As funny as it may sound now, a hole in a wall a little over four years ago continues to have a major impact on the Strath Haven wrestling program.
“Early in my freshman year I was horsing around at a friend’s house and I wound up putting him through a wall,” Panthers senior Nate Frantz said, recalling the moment as if it happened yesterday.
“I really wasn’t that interested (in wrestling) at the time and hadn’t given much thought to trying out,” he continued. “But my mom was kind of getting fed up with me not really putting my energy into anything productive.”
Frantz’s mother, Joanne Shallcross, added her own take on the incident.
“Nate had always been very athletic,” she said. “My husband (Steve Frantz) and I had encouraged him to wrestle in middle school, but he wasn’t interested. So when he picked up that kid and put him through the wall I told him he had to do two things, go with my husband to fix the wall and then sign up for wrestling.”
Frantz joined the Panthers his freshman year, competing mostly at the junior varsity level — and winning his only two varsity matches — while trying to grasp the nuances of the sport.
One month into his senior season, Frantz is a team captain with a 19-1 record at 106 pounds for a Strath Haven squad that is improving almost daily. And one of the younger athletes he has helped bring along is his brother, Noah, a sophomore who is making a name for himself with a 15-5 mark at 113 pounds.
You can count Strath Haven coach Erik Hollingsworth among those amazed by how a little destruction has aided the program’s foundation.
“Nate is just a sponge, he’s a real student of the game,” Hollingsworth said. “He’s evolved into the total package. He’s put on some muscle, he’s worked on his leg strength and obviously he’s matured.
“There are a lot of good 106-pounders in our area, but he’s right up there with all of them. And he helps us even more because of his big brother mentality, pushing Noah to listen to him and to learn by example.”
Shallcross pointed out that Nate was a role model from the start.
“The week after I told Nate he had to sign up, Noah announced that he wanted to wrestle in middle school,” she said. “Noah got that extra experience, especially going up against kids his own size.”
The elder son showed that he was serious about wrestling when he dropped ice hockey after his sophomore year, saying “I was working out so much between the two sports that I never had time to recuperate.”
Having Noah around also provided extra incentive.
“It pushes me in the room, because I never want my little brother to beat me,” Nate said. “He’s further along than I was as a sophomore. That’s been additional motivation.”
The sibling rivalry has paid dividends, with each brother owning 10 pins heading into Wednesday’s visit to Upper Darby.
Noah relishes sparring with his brother, saying, “I’ve taken him down a couple times in practice.”
The younger brother readily admits that lacrosse is his favorite sport, but plans to wrestle for four years because “it’s fun and it gets me in shape better than anything else I can think of.”
Hollingsworth sees great possibilities for the sophomore.
“Noah has potential that really hasn’t been tapped yet,” the coach said. “He has that knockout ability. He can end a match at any time.”
Shallcross revealed another aspect of wrestling that has impacted her family.
“Because Nate’s become so nutrition-conscious, he’s turned into a really good cook,” she said with a laugh.
While discussing a sausage-and-peppers pasta dish that he recently prepared, Nate was asked if he ever dreamed that crashing through some drywall would lead him to McDaniel College, where he plans to continue his wrestling career.
“No, I had no idea,” he said, beaming. “I never imagined it would end up this way.”
•••
Upper Darby coach Bob Martin was pretty excited about his team’s trip to Long Island over the first weekend of the New Year — and that was before the Royals swept their four matches in convincing fashion at the Westhampton Beach (N.Y.) Duals.
Martin extolled the merits of the team bonding experience, saying, “It’s a chance for the kids to stay two nights in a hotel, where we tell them they’re representing Pennsylvania against some of the best teams New York has to offer.”
The Petril brothers, Anthony and returning All-Delco Austin, each went 4-0 in alternating between 113 and 120. Colin Cronin (126), Pat Kane (145), Charlie Livingston (170) and another All-Delco, Joshua Yeboah-Gyasi (195/220), also went undefeated on the trip.
Daily Times Super 7
1. Upper Darby (9-0)
2. Garnet Valley (12-1)
3. Chichester (9-2)
4. Penncrest (3-1)
5. Haverford School (2-0)
6. Interboro (10-9)
7. Strath Haven (11-9)
Strath Haven wrestlers, brothers Nate, top, and Noah Frantz, have helped push each other to success on the mat. (Robert J. Gurecki)
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