‘Change in mentality’ has Strath Haven’s Farabaugh soaring

NETHER PROVIDENCE — Ben Farabaugh won 29 matches in his first two seasons with the Strath Haven wrestling team. The senior heavyweight has piled up 59 victories over the last two seasons.

So what changed?

“I had a change in mentality,” Farabaugh said Wednesday after he picked up his 20th win of the season in Strath Haven’s 48-22 Central League victory over Ridley. “Also working in the offseason and going to tournaments in the offseason. Every wrestler who is good isn’t just wrestling from November to March. They’re working all year round.”

That would include going to open practices run by Strath Haven coach Tony Gilliano during football season, which wasn’t easy. Farabaugh was a key two-way lineman for a Panthers team that grabbed a share of the Central League title and advanced to the District 1 Class 5A championship.

“I went to one tournament and did well there,” Farabaugh said. “I made sure that if I ever came to an offseason practice it didn’t interfere with football. I wanted to be as prepared as I could be for this season while still doing the best I can on the football field.”

That dedication and hard work has paid off for Farabaugh over the last two seasons. He went 39-10 last season and qualified for the state tournament after a second-place finish at the District 1 South tournament and a fourth place at the South East regional.

This season, he’s 20-1 and ranked No. 1 in District 1 at 285 pounds according to pa-wrestling.com. His only loss was a 4-0 decision to Nick Pavlechko of State College, who finished third at the PIAA Class 3A championships last season. Of Farabaugh’s 20 victories, 14 have come by pin, including Wednesday’s win over Ridley’s Sevon Morris in 1 minute, 45 seconds.

“It’s gratifying,” Farabaugh said of his No. 1 ranking. “Some guys may think they’re the best but I still have to prove it. The regional tournaments are in 45 days, I think. That’s when I have to go out there and prove I’m the best. Right now I’m working as hard as I can to prove that I’m the best in the district.”

Farabaugh isn’t the biggest guy around. He said he’s weighing about 230 pounds, which means he’s giving away quite a bit of weight at times. However, he makes up for it in other ways.

“He’s probably one of the most athletic heavyweights you’ll find,” said teammate Sam Milligan, who also won his match by fall. “I think he finally realized that he is one of the most athletic heavyweights, and one of the tallest (6-4). He has all of this leverage and he’s using that to his advantage.”

Milligan, Anthony Crawford and Farabaugh form quite a 1-2-3 punch for the Panthers from 189 through 215. The trio is a combined 51-14 this season with 33 wins by pin.

“Me, Anthony, Bob (Fooskas) and Ben have been playing football together since eighth grade,” Milligan said. “Ben and Bobby have been playing football a lot longer. We’ve been wrestling, too, so the four of us are really tight. We’ve had a lot of success together and we expect to get wins in every match.”

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