Fox Chapel Area head wrestling coach Michael Frank has a lot to be happy about going into the 2022-2023 season. He has nearly 50 student-athletes participating this year, including eight girls. Plus, the team boasts a good mix of experienced wrestlers, athletes who are new to the sport and have caught on quickly, and a lot of underclassmen who gained experience through the youth and Dorseyville Middle School programs.
Providing the team with a solid foundation are four wrestlers who medaled at sectionals last year: senior Trevor Katz, juniors Josh Alexander and Alex Kaufmann, and sophomore Michael Worsen. Trevor placed third (172), and Josh (126), Alex (145), and Michael (106) all finished fourth.
There are also quite a few wrestlers who gained experience last year including, senior Milo Wright and sophomores Youssef Abdelsalam, Milo Chiu, and Landon Funk.
“A lot of our guys are still developing some of their techniques to match the high school level of wrestling and are getting used to wrestling more mature, stronger individuals,” the coach says of his younger athletes. “We know that a good handful of them will have a really big impact on our team this year. They are already making an impact in the practice room, pushing our team to get better.”
In all, there are 19 returning athletes from last year’s team, two others who competed at the high school level two years ago and have returned this season, and 10 who are new to the sport. Out of nine freshmen, seven of them started with the youth program. Another 33 athletes have had experience with the program at different levels.
Some of the growth has sprouted from the best kind of advertising of all – word-of-mouth encouragement from peers. The coaches also made a concerted effort to meet with and encourage some football players to participate as a way to cross-train.
There has also been a swell in the number of girls this season, and coach Frank is very optimistic about the increase.
“We currently have eight girls on our roster, and those numbers are very encouraging,” coach Frank says. “The plan for them is to wrestle in as many matches as possible against other female wrestlers if the other teams have girls that are of similar size.”
The coaches met with the girls and their parents before the season started, along with some other area wrestling coaches, to promote a possible future Fox Chapel Area girls wrestling team. The PIAA is considering the proposition.
“What we are experiencing is just remarkable,” coach Frank adds. “It is really exciting, and we are off to a great start.”
In addition to head coach Michael Frank, the other coaches are John Baxter and Trevor Hartless. Hunter Baxter, Ron Frank, and Tim Frank all serve as volunteer coaches.