While most people were exercising their jawbones over the holidays, indulging in all sorts of goodies, the Whitehall wrestling team was involved in a different kind of exercise.

Theirs required strength, stamina and endurance as they tried to outlast their opponents at the Jim Thorpe High School Christmas Tournament held Dec. 27.

It was an individual round robin tournament that featured 10 teams from eastern Pennsylvania. Among those participating were North Schuylkill High School, Wilson Area High School, Bangor Area High School, Berwick Area High School, Williams Valley Jr./Sr. High School, West Philadelphia High School, Delaware County Christian High School, Harriton High School, Jim Thorpe High School and Whitehall High School. The tourney was won by Bangor Area High School, winning seven of the 14 weight classes.

Head coach Tim Cunningham said that the Zephyrs finished third. He said that while they had a good meet, there are still areas they need to address moving forward.

"We wrestled well but still have things to work on and improve as a team," said Cunningham. "We need to make sure guys are not only physically and technically ready to wrestle but also mentally ready before they go out and wrestle."

The Zephs crowned one champion at the tourney as Matt Schuler placed first at 138, winning five matches to claim the title. His final win was a pin against Williams Valley's Jason Chamberlain in 3:40. Schuler had pinned all but one of his opponents en route to the gold, with that match resulting in a medical forfeit.

Finishing second for the Zephs were Robert Tully at 152, Brad Schuler at 170, Joe Gladish at 195 and Edgardo Rivera at Heavyweight. The Zephs also had two third-place finishers with Noah Rex capturing bronze at 113, along with John Kaintz at 145.

The tourney served as another step in preparing Whitehall for the postseason. Cunningham has always stressed that he wants his wrestlers to peak at the end of the year when tournament time rolls around. These tourneys help get his athletes acclimated to the rigors of wrestling multiple matches throughout the day.

He said this was a good test for his wrestlers as they now look to get back to their dual meet schedule in the Eastern Pennsylvania Conference.

"The competition was pretty good and I think our guys are slowly making the improvements they need to make before the postseason," said Cunningham.