Injury gave Penncrest’s Frank time to reflect.

MIDDLETOWN >> He wears a protective pad, but the surgically repaired right knee that cost Penncrest’s Liam Frank his junior year in both wrestling and baseball is just fine.

The proof is in his record.

Frank is 32-2 heading into the PIAA Class AAA Southeast Regional, which begins Friday evening at Souderton High School.

So if you’re looking for one of the factors Frank uses for motivation, the protective pad he wears on his right knee is a good place to start.  

It was one of those freakish, non-contact injuries. He was wrestling in a summer tournament at Malvern Prep in June 2014, when he tried to make a move and “heard a pop.” Frank knew he tore it right away, even though he said he had little pain and minimal swelling. An MRI confirmed his initial thought.

“It was a clean tear through the ACL,” said Frank, who also pitches for the baseball team at Penncrest, as well as for Aston-Media’s American Legion team.

He underwent reconstructive surgery in August where the doctors used the patella tendon to replace the torn ACL. He couldn’t do drills until “March or April,” and didn’t wrestle again until the following summer.

“It was tough to sit on the sidelines,” Frank said. “I wasn’t used to it and wrestling is a sport that is a reflection of how hard you work so taking a whole year off allowed some wrestlers to catch me and others to pass me. I knew I had to work extremely hard to catch up to them because now I was the one who was behind.”

While the year off was frustrating and disappointing, and most likely cost him a shot at joining the 100-win club at Penncrest, it also was beneficial.

“It gave me time to think about what I wanted and how badly I wanted it,” said Frank, who is 92-17 in three seasons.  

The ultimate goal is to earn a medal in the PIAA championship meet at the Giant Center in Hershey next weekend, something only four other wrestlers at Penncrest have accomplished, the last being Joe Gartland, who, fittingly, was second at 170 in 2013, Frank’s freshman year.

“In the 10th grade he was just a couple of matches away from qualifying for the states,” Penncrest coach Greg Jacobs said. “So this year everything has been geared toward qualifying for the state tournament.”

There was one other plus: He lost weight, which allowed him to drop to 170 after wrestling at 182 as a freshman and sophomore, partly because of his weight, but also because the Lions had Gartland and then Joe Pyfer at 170.

“Team wise, it was best for us to slot him at 182,” Jacobs said. “We had a pretty good run of 170-pounders, plus he didn’t have to cut real hard to make the weight. He could concentrate on wrestling, which was a good thing.”

It’s the first time in his scholastic career that Frank has had to cut his weight, but that has also paid dividends. He said he has become more disciplined in his training in order to make weight. And having to make weight has helped to ease some of the pre-match pressure, much of which is self-imposed.

“Some days are rougher than others to cut weight, but it also gives you a mental edge,” Frank said. “That’s the first battle. You’re not worried about your match. You’re worried about making that weight. Once you’re done and weighed in, then you have time to focus on who you’re going to wrestle and how you’re going to wrestle him. You’re not staying up wondering how the match is going to go.”

It shows on the mat. Of his 32 wins, according to Pa-Wrestling.com, 11 have been by fall, four by technical fall and nine by major decision. One of the wins by pin and one of the victories by tech fall came at 182 pounds. All his other matches have been at 170.

“I like it,” Frank said. “I like being the stronger kid for once.”

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Frank is one of 23 Delco wrestlers who qualified for the Class AAA Southeast Regional. Eight more qualified for the Class AA Southeast Regional at Wilson High School, five from Archbishop Carroll and three from Delco Christian.

Upper Darby has five wrestlers going to Souderton, led by 138-pounder Colin Cronin (37-0), who is just one of two undefeated wrestlers left in District One. Cronin went over the 100-win mark last week and is gunning for his second straight regional title and second consecutive trip to the state tournament. He won the 132-pound crown a year ago.

Interboro’s Eric Thomas (145) also is vying for his second straight regional title and second trip to the state meet. He won the 138-pound regional championship last year. He’s one of three Bucs who qualified for the regional tournament.

Garnet Valley has two returning state qualifiers in Matt Marino and Nick Pulitti. Marino was second in the region at 120 last year. Pulitti placed fourth at 126 last year. He is wrestling at 132 pounds this season. Ridley and Academy Park both have three wrestlers in the Class AAA regional.