Northwestern sophomore Chase Sukanick found his stride last weekend at the Coal Cracker Wrestling Tournament at Lehighton High School and Elementary School.

After spending the season at 160 and 152 pounds, Sukanick dropped to 147 for the weekend and powered his way to the championship match.

“I think I wrestled my best all season,” Sukanick said.

His path to the final was built on control and confidence — two quick pins, two technical falls and a major decision in the semifinals. That set up a title bout with Montgomery’s Brandt Harer, one of the nation’s premier lightweights.

Harer, a Rutgers commit, is a two-time PIAA state champion and three time state finalist with nearly 200 career wins.

Harer won by technical fall, ending Sukanick’s run through the bracket.

“I just came in to wrestle my best,” Sukanick said. “I didn’t expect to wrestle as good as I did.”

The timing of the performance matters.

Sukanick, now 18-11, is just a sophomore and played a key role on Northwestern’s football team, which reached the PIAA state championship game for the third straight year and played into December. That meant a late transition to wrestling and weeks spent regaining conditioning.

“I had a rough start getting into shape, but these last couple weeks I’ve been feeling a lot better,” he said. “This tournament made me feel ready. Getting second here definitely gives me a boost going into team districts and districts. If I wrestle like this, I think I’ll be good for states.”

Rather than tightening up against elite competition, he embraced the stage.

“When I wrestle good kids, I just go out there and have fun.”

Northwestern’s Nolan Koehler’s tournament told a story of response and growth.

The sophomore, now 24-7 on the season, rebounded from a quarterfinal loss to Hazleton Area’s Tyler Youngcourt by working back through consolations and defeating Youngcourt 13-6 in their rematch to place fifth at 162 pounds.

Koehler was also part of Northwestern’s football team and entered wrestling season coming off a long fall campaign.

Koehler also qualified for states last year with a fifth-place regional finish, and said the biggest difference now is how he handles adversity.

“Finishing with a win was big,” Koehler said. “I’ve improved a lot in taking losses and turning them into me wanting to wrestle those matches again.”

“I was more aggressive and kept it at my pace,” he added.

Northwestern’s Weston Killar (sixth place at 129). Vinnie Fugazzotto (seventh at 174) and Trent Croll (eighth at 147) also made deep runs at the Coal Cracker Tournament.

Three-time defending PIAA 2A champion Faith Christian won the team title with 265.5 points, well ahead of Germantown Academy (166.5) and Central Dauphin (162.5) in second and third, respectively. Northwestern (113) finished tied for 12th.

The Tigers capped their regular season dual meet schedule last Wednesday a 49-23 win over Northern Lehigh. Mackenzie Case, Weston Killar, Noah Griffith and Trent Croll won matches by fall for the Tigers, while Adam Griffith earned a win by major decision and Vinnie Fugazzotto won by decision. Logan Heeps, Cooper Smith and Nolan Koehler picked up wins by forfeits.

The Tigers have qualified for the District 11 Team Championships and will likely be the No. 3 for that event, which is scheduled for Saturday at Freedom High School. As of Wednesday morning, North Schuylkill held the top spot in the Class 2A team rankings, with Tri-Valley second, Northwestern third and Saucon Valley, the defending champ, the likely fourth seed.