Western Wayne wrestlers looking to step up in District Two and Division II

VARDEN — Western Wayne is coming off another solid season on the high school wrestling scene.

The Wildcats battled their way to an overall record of 14-7, including a 5-2 mark in Division II of the Lackawanna League. The local lads also qualified for District Duals, but were eliminated by Honesdale in the Class AA semifinals.

Line of Succession

After the season, it was announced that former Wildcat star Josh Harrison would be taking over as head coach. He succeeds Kevin Roginski and Scott Rush.

“I’m extremely excited for this opportunity,” Coach Harrison said. “We have a great group of kids this year and a great staff as well.”

Western Wayne will open up its dual meet season next Wednesday, December 7 on the road at Wallenpaupack Area.

The ‘Cats then head out to Athens High School the following weekend for the Jarvis Invitational Tournament. There, they’ll square off with the likes of Wilkes Barre Area, West Scranton and Mid Valley.

Action gets underway at Saturday morning at 10 a.m.

On-Mat Leadership

When the Wildcats hit the mat for the first time this year at Paupack, they’ll be hoping to generate some early season momentum.

Coach Harrison’s squad faces an uphill battle in Division II this winter since archrival Honesdale and defending champion Lackawanna Trail are both loaded once again.

“I’m hoping to see the kids come out and really compete,” he said. “I’ve been preaching to keep pressure on their opponent and constantly look to score.”

Jake Leslie will be leading the charge for Western Wayne this year. A talented junior who missed his sophomore season due to injury, Leslie took bronze at the District 2 tournament as a frosh.

Leslie appears to be back at full strength and should make key contributions at both 138 and 145 this winter. He’s also expected to provide leadership on and off the mat.

“Jake leads be example,” Coach Harrison said. “He’s not the most vocal kid in the room, but he’s always working hard. And on the mat he’s definitely a competitor.

“Jake is excellent at chain wrestling. Even when put in a bad situation, he finds ways to shift the tide into his favor and score.”

In addition to Leslie, Coach Harrison is pleased to welcome back a solid group of battle-tested seniors: Nick Arcadipane (152), Micheal Smith (132), Tommi Vizcaino (130), Eriana Figueroa (145), Talan Seana (285), Adam Januszkiewicz (172/189).

Also back in the fold are several talented juniors, each of whom saw time in the starting line-up last year: Lexi DeSiato (106), Vinny Tomasetti (106/113), Landon Morcom (126), Liam Farley (132), Tyler Barletta (138/145).

“We have a very strong core of lighter weights and I’m hoping our heavier weights follow suit,” Coach Harrison said. “There are only six seniors on the team, so we’re still pretty young.”

A New Era Dawns

Harrison was a standout multi-sport athlete during his high school years.

Josh was a two-time district medalist in wrestling who compiled a career record of 90-25. He also dazzled on the football field, amassing career totals of 3,391 yards and 38 touchdowns, good for third in Western Wayne history.

Following graduation in the Spring of 2011, Harrison attended Mansfield University where he played two seasons of Sprint Football. Then, he enlisted in the Army and served his country for eight years.

Josh returned home after his discharge and began working at Signode in South Canaan. He’s immersed himself in the local sports scene, coaching youth baseball, football and wrestling while also serving as a varsity assistant.

Harrison is excited about the potential of this year’s squad. The Wildcats boast solid numbers, good chemistry and an excellent blue collar work ethic.

“At our first practice I had the kids write down their individual goals and team goals for the year,” he said. “The unanimous goal was to beat Honesdale and the second was to win districts.

“So we’ll be pushing every day to win team districts. But in order to do that, we have to beat Honesdale.”

The Wildcats and Hornets face off on Wednesday, January 4 at the venerable Varden Garden. Last year’s match was all Honesdale as the Red & Black pounded out a lopsided 47-15 victory.

When asked about the race for this year’s Class AA crown, Coach Harrison believes that it will be the usual suspects competing for the crown.

“Lackawanna Trail and Honesdale are the obvious choices,” he said. “They’ve been tough for years. They both have great programs and coaching staffs. So, they will definitely be tough again this year.”

This article originally appeared on Tri-County Independent: Lackawanna League Wrestling Western Wayne Wildcats Josh Harrison