports, potential is never realized and goals are left unfulfilled.

It takes exceptional resolve to overcome the many obstacles athletes are faced with and persevere, regardless of the circumstances.Time and again over his scholastic career, Palmerton's Josh Evans showed the determination and resiliency necessary to prevail when faced with long odds.This season was no different, as Evans went 36-4 and punctuated his career with a fifth-place finish at the PIAA Championships in his second trip to Hershey.That result, along with countless other achievements throughout the season, helped Evans earn the 2013-14 TIMES NEWS Wrestler of the Year honors."It means a lot. It's a lot of recognition," said Evans. "For me, it just shows that all of my hard work has paid off."Obviously, not everyone gets this award; it only goes to one person every year. And it means a lot (that I was chosen) because there is a lot of talent in the area."Talent is something that Evans always had, a trait that was obvious very early on in his career."Josh was in middle school when I started coaching him, and he was someone that everybody was always talking about," said Palmerton head coach Dave Lavin. "He was a two-time district champ at the junior high level and there were a lot of high expectations for him from very early on. And I think he has lived up to expectations and beyond."But when Lavin talks about living up to expectations, he means more than the 125-23 career record that Evans finished with.He means more than the District 11 Class AA runner-up finish Evans earned this year.And he means more than the 2A Southeast Regional championship Evans captured this season.For Lavin, it's the things Evans does off the mat that really matter."With him, it's more than just his record, which is obviously very impressive," the coach said. "The hard work that he puts in every day, the leadership he shows, and the example that he sets for younger wrestlers by doing the right things and getting good grades prove that he's the complete package."Those attributes certainly haven't gone unnoticed, as the District 11 Wrestling Hall of Fame recently honored Evans as its 2A scholar-athlete of the year.While things have seemingly fallen into place for Evans during his senior year, the journey to this point has also included several hardships, such as failing to make weight at last year's district tournament.Despite the overwhelming sense of disappointment that setback caused him, Evans feels he is better because of the experience."Maybe if last year wouldn't have happened, I wouldn't have trained as hard during the offseason," he said. "Just knowing that I was going to go into my last year having not really done anything I didn't have a state medal yet really made me want to push myself so I could achieve that."And doing it as a senior made it that much sweeter."I think it gave me some closure," Evans said. "Just knowing that I ended my career on the podium really meant a lot to me. That was one of my goals when I first stepped on a wrestling mat as a freshman. I knew I could do it; it was just a matter of when."It did come a little later than I wanted it to. But I was still on the podium and I'm really happy with where I finished."While Evans was satisfied with his result, Lavin was pleased with the way he got it."I was really proud of the way he came back the next day to finish the right way," he said. "He had to really dig deep to get that last win and place fifth; he didn't just bag it and take the easy road. He wrestled hard and finished the right way."Now, Evans will shift his focus to wrestling at the next level, where he will likely compete at either Division I Eastern Michigan University or Division III Wilkes University.Regardless of his destination, the expectations will remain high."Wherever I go, I'm just looking to continue my success, and I think I can do that at either level," Evans said. "A definite goal is to be a multiple-time Academic All-American because grades have always been really important to me. And eventually, I would like to become an All-American at either division. I think they're both very realistic possibilities."As does Lavin."He does all the right things, and I think that's going to translate well to the college level because it's definitely an adjustment," the coach said. "Adjusting to the schoolwork and the different lifestyle is a difficult thing."But he has been very independent on his own for a long time in structuring his life, in and outside of wrestling. I don't think he'll have any problem adapting, and I think he'll do very well."While he will be difficult, if not impossible to replace, the opportunity to coach Evans is one Lavin won't soon forget."I'm very proud of him in how far he's come," the coach said. "I couldn't say any more about how much of a pleasure it was to see him grow, and we'll definitely miss him."