It may not have been the finish Matt Bonshak envisioned at the start of the season, but when it ended last week at Liberty's Memorial Gymnasium, the senior wrestler concluded an extraordinary career at Whitehall High School.

In a scenario that was reminiscent of the District XI tournament, Bonshak once again faced Northampton's Bobby Fehr in the semifinals of the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association Northeast Regional AAA Tournament.

Bonshak said that all week he and the coaching staff had been preparing for this rematch, working on ways to topple the pesky Kid and make it into the finals.

"We worked a little in the practice room on how to attack [Fehr], and really control the match in my style," said Bonshak.

So when the two were about to lock horns again in the semis, Bonshak was looking forward to the bout.

"All I was thinking was, I just wanted to wrestle my match against Fehr," said Bonshak. "I wanted to work my shots and control the tie-ups."

It was another tough bout between these two talented grapplers, and when the final whistle sounded, Fehr emerged with a 6-2 victory.

Bonshak said he tried to implement his game plan, using the techniques he practiced in anticipation of a rematch.

"Unfortunately, it didn't work out the way I wanted it to," he said.

With the finals no longer in his grasp, he had to concentrate on getting to the consolation match and earn a trip to Hershey.

"I tried to refocus and regroup and get to the third-place match," said Bonshak. "I needed to win that to advance to states."

Bonshak would be facing Lucas Markowitz from Delaware Valley High School who was 34-10 heading into the regional tournament.

It proved to be another close bout, with Markowitz earning a grueling 6-5 victory that ended Bonshak's goal of making it back to the PIAA tourney.

While it was his objective to make it back to Hershey this season and hopefully place, Bonshak said he's been "lucky."

His disappointment was mitigated by a sensational varsity career that saw him win 111 matches. He also was the District XI and Regional AAA champ last year at 160, and was a inspirational leader among a group of young wrestlers who became an extended family.

"Last year things kind of fell into place, and that was a great ride," said Bonshak. "This year's weight class was deep…and it just didn't play out like it did last year."

With the 160-pound class stacked with nationally ranked wrestlers, Bonshak said it would have been "cool" to see how he would fare against some of the country's elite in high school wrestling.

Still, he left a legacy that will resonate throughout the program well into the future. While his talent on the mat has earned him many accolades, his demeanor and comportment as a student athlete impresses head coach Tim Cunningham the most.

"Matthew has accomplished great things on and off the mat throughout his high school career," said Cunningham. "He always wrestles to the best of his ability and leads by example at all times.

"He finished short this weekend on the mat, but when it comes down to class, integrity and sportsmanship he is by far the most impressive wrestler I have ever had the opportunity to coach. He is a person you only are lucky enough to coach once in a life time and I am glad our coaching staff had that opportunity over the last four years."

Cunningham said that what they learn about themselves through wrestling is the most important aspect of the sport, and not the just the victories.

"We do not measure success only by wins and losses; we look at what each wrestler learned from the sport of wrestling to make them better prepared for their future endeavors," said Cunningham. "I am sure I learned just as much from Matthew in many ways as he learned from us. Matthew is always thankful for what he has and has always worked hard for where he wants to be in the future."

Cunningham also said that he's benefited from the relationship in a number of ways, noting how he and his uncle Doug Bonshak, who is an assistant coach, interact.

"As I observe the two of them working together, I try to learn things from their relationship, so I can use the same methods with my son in the sport of wrestling and life in general."

The departing senior leaves a true sense of sportsmanship that will reverberate more than the wins, said Cunningham.

"When it comes to measuring success Matthew stands on top of the medal stand in my eyes. My last and most meaningful words about Matthew would be the greatest thing I can say about any person: I hope my son learned from Matthew the last few years and observed Matthew who always demonstrated good honorable character: Integrity, class, sportsmanship, self-discipline, drive, determination, commitment, humility, compassion, unselfishness, loyalty, trustworthy, caring, honesty, fair-mindedness and always has strong ethical attitudes."

As for Bonshak, he said his career was boosted by his wrestling brothers who made it all worthwhile, supporting him, encouraging him, and, in essence, becoming part of his family.

"That's what really kept me going," said Bonshak.