Even though they took some lumps, Catasauqua’s wrestling team was satisfied with their showing at the recent PIAA District 11 Class 2A team tournament.

“I think we had a good tournament and it was a great way to finish this part of the season,” said head coach Kyle Rusnock, whose team recorded a 2-2 record in four bouts. “It was one of our goals to make districts and they accomplished a number of things. I am proud of our effort.”

The Roughies began the tournament seeded ninth and opened with an impressive 54-30 win over North Schuylkill before they were ambushed by Saucon Valley, 71-0. They responded with a 42-30 victory over Notre Dame and ended the day with a 49-21 loss to Pine Grove.

From there, the Roughies will sit and wait until the District 11 individual tournament begins Feb. 24. Rusnock expects to see seniors Ryan Greene, Tyler Melendez, Ben Nosal, and Tyler Youssef to have solid tournaments as well as the remainder of his budding lineup.

“We have a lot of guys with experience,” he said. “District 11 is one of the best regions in the state as well as the country. Our guys are getting better and better. It is a long year, but our guys have gained confidence and have become more comfortable.”

Rusnock also likes the current status of his lineup, one that has been in question throughout the season.

“Our lineup has come together,” he said. “We like what we have right now. This is not only a team, but also a family. Everyone takes care of each other. We have risen to the occasion when we’ve needed to, and we have handled adversity well.

“We believe in each other and our seniors have stepped it up.”

Rusnock stated the team will look for some scrimmages over the next few weeks to face some competition outside of their wrestling room. Overall, he likes his team’s chances in districts and beyond. The top four wrestlers at districts will advance to regionals the following week.

“I think we’ll do okay,” he said. “We have a very good chance to place some guys pretty high and push them through to the next level. We have a number of kids who have an opportunity to do some things.”