It all started off with a gutsy performance against the Moon Area Tigers on Tuesday, Feb. 2, a match in which came down to the final two weight classes to see who would win.

The Hawks, who didn’t win, took some much-needed momentum from the loss into their match later that week.

That Thursday, they had another showdown with a team in the North, Shaler.

The Hawks were able to bring the same energy and momentum from earlier that week and put it on display.

To start off the match, freshman Aiden Bench was pinned, giving him his first personal loss of the year. Aiden has been a force for the team all year, and when he doesn’t pull off a win against his opponent, it gets scary for the team.

However, his other phenom-freshman counterpart, Mason Kernan, quickly tied the match back up. From there, it was smooth sailing.

The wrestling team was able to win all but two of the remaining weight class matches, taking home a sweat-less 45-13 win.

To continue their hot streak, they headed back home to get some home-field advantage for another matchup against West Greene, a team that is known for being relentless on the mats.

It was a close one for the Hawks in this showdown. Senior Vinny Riepole started off the match with a forfeit, and it was back and forth from there on out.

Both Aiden Bench and Aidan Puskas were taken down early and gave West Greene a small margin ahead.

Mason Kernan won by technical fall over his opponent to get the Hawks back ahead.

It took a lot of courage and confidence to win this one; the Hawks needed to pull off three of the last four matches to win.

Bryson Bench and A.J. Tomaino both pinned their opponents, giving the Hawks a late lead of 29-24.

A West Greene wrestler, unfortunately, got a hold of junior Dylan Wentz, and he was pinned to give the lead back to Shaler, 30-29.

It was all up to Anthony Zaborowski, who pinned his opponent in the last match to give the Hawks a 35-30 win over West Greene.

Headed into their most recent matchup against Butler, things were looking great for both teams. The Hawks had won their last two matches.

On the other side, the Golden Tornadoes were looking fiery, boasting a strong 12-2 record before the match.

The tempo of this match was a lot different than the others.

Aiden Bench, who lost his last two matches in the Hawks’ last two wins, finally got back in the win column with a pin against his opponent.

Mason Kernan and Rocco Del Greco soon followed with wins of their own.

From here, the Golden Tornadoes went on a sick run to shut down the Hawks, coming back from a 0-17 score. Not a single Bethel Park wrestler was able to secure a win after Del Greco’s technical fall win. The final score of the match was 55-17.

While the most recent matchup was not the best, the Hawks have had many great flashes this season. They definitely have had that core of young star-wrestlers finally gain some experience, as well as some wins.

This coming week, the Hawks are competing in individual post-season play.  We wish the wrestlers good luck!