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LEHIGH VALLEY WEATHER

LHS enjoys historic week

Liberty's wrestling team is coming off one of their most memorable weeks in Jody Karam's 21 year tenure.

A win over Easton coupled with a weekend title at Virginia Duals has left the Hurricanes with a 13-1 mark, the best ever under Karam and yet there's still things to prove.

Liberty hosts Nazareth (6-2) tonight in a key Lehigh Valley Conference showdown and one that Karam is looking forward to.

After a week where Liberty's emotions were on high, the 'Canes have to tame their recent success in preparation for a visit from a talented Nazareth squad that is looking for redemption after getting walloped by Bethlehem Catholic last week.

"I know they are a much better team than what they showed against Bethlehem Catholic," said Karam in reference to Becahi's 40-17 win over Nazareth last week. "I think Nazareth is on a mission now to show people that they're a better team than how they performed against Becahi."

And that mission will pit them in a battle against Liberty, where the Hurricanes, despite their recent success, will enter as underdogs.

"I think all the kids are confident based off what we've done as of late," said Karam, "but we're going to have to earn everything against Nazareth. They're going to be favored in a lot of matchups and we're going to take a positive approach going into this match."

Positive vibes are exuding from the Liberty program, as they've hit multiple milestones this season, starting with a road win at Northampton in December followed by last week's 35-27 victory over the Rovers, giving Karam and the programs first win over Easton since 1991.

Liberty trailed 27-19 heading into their final three bouts of the night with Orlando Miller (182), Noah Klingborg (195) and Jake Gunning (220) responsible for the comeback.

The senior trio did so in emphatic fashion, as Miller and Klingborg each recorded falls to give Liberty a 31-27 lead, while Gunning topped the night off with an 11-1 major decision to solidify a very special night at Memorial Gymnasium.

"That was definitely a program win," said Karam. "Anytime you can beat Easton, it's special. It showed that we are working on getting to the next level as a program."

And Liberty continued to prove that in Virginia, taking home the team title in the American Division by defeating Peters Township (PA) 44-18 in the finals to grab their first title at the tournament in 10 years.

"We've been in the finals of the tournament the past two years, so it was very cool to win," said Karam. "I don't think we ever really expected this team to win the title when we came into the year, but they have worked hard for everything.

"I think they appreciate their success more than anyone because nobody gave them anything."