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.”
Not just wins, but pins, Farabaugh said. Their goal is to get a combined 18 points out of the three heaviest weight classes and that’s just what Milligan, Crawford and Farabaugh did with the match on the line against the Green Raiders.
Luke Paladino pinned Fooskas in 3:03 at 172 pounds to get the Green Raiders within 18-16.
“He beat me last year at Central League’s like 12-0,” Paladino said. “My goal was to not get pinned. He made his first move and then I got the reversal and kept grinding. I caught him with legs and pinned him.”
The pin gave the Green Raiders a huge lift but the euphoria didn’t last long. Milligan pinned Claudel Pierre-Louis at 189 in 1:42. Crawford needed just 26 seconds to put Jimmy Coskey on his back at 215 and Farabaugh extended the lead to 36-16 with his victory at 285.
Farabaugh is on a pace for 100 wins. He has 88 with the Central League championships coming up Saturday and several other tournaments before the postseason gets under way.
“I saw Chase Barlow do it last year,” Farabaugh said. “He’s the best wrestler I’ve had the pleasure of knowing. I’m trying to make my own mark on the Strath Haven program. That’s my goal.”
Elsewhere in the Central League:
Garnet Valley 66, Harriton 9 >> The Jaguars turned in a dominating performance in their last home match of the season. Garnet Valley racked up nine pins to roll over the Rams.
Dominic May needed just 32 seconds for a pin at 114, Chase Britton recorded a 36-second fall at 152. Nolan Carroll (121), Joe Marino (127), Jacob Dadario (145), Griffin Hays (172) also had first-period pins. Paxton Hunt (139), Matt Mesaros (160) and Patrick Douglas (215) also won by fall for the Jaguars.
In the Del Val League:
Chichester 42, Penn Wood 30 >> Pins by Dylan Peer at 172 and Montana Raymond at 215 sealed the victory for the Eagles.
Peer pinned Mariyatta Idirs in 1:23 to give Chi a 36-21 advantage. Raymond decked Khalil Medina in 1:00 to put the match out of reach. Rich Briggs (133) and Blake Bryant (145) also won by fall for the Eagles.
Caleb Brasby (139), Kehinde Mogaji (152) and Josh Holder (285) all recorded pins for Penn Wood.
