Boys Athlete of the year – Gavin Teasdale

Gavin Teasdale’s final dinner in Hershey in March included wings with a side order of spectacular success.

Holly Tonini/Observer-Reporter
Jefferson-Morgan’s Gavin Teasdale warms up during a recent practice before the start of his senior season.
Teasdale capped an amazing run in the PIAA Class AA Wrestling Championships with his fourth gold-medal winning performance, a 2-0 decision over Joshua Jones of Saucon Valley in the 126-pound finals at the Giant Center.
Teasdale became only the 13th wrestler in tournament history to win four titles.
Teasdale finished the season with a 40-2 record and a was a school-record 162-2 in his career.
“It’s been my goals,” Teasdale said after the win over Jones.
The other 12 four-time champions are James Conklin of Waynesburg (70-0-1, 1940-43), Jerry Maurey of Clearfield (67-0, 1947-50), Mike Johnson of Lock Haven (84-0, 1958-610, Matt Gerhard of Catasaqua (127-3, 1981-84), Ty Moore of North Allegheny (146-1, 1987-90), John Hughes of Benton (142-2-1, 1988-91), Cary Kolat of Jefferson-Morgan (137-0, 1989-92), Bob Crawford of Milton (138-2, 1990-93), Jeremy Hunter of McGuffey (172-2, 1993-96), Jim Gulibon of Derry (136-4, 2009-13), Chance Marsteller of Kennard Dale (166-0, 2011-14) and Thomas Haines of Solanco (174-5, 2011-14).
“You can’t ask to go out any better,” said J-M head coach Mike Lesko. “With Gavin, you ask is Jefferson-Morgan ever going to have a kid who is going to dedicate his life (to wrestling) again? That’s what he did. He lived and died and trained wrestling for J-M. He could have gone other places but he stayed.”
Teasdale’s other state finals opponents were Austin Clabaugh of Bermudian Springs, who lost a 13-5 major decision at 120 pounds last year; Kollin Myers of Boiling Springs, who lost by technical fall, 23-8, at 113 pounds two years ago; and Aaron Burkett of Chestnut Ridge, who was Teasdale’s first victim, losing 4-2 in the 106-pound finals.
“People tend to come in here and look around and freeze up,” Teasdale said. “They don’t wrestle their own style, like they would in their own gym. I just go out there and wrestle the exact same way.”
Teasdale flirted with an undefeated varsity season. But those dreams came to an end in the Powerade Christmas Wrestling Tournament, where he lost a 4-3 decision to Beau Bartlett of Wyoming Seminary, 4-3, in the 126-pound finals. Another loss came later in the season, 8-4, to Caleb Rea of Weir (W.Va.), 8-4, in the 132-pound finals at the Buckeye Local Classic.
Teasdale has higher goals, such as NCAA championships and Olympic gold medal. That challenge gets underway this summer and next fall, when he enters Penn State University.
“I can’t wait to make the (U.S.) world team,” he said. “My main goal is to make the world team and win a world title. Then, I’ll go wrestle at Penn State and have some fun.”