Bangor Slater Wrestling ended its season on a high note both as a team and individually. With an overall record of 15-11, The Slaters proved a force on the mat.

As a team, the Slaters advanced to the quarter-finals of team districts. This is credited to an exciting win in the last seconds of the match against Pottsville in the preliminaries.

With one bout left and Pottsville leading the Slaters 35-30, it meant junior Paulie Mastrogiovanni (145 lbs.) would need a pin to give the Slaters the lead and he delivered the victory.

“We were the underdogs,” Coach Smith said. “It all came down to the last match and Paulie did what we all needed him to do.”

This win took the Slaters to wrestle three more matches in districts before their season came to an end in the quarter-finals against Northampton.

With the team season over, a few Slater wrestlers still had work to do.

The Slaters advanced a school record of five wrestlers from districts to regionals: Seniors Haakon Mathewson (182 lbs.), Eddie Hay (152 lbs.), Tommy Mckeough (285 lbs.), and juniors Joey Schrader (195 lbs.) and Nick Nittoli (220 lbs.).

After a solid showing, Hay, Mckeough, and Nittoli secured a spot in the State Tournament at Hershey March 8-March 10. Unfortunately, none placed, but the experience will stay with them.

“Although my high school wrestling career is over, I can’t help but be thankful for an amazing coaching staff and great teammates! All of my success this past year can only be attributed to them,” Mckeough said.

Smith described his first year as head coach as a “smooth transition” from his past years assisting behind Rick Thompson.

“The senior class definitely helped make my transition into the position of head coach a smooth one,” Smith said. “My first season was successful, and we’re just going to keep improving and growing from here.”

Although the Slaters will be losing some of their strongest wrestlers to graduation, returning to the line up are Schrader, Nittoli, and Mastrogiovanni ready to make an impact their senior year.