3A Wrestling Team Of The Year: Parkland

by By Mark Wogenrich of The Morning CAll

Posted on March 26, 2010

The rest would have been nice, but Parkland's primary goal this season was a District 11 team title. Said junior Tarik Haddad when the moment arrived: ''It's nice to finally get a gold medal instead of all that silver.''

Parkland, The Morning Call's 3A wrestling team of the year, entered the season with high expectations. Returning much of a roster that won 14 of its last 15 dual matches last year, the Trojans pegged this as their year to break through. Still, the season was studded with almosts.

Parkland took a 17-0 record into its Jan. 30 match against Nazareth, which won that showdown 29-24 to claim the Lehigh Valley Conference title. A week later, the Trojans fell to Easton 28-21 in the District 11 team duals final. And five days after that, Parkland lost to Central Dauphin 41-28 in the PIAA duals championship match.

But those losses were swept away Feb. 28, when Parkland overwhelmed the field to claim its first District 11 team title in school history. Three wrestlers (Haddad, Mike Ottinger and Wade Rivera) won individual titles, and 11 Trojans advanced to regionals. Further, Parkland became the first team other than Easton, Nazareth or Northampton to win a district title since 1982.

''For Parkland, it was quite an accomplishment,'' head coach Ryan Nunamaker said. ''When I came to the program, I said that to be considered among the elites, you have to win a district championship. Our goal this season was really simple: Win a district title. Anything else would have been a failure.''

The next step is remaining among the elites. Parkland graduates six seniors, including regional qualifiers Rivera, Brandon Davis, Mike Kistler and Andy Moore. But 16 underclassmen return, and Nunamaker is eager to see what his crop of incoming freshmen can do.

''One of the things I told the kids and parents was, we're not building the program to be a one-hit wonder,'' Nunamaker said. ''Our goal is to repeat and win a district championship next year. Obviously, it will be difficult, but we're certainly capable of doing that. If you want to be recognized as one of those elite programs, you have to be able to sustain that excellence.''

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