Representatives from North Schuylkill, Pine Grove, Panther Valley, Pottsville, Schuylkill Haven, Tri-Valley, Mahanoy Area, Tamaqua, Blue Mountain, and Williams Valley attended the event. Members of the local media, including T102 Sports Now, the Republican Herald, and Skook News—had the opportunity to interview coaches and athletes, gather preseason insights, and build storylines ahead of opening night.
The event was organized by North Schuylkill Head Coach Corey Fetterolf, who said the annual gathering has already become one of the league’s highlights.
North Schuylkill Head Coach Corey Fetterolf expressed confidence in both his boys and girls teams as he enters the season with more than 30 athletes.
“We lost three full-time starters that are going to be hard to replace, but we’re a very talented junior high team and there’s good young talent coming up,” Fetterolf said. “There are a lot of returners in that room who are ready to take the next step.”
One standout is returning district champion Caden McGraw, whom Fetterolf said immediately jumps out as a team leader.
“He’s the only kid in this entire room who’s a returning district champ. It’s the first time in 19 years North Schuylkill has a district champ coming back in the lineup,” he said.
Fetterolf also highlighted the debut of the school’s first-ever girls team.
“For our first year, we’re super excited—14 or 15 girls. We’re going to come close to filling a lineup for the first time. Some boys teams can’t even do that,” he said. “They’ve been in that room since June. They’re excited. They’re fired up.”
Fetterolf noted that the season will be dedicated to the late Coach Joe Cesari, whose legacy continues to inspire the program.
“Our goals are always to win a Schuylkill League title. If things go the right way, it should happen again,” he said.
New Schuylkill Haven Head Coach Brandon Costenbader steps into the top role with deep roots in the program.
“I’ve coached these kids since some of them were four years old,” he said. “Before this program would die at our school, it would have to step over my dead body.”
With only one senior and three juniors, Haven enters the season young—but optimistic.
“There’s a new buzz and a new energy. Our team is very young, but we’re bottom heavy with underclassmen, which is exciting because there’s room for growth,” Costenbader said.
Costenbader said Haven measures success beyond team scores.
“We may not put big numbers on the scoreboard, but we look at growth - where we started and where we ended. That’s our win,” he said.
Costenbader emphasized that wrestling builds character.
“If you want to prove to yourself that you can do hard things—be a wrestler,” he said. “Every day we push a little further. That builds the mental toughness it takes to be successful in life.”
Tamaqua Head Coach Tom McCabe, entering his 22nd year across multiple stints, said his program is small in size but rich in potential.
“My very first year we had a very small team, but good wrestlers. This year is fairly similar,” McCabe said. “We graduated seven kids and numbers dipped, but our junior high and elementary numbers are up. It’s going to take time.”
McCabe, who also coaches other sports at Tamaqua, said wrestling remains his true passion.
“It’s the hardest sport in the world—mentally and physically. If you learn to challenge yourself through that, the rest of your life seems easy,” he said.
McCabe emphasized a philosophy centered on mission, not wins.
“We don’t say the word ‘win.’ I don’t believe in goals, I believe in a mission,” he explained. “Our mission is to make kids as successful as possible. That comes from intentional learning, intentional practice, and doing the mundane basics perfectly.”
He said character development is at the core of Tamaqua’s program.
“If you don’t have your base moves in wrestling, you’ll never be good. Same in life. If you walk out of that room with good character, that’s all we can ask,” McCabe said.
With the addition of girls wrestling teams in the league, this year’s Media Day showcased the continuing expansion of the sport across Schuylkill County.
Coaches agreed that wrestling teaches discipline, resilience, and work ethic—life lessons they hope will draw more students to the mat.
Fetterolf summed it up simply:
“You don’t know what wrestling is until you see it. Once you come out and experience it, it lights a fire."