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Dallas swimming earns sweep of Hazleton Area

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<p>WILKES-BARRE &#8212; Chris Malys didn&#8217;t hide his feelings.</p><p>He was entering his senior season at GAR. It was his final chance to don that blue and silver Grenadier singlet, and hopefully, represent his school in Chocolate Town USA at the state tournament.</p><p>One problem, though. Because of dwindling numbers, it wasn&#8217;t going to happen. GAR wasn&#8217;t going to have a wrestling program in 2016-2017.</p><p>&#8220;Mainly upset. I was angry as well,&#8221; the 195-pounder said. &#8220;I loved wrestling, and GAR wasn&#8217;t going to have a team. I didn&#8217;t know where that kind of left me. We had a lot of questions.&#8221;</p><p>Little did Malys know, a solution was soon on the horizon. An agreement was made between GAR and neighboring Coughlin, both high schools in the Wilkes-Barre Area School District. A co-op where any Grenadier could travel to Crusader country for wrestling.</p><p>Like a wrestler exploding for a single-leg shot on an opponent, a new sense of life existed. There was hope for seniors like Malys.</p><p>&#8220;The only thing I was thinking that this is my senior year, and I wasn&#8217;t even going to have a chance to wrestle. When Coughlin said that we could join their team, I was like, I&#8217;m in. I&#8217;ll do it,&#8221; he said.</p><p>That brings us to today as the two local schools are thriving in the first year of the co-op.</p><p>It&#8217;s a win-win for all sides. It provides new challenges in the room for the Coughlin kids. It gives the GAR boys a home with a full roster of opponents in similar weights.</p><p>GAR&#8217;s numbers aren&#8217;t expected to ever improve, so the co-op looks to a permanent answer.</p><p>It wasn&#8217;t always like that for the Grenadiers. Yes, in the last three years, GAR has had standout athletes reach states. Kids like Saul Wilkins. Zac Faust. A.J Luton.</p><p>Yet, there was always the difficulty of numbers. Take a look at the last dual of the 2015-2016 season against Wyoming Area. The Grenadiers sent out wrestlers in just six weight classes.</p><p>&#8220;I had heard from some that GAR wasn&#8217;t going to have a team, so it wasn&#8217;t too much of a surprise,&#8221; said Malik Burton, a 113-pounder. &#8220;In a way, we were kind of expecting it.&#8221;</p><p>One of those six in the lineup that night was David Virgo.</p><p>He was a 12-match winner at GAR in his junior campaign. He, like Malys, was entering his senior season and didn&#8217;t quite know what to expect.</p><p>&#8220;It was sad at first. Pretty much because you are so used to coming to practice with your teammates and your coaches. But you have to learn to adjust in the real world, and I guess this was going to be part of it,&#8221; said Virgo, who has earned the starting spot at 195 this season. &#8220;I was happy when I found out that we could wrestle at Coughlin. I mean, I love the sport a lot. I was just happy that I could still wrestle.&#8221;</p><p>Dave Parsnik understood it was going to take a few days to get the GAR kids to understand what wrestling at Coughlin meant.</p><p>A new coaching staff. A new practice regime. New drills, and new habits.</p><p>But the head coach also knew the GAR kids would be up for the challenge.</p><p>&#8220;I went over with coach (Frank) Castano because we both coached at GAR years ago. I think it was important as coaches that we go there and explain to them that they are welcome to wrestle here and they will have their opportunities,&#8221; Parsnik said.</p><p>The first day of practice, Parsnik admits, was kind of like a meet-and-greet.</p><p>&#8220;The first thing we did was make everyone introduce themselves, and we talked a little bit about what was going on for the ones that didn&#8217;t know,&#8221; he said. &#8220;Then, we explained that everyone in this room was now part of this team. The first few days, they didn&#8217;t know what to expect. We do things different. It took about three or four days, and they got into the rhythm. This co-op has been good for everyone.&#8221;</p><p>As Tashawn Qualls looked around the wrestling room this week, the GAR junior just nodded his head. The 152-pounder, who has won six matches this season, knows the opportunity to improve is there.</p><p>&#8220;The coaches welcomed us with open arms,&#8221; he said. &#8220;Honestly, I was a little iffy at first. My athletic director at GAR (Simon Peter) came to me and told me that I was a good wrestler and I had to go and make the most of the opportunity. I&#8217;m glad that I did try it because it turned out good. Jake and Josh Brown, those two are always pushing me. Frank Castano is always on me, too. They want to make sure that I&#8217;m not slacking in practice and that I&#8217;m always ready for the next match. It&#8217;s made me a better wrestler.&#8221;</p><p>Last Thursday, the four GAR wrestlers ran into the Coughlin wrestling room and starting their pre-practice warm-up with their new teammates. Together, they mixed in with the Crusaders and started to drill.</p><p>Parsnik walked around the room, working with each kid.</p><p>&#8220;I told them that wrestling is wrestling. I told them that we were going to do things a little different than GAR, but in the end, you still have to practice, wrestle and work to get better each day,&#8221; he said.</p><p>And if one person knew these kids would fight and battle, it&#8217;s Jason Levelle. He was the last head coach at GAR, and is now an assistant coach at Hanover Area.</p><p>&#8220;Sure, it would have been easy for some of those kids to just start walking home and give up the sport,&#8221; Levelle said. &#8220;But they were willing to put in the work. Even though wrestling wasn&#8217;t there anymore, they still had a desire. I&#8217;m proud that those kids took a chance and made the most of the opportunity. Those kids, they want to be there. They have a love and a desire to succeed.</p><p>&#8220;I definitely understand what they were going through. It&#8217;s about uncertainty. The unknown. But I was glad for the opportunity I had to assist at Hanover Area. It&#8217;s a chance to make new friendships and build new relationships. And it&#8217;s the same way with the GAR kids. They have the same opportunities.&#8221;</p><p>Coughlin/GAR have gone 3-3 during the regular season and enter the District 2 Duals Class 3A tournament on Wednesday as the fourth seed. They will likely face Delaware Valley.</p><style>
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<div class="neCaption">GAR wrestlers Tashawn Qualls, left, and David Virgo work on drills during practice at Coughlin High School last week. The Grenadiers weren&#8217;t going to field a wrestling team this season due to low numbers so a co-op with Coughlin was created. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/web1_g_c_wrestling2_faa.jpg</photo0><caption0>GAR wrestlers Tashawn Qualls, left, and David Virgo work on drills during practice at Coughlin High School last week. The Grenadiers weren&#8217;t going to field a wrestling team this season due to low numbers so a co-op with Coughlin was created. </caption0><photoCredit0>Fred Adams | For Times Leader </photoCredit0></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/web1_g_c_wrestling1_faa.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Coughlin and GAR created a co-op for high school wrestling when the Grenadiers&#8217; low numbers meant there would be no program for the 2016-17 season. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo1>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/web1_g_c_wrestling1_faa.jpg</photo1><caption1>Coughlin and GAR created a co-op for high school wrestling when the Grenadiers&#8217; low numbers meant there would be no program for the 2016-17 season. </caption1><photoCredit1>Fred Adams | For Times Leader </photoCredit1></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/web1_g_c_wrestling4_faa.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Tashawn Qualls, top, practices a pinning combination on David Virgo. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo2>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/web1_g_c_wrestling4_faa.jpg</photo2><caption2>Tashawn Qualls, top, practices a pinning combination on David Virgo. </caption2><photoCredit2>Fred Adams | For Times Leader </photoCredit2></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/web1_g_c_wrestling5_faa.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Members of the Coughlin and GAR team have learned to work together in the first year of the co-op. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo3>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/web1_g_c_wrestling5_faa.jpg</photo3><caption3>Members of the Coughlin and GAR team have learned to work together in the first year of the co-op. </caption3><photoCredit3>Fred Adams | For Times Leader </photoCredit3></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/web1_g_c_wrestling3_faa.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">GAR wrestler Malik Burton, right, works out with Coughlin wrestler Jarred Kline. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo4>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/web1_g_c_wrestling3_faa.jpg</photo4><caption4>GAR wrestler Malik Burton, right, works out with Coughlin wrestler Jarred Kline. </caption4><photoCredit4>Fred Adams | For Times Leader </photoCredit4></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>By Tom Fox</p><p>For Times Leader</p></bylineMeta></div>

GAR wrestlers adjust to surroundings at Coughlin