Coach Shirk congratulates Josh Jones on his 5th Place finish.
Chad Shirk, the winningest coach in Saucon Valley High School wrestling history, has just returned from the 2017 PIAA State Championships in Hershey. Saucon Source was able to catch up with him and ask a few questions. Check out what he had to say!
Q: Saucon Valley finished the PIAA State tournament 12th overall with 46 points. Reynolds finished 1st with 136.5. What does Saucon Valley have to do in order to compete consistently at the state level?
A: We need to continue having our wrestlers commit themselves to improving in the off-season. We have a lot of kids signed up to compete at high school nationals in two weeks and many more going to other tournaments. Pennsylvania wrestling is the best in the country and we will continue to work hard and provide our wrestlers with training opportunities so one day they can reach their goals of competing at the highest level possible.
Saucon senior Devin Fontanez earned the Pinner award at the 2017 PIAA Championships.
Q: Were you aware that Devin Fontanez was in the running for the PIAA “Pinner” award at the PIAA state tournament? Did it surprise you at all that he won the award?
A: Devin’s entire career was about pinning. When you have four pins in the state tournament, we knew he was in the running for it.
Q: What can you say about the success of senior Devin Fontanez? What will you miss most about him?
A: As a coach, it is a great feeling knowing you are not only sending a great wrestler onto the mat, but also one that will probably pick up bonus points for the team. Devin had an amazing career. He missed an entire season (due to injury) and still was a 100 match winner, two time district champion and two time state place winner.
Devin Fontanez celebrates another victory in the 2017 PIAA state tourney.
Q: What characteristic does Devin possess from which a younger wrestler could benefit?
A: One of Devin’s best characteristic’s that our younger kids could benefit from is that he was never afraid of anyone. When he stepped out onto the mat he truly believed he would win. A lot of kids worry about who they are wrestling and what newspapers say; Devin is the exact opposite. He thrived under the pressure and loved the challenges he faced. He looked forward to wrestling the best and he gave it everything he had each and every time. He never held back.
Panther coaches Chad Shirk and Tommy Rohn reviewing the game plan.
Q: This senior class has a big part in bringing home an awful lot of accolades and hardware for Saucon Valley the past four years. What can you say about their contributions to your program? Is there an element that they have that could serve as inspiration for the next generation of Saucon wrestlers?
A: Every senior class is special. This senior class was special because we had a mix of kids that had a lot of varsity wrestling experience along with some that just made the team this year. In today’s day and age, it is easy for kids to quit when they don’t make the starting line-up, but fortunately for our team, we had kids that stuck with it and continued to work hard through the years. Their work ethic and determination was a key success for us winning our 5th consecutive Colonial League title and second straight District XI championship. As a coach, you love to see kids that overcome challenges and work hard to make themselves and their teammates better.
The 2017 Saucon senior wrestlers and their parents being honored.
Q: What now? Will you take any time off and recharge? What is next for you and Saucon Valley wrestling?
A: There really is not time to recharge. Our coaching staff is already looking forward to the next season. In two weeks we will be running open rooms for all of our wrestlers from youth all the way up to high school. We had a lot of kids that came to districts, regionals, and states to watch incredible wrestling. We have kids that want to be champions and it is our job to do everything in our power to get them to reach their full potential. If our wrestlers take advantage of the open rooms and commit to off-season training, I believe we can continue to have success at Saucon Valley.
Sophomore Josh Jones and the Panther coaching staff on deck in Hershey.