Jody Karam knows he has a young team on his hands this winter and some of that youth was on display Saturday night against Parkland, as the Trojans came away with a 49-8 victory at Memorial Gymnasium.

The Hurricanes (1-2) shortcomings on the mat stem from their inexperience and youth this season, which saw them lose all but two bouts Saturday night.

"Obviously, this is the youngest team I have ever coached and with that, the learning curve is steep," Karam said. "We are probably ahead of where I thought we'd be at this point, but nowhere near where I want to be in March.

"The problem with youth and inexperience in inconsistency. We weren't very consistent in our performances over the past week."

John Ritter (138) and KJ Fenstermacher (120) were the lone victors for Liberty, as they both posted major decisions in the meet.

The Trojans were able to pick up bonus points in six of their twelve victories on the night. Despite the loss on Saturday, Karam knows it's part of the learning process for his team this season.

"Parkland is the much more experienced team, but I feel we experienced small victories throughout the meet that we can build on," Karam said. "I knew matches like this would be huge challenges, but I came into this season prepared to embrace the challenge.

"With so much to improve on, the progress is contagious and exciting. The kids are buying into the program and working hard. With everybody on board, I feel the momentum will gain and we will progress faster than our opponents."

That will be put to the test when the Hurricanes host their 21st annual Hurricane Holiday Classic next Sunday and Monday.

"We take a lot of pride in this event," Karam said. "We have people that give up their holiday vacation to come in and volunteer at the tournament. Our tournament committee doesn't cut a corner and truly puts on a first class event. I think this year's team should be a strong individual tournament team, more than any other year."

Meanwhile, Freedom (9-0) could have moved to 10-0 following a Monday night tussle with Dieruff, but that match was past Press deadlines. The Pates are off to one of their best starts ever as a team and will have a chance to showcase their individual grit at the Hurricane Classic next week as well.

"Obviously, it's a very tough tournament," said Pates head coach Brandon Hall. "Our guys have some high goals and individually it gives them a good benchmark and it shows them what they need to improve upon. "This is the only individual tournament we're in before districts and it's important that we understand that and have them prepare."