The Saucon Valley Wrestling Club said their final goodbye to the 2020 grads (Braydyn Lugardo, Matt Arciuolo, Kevin Dyer, Nick Warnke, Thomas Spirk, Caylin Markle, Dane Csencsits) and celebrated another season of program success.
On Monday, dozens of guests travelled to the Steel Club for an evening set aside specifically to safely celebrate another great year of Saucon Valley Wrestling. Hosted by the Saucon Valley Wrestling Club, members of the youth, middle school and varsity programs along with their families and friends took time to break bread and share some pre-COVID memories from the 2019-2020 season. It didn’t matter that the season-ending tradition was postponed due to coronavirus, a three-and-a-half month delay did nothing to dampen the spirits of those in attendance. The feeling of a tight knit, family atmosphere was still evident even though masks and social distancing were a part of the night’s protocol.
Saucon Valley Wrestling Club Board
- President: Dave Spirk
- Vice-President: Ben Chunko
- Secretary: Mike Jones
- Treasurer: Chris Csencsits
- Member-at-Large: Mark Nicholas
- Volunteer Committee: Kelly Chunko, KerryAnn Csencsits, Denise Dyer, Sarah Grogg, Chrystal Hill, Minh Hubert, Karen Jones, Lisa Pfizenmayer, Stacy Werkheiser
Saucon Valley Wrestling Club President Dave Spirk introduces Mrs. Gary.
Saucon Valley High School principal, Ms. Tamara Gary, was warmly welcomed as the banquet’s guest speaker. Drawing upon her own experiences as a student-athlete and being the kid-sister of a Catasauqua wrestler, it seemed easy for Gary to connect with Saucon Valley’s world of wrestling. Gary shared that she learned the ropes of wrestling from Matt Gerhard’s mother. Gerhard is a 4x PIAA State Champ (1981-1984) from Catty. Ms. Gary also pointed to the value of the Wrestling Club’s K-12 make-up as a key component in the fabric of the Saucon Valley community.
Saucon Valley Youth Wrestling 2020 Highlights
- 11-4 Overall Record in the 36 team Valley Elementary Wrestling League (VEWL)
- South-Central Division Champs with a 5-0 record
- Carter Chunko (76) VEWL Champ 2020
- Gavin Chunko (61) 5th Place VEWL
- Luke Chunko (58) 6th Place VEWL
- Taylor Rohn (64) 6th Place VEWL
- Brady Rohn (70) 6th Place VEWL
- Mack Santoro (73) 6th Place VEWL
Saucon Valley Junior High Wrestling 2020 Highlights
- 9th Place finish in District XI team tournament (42 AA & AAA schools)
- Aiden Grogg (94) 2nd Place District XI junior high tournament
- Cole Hubert (80) 2nd Place District XI junior high tournament
- Jared Rohn (138) 3rd Place District XI junior high tournament
- Mason Beckowski (138) 5th Place District XI junior high tournament
- Ronnie Werkheiser (145) 5th Place District XI junior high tournament
Saucon Valley high school wrestling coach Chad Shirk recalling another great season.
2019-2020 Saucon Valley High School Wrestling Highlights
- 1st Place 2019 Top-Hat team tournament (12/7/2019)
- Notre Dame Green Pond ended Saucon’s run of 75 straight Colonial League dual meets (12/10/2019)
- 18th Place 2019 Beast of the East (12/22/2019)
- 4th Place 2019 Bethlehem Holiday Classic (12/29/2019)
- 1st Place 2020 Big Red Duals (1/11/2020)
- Runner-up 2020 Colonial League Tournament. Notre Dame ended Saucon streak at seven consecutive titles. (1/27/20)
- 2020 District XI Champions. Saucon defeated Notre Dame 33-30 (2/1/20)
- 4th Place overall at 2020 PIAA team championships (2/8/20)
- 1st Place District XI individual championships. Saucon Valley advanced 13 wrestlers to SE Regional. (2/22/20)
- 1st Place PIAA SE Regional tournament. Saucon Valley advanced 10 wrestlers to States. (2/29/20)
- 8th Place overall at the 2020 PIAA State Championships
- State Placewinners
- 2nd Place Matt Arciuolo
- 3rd Place Dane Csencsits
- 7th Place Nick Warnke
- State Placewinners
Freshman Jake Jones (42-8) was selected as the Panthers Rookie of the Year.
Senior Dane Csencsits (140-47) was honored as being Saucon Valley’s 2020 Most Improved wrestler.
Thomas Spirk (103-45) was one of two Panthers honored as Outstanding Senior.
Nick Warnke (95-25) was another Outstanding Senior.
Senior Matt Arciuolo (100-10) was selected as Saucon Valley’s Most Outstanding Wrestler for the 2019-2020 season.
Dane Csencsits and Thomas Spirk were selected by the Bowers family for the 2020 Mom-Wow award.
Good luck Panthers, the Source is with you!
