ASTON — Hunter Catka stayed busy during the Vanguard Invitational Saturday. He helped out where he could, keeping score of some matches, helping out in other areas and cheering on his Sun Valley teammates when they took the mat.
The first PIAA wrestling champ in Sun Valley history, and the ninth in Delaware County history, did everything but wrestle, even though he was medically cleared to do so four days earlier.
A broken right fibula suffered at a national tournament last July, followed by surgery on his left knee has kept the junior 285 pounder and reigning Daily Times Wrestler of the Year off the mat, save for a token appearance in a dual meet against Strath Haven where he received a forfeit victory.
“I’ve had Hunter weigh in anyway just to keep him going through the motions of being prepared to wrestle, keep up his regular routine,” Sun Valley coach Tom Ellis said. “I knew Strath Haven was going to forfeit the heavyweight match so we presented him and he got a forfeit win from it.”
Hunter Catka is not the only member of his family on the mend. Younger brother Ryan, a sophomore 195/220-pounder who was fifth at 170 pounds at the District 1 Class AAA west tournament last year, has been shut down for the season following surgery to repair the meniscus in his left knee.
Ryan Catka went 26-10 as a freshman and had two wins by forfeit, against Harriton and Kennett, before he was shut down for the season.
“It’s a shame,” Sun Valley athletic director Pat Rafferty said. “He was ready for a breakout season.”
Ryan Catka may be out but if everything goes according to plan, Hunter Catka will be back on the mat for real Saturday when the Vanguards compete in the Central Bucks East Duals. The elder of the Catka brothers could have competed sooner. He was medically cleared to wrestle a week ago Tuesday, but Ellis decided to take a cautious approach.
“I want him to feel comfortable on it,” Ellis said. “I don’t want to force him to come out and feel awkward on it. We have a plan to have him wrestle drill matches in the room for two weeks and then he’ll open up with competition.”
And that’s just fine with Hunter, who went 41-1 as a sophomore and won his last 33 matches to capture the PIAA 220-pound title as a sophomore.
“I’m definitely itching to get back, but physically I wasn’t able to,” said Catka, who is 76-8 in his career. “I just want to make sure I’m ready.”
He has been down this road before. Catka suffered a knee injury as an eighth-grader that kept him out nearly the entire season. That experience mentally prepared him for this setback.
“Taking time off to get healthy was less important to me then than it is now,” Catka said.
His latest injury woes began in mid-July in the second round of the 220-pound weight class at the USMC Cadet national freestyle tournament in Fargo, N.D. Wrestling for Pennsylvania, Catka caught his toes in the mat on a double takedown that gave him a 12-0 win by technical fall over Ohio’s Riley Ucker, according to a story on papowerwrestling.com.
Catka stayed on the mat for a while until his leg was stabilized. He was taken from the mat in a wheelchair.
“His foot stayed put and everything else went,” Ellis said.
The injury required surgery, which included having two plates and several screw put in the leg to repair the damage. A few months later he had surgery to remove the meniscus in a left knee that he said had been troubling him for the last couple of years.
“It’s been pretty tough, not being able to compete with my team,” Catka said. “It sucks, but it’s been beneficial in different ways that people don’t see.”
How so?
“I think, mentally; getting mentally tougher,” Catka said. “Everyone keeps asking me when I’m going to get back. It’s kind of hard to stay focused on what’s important, not trying to get back too early, taking my time and making sure I’m ready.”
The mental aspect is always the toughest part of any recovery process, especially for an athlete. But Catka’s father, Sean, is not worried about his eldest son’s state of mind.
“He knows God’s got a plan for him,” Sean Catka said. “His faith drives everything he does. Where I might be a mess for certain things, he leans on God. He has several verses memorized that he goes to when he’s down or when he’s feeling hurt, so he just leans on God. He knows God has a plan for him. If he was out the whole season, I don’t think he would be down. He would just wait and work harder and come back when he’s ready.”
That goes for Ryan, too.
“They never stopped working,” Sean Catka said of two injured sons. “They would sit in folding chairs in the driveway and do hands for like, hours at a time. They never stopped lifting, never stopping watching film, so I wouldn’t say they’re champing at the bit. I know they both want to come back when they’re ready and not a minute before.”
Hunter Catka has spent the last week in the wrestling room preparing to make his return to the mat, which he hopes will be this weekend, just in time for the stretch run of the season.
“I’ve been pushing myself,” he said, “so I think I’m ready to go.”
