All-Delco Wrestling: Cronin always had ‘the look’ of a champion

UPPER DARBY >> Colin Cronin looked the part of a wrestler before he ever stepped foot on a mat. At age seven, he had a unique way of playing football. Cronin would run through opponents rather than around them. On the defensive side, he lifted ball-carriers off their feet with ease, including his current Upper Darby wrestling teammate, Max Livingston.

“That’s how I tackled,” Cronin remembers. “I picked kids up and slammed them.” Livingston’s father took notice of the tackling form and encouraged Mr. Cronin to sign up young Colin for wrestling.

“My dad was like, ‘No, I don’t want to do that,’” Cronin recalls. “‘I don’t want him to get hurt or anything.’ Mr. Livingston had to convince him to bring me to one practice and see how I’d like it.” Cronin came home from that session with a bloody lip much to the dismay of his mother. His father wasn’t too keen on the sport either. He played basketball, baseball and football growing up and thought Colin might do the same. It was too late, though. The younger Cronin was hooked.

“I was like, ‘Mom, I kind of like it, you know,’” Cronin says with a laugh. “It was pretty fun.” He’s still enjoying his time on the mat. As a junior, Cronin spearheaded a Royals team that became the first in school history to reach the PIAA Team Wrestling Championships. Upper Darby also won its 14th Central League title, the most of any program.

On an individual level, Cronin, a 138-pounder, achieved two noteworthy milestones. He took home a fourth-place medal at the state meet, becoming the Royals’ highest finisher since Joel Edwards won the 189-pound weight class in 2001. And with a victory in the District One West Championship, Cronin became the first Upper Darby junior with 100 career wins.

“I didn’t really notice at all. I kept going with the flow,” says Cronin, who finished 42-3 on the season. “My main goal was getting on the podium at state. But you know, it was pretty cool being the first junior and stuff. Getting the 100 wins is a huge mark in Pennsylvania.”

So, too, is Cronin. He is the 2016 Daily Times Wrestler of the Year.

After its historic campaign, Upper Darby placed five wrestlers on the All-Delco First Team including Cronin, Jake Mejias (113 pounds), Max Livingston (152), Brian Kennerly (195) and Pete Augustin (285). Garnet Valley’s Matt Marino (120) and Nick Puliti (132) return to the team as both reached the state tournament for the second consecutive year. Abraham Charles (138) of Penn Wood is one of two Del Val representatives on the squad along with Interboro’s Eric Thomas (145). Penncrest senior Liam Frank (170) returns to the All-Delco team after missing the entirety of the 2014-15 season with a torn ACL. Completing the team are Strath Haven’s David Moore (160), Archbishop Carroll’s Nick Poulos (126), Ridley’s Nate Brennan (182), Episcopal Academy’s Blair Orr (106) and the Haverford School’s Mickey Kober (220). The All-Delco teams and Wrestler of the Year are picked by the Daily Times staff in consultation with area coaches.

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