Freshmen Wrestlers Provided Valuable Depth to Thomas Jefferson's Wrestling Lineup

The Jaguars recently dominated the Allegheny County Wrestling Championships, producing three individual champions and running away with a team title, but the Jaguars showed their total depth by having two freshmen earn medals at 114 pounds

The Thomas Jefferson wrestling team poses with their medals following the Allegheny County Wrestling Tournament Jan. 18 at Fox Chapel High School. / Michael Ladick

Thomas Jefferson freshman Dominic Cadwallader sported an easy record to remember entering the Allegheny County Wrestling Championships last weekend in Pennsylvania. Cadwallader entered the 114-pound bracket with zero wins and zero losses on his ledger.

However, Jaguars coach Michael Ladick believed in Cadwallader's potential when he chose the freshman wrestler as one of his five extra entries in the tournament. Since Ladick took over at Thomas Jefferson in 2015, he had many plans to raise the profile of the program.

One of the core tenets of Ladick’s strategy is to keep all of the wrestlers in the program active on the mats. Cadwallader impressed Ladick by training consistently at the Division I Training Center, a club run by Jaguars assistant coach James Fleming.

“He probably had 10 or 11 junior varsity matches,” Ladick said. “He’s putting in the extra work, he never says a word, never bats an eye. Two or three times a week, he is down at Snappers working. He found his opportunity this weekend and capitalized.”

Cadwallader responded by winning five matches and placing sixth. After losing his initial bout to the eventual runner-up, North Allegheny’s Charlie LaQuatra, Cadwallader won five straight matches, including three pins.

“I didn’t expect to place at all, honestly,” said Cadwallader, who is now 5-3 on the season. “I did have faith I would make it to the second day. I’m proud of myself for being on the podium as a freshman. It’s a big goal of mine. I didn’t know if I was going to place at any tournaments or go to any tournaments.”

The Jaguars finished with a tournament record 292.5 points and won the team title at the event for the second time in school history.  Bethel Park finished second with 231.5 points. The Jaguars are hoping the influx of young wrestlers, coupled with their experienced upperclassmen, will allow them to make a big splash in the potseason.

Freshmen earn opportunities

Cadwallader isn’t the only Thomas Jeffeson wrestler to take advantage of opportunities to participate on varsity as a freshman. Robert Cordova, who is the Jaguars’ starter at 114 pounds, regularly trains with Cadwallader and also medaled at counties.

Cordova, who is 16-7 this season, finished third.

“Dom and I have wrestled off before,” Cordova said. “He’s pushed me in certain positions, and I’ve pushed him in certain positions. It’s constant work. We got where we needed to be on the podium because we worked hard together in practice.”

Freshman wrestlers can stay in junior high for another year for more seasoning. Some programs want to see another year of development. Ladick took time at the banquet last year to dangle a carrot for middle schoolers on their way up. 

“Part of my decision was that I needed depth,” Ladick said. “If we only have one guy in a weight class or just a starter, you aren’t preparing the next step up. I said at the banquet last year that we have an open-door policy. I think some kids heard that and said, ‘Oh, well, here is my opportunity.’ They did and filled the entire bottom part of my lineup.”

The Jaguars benefitted by adding more balance. Thomas Jefferson is 9-0 overall this season with a 4-0 record in Section VII-3A. Cordova said that taking the step to wrestling varsity required being tough mentally.

“You don’t want to get discouraged,” Cadwallader said. “You can’t be immature. We have to strive and not let our emotions beat us. Our team does well at that.”

Jaguars on the rise

The Jaguars had a parade of wrestlers reaching out for medals at the county tournament.

Senior Bode Marlow, a Pitt commit, became the sixth wrestler in county history to win the event four times by beating Mount Lebanon’s Cole Gibbons by major decision, 10-2. Maddox Shaw (152 pounds), Brayden White (160) and Shepard Turk (285) also claimed individual titles.

Zach LaBryer (189) finished second for Thomas Jefferson.  The Jaguars also had two medal winners in LaBryer's weight class, as Trent Miller finished in third.

“It was great watching everyone fight,” Cadwallader said. “Even the matches we lost, we fought and didn’t give up. That was motivating for me.”

Thomas Jefferson has performed consistently in both team and individual events. The Jaguars were the top-placing WPIAL team at Powerade and Beat of the East Tournaments, placing ninth and 12th, respectively.

Ladick believes Thomas Jefferson could have a strong postseason in the team duals if things fall the right way. 

“I think we need to be on weight,” Ladick said. “We need to get good weight matchups and the right coin flip. Every kid has the same value, so if some team forfeits to our hammers and finds a hole, the expectation is everyone steps in at that moment and is prepared. I think we’re prepared, but I won’t know until we get to that moment.”

Building the program

When Ladick arrived in Pleasant Hills, Thomas Jefferson hadn’t won a section title since 1986. The first step Ladick took was bringing in strong assistants.

“One of the things I paid close attention to at TJ was surrounding myself with great coaches,” Ladick said. “I was told when I got there they wanted more out of the wrestling team and wrestling program.”

Ladick brought his dad, Bob, on board as an assistant. Bob was 155-192-3 as a head coach between stints at Woodland Hills, Swissvale and Bishop Boyle. Along the way, Thomas Jefferson had many assistants who were decorated amateurs.

Jordan Moss was a PIAA champion at Sharon, August Mizia starred at Mercyhurst and Benthworth, while Fleming was a four-time state medalist who stood out at Clarion. The Jaguars halted their long title drought by winning the section in 2019 and 2020.

“We wanted to give people at the youth program and from the ground up, an opportunity to see upwards and give them something they wanted to be a part of,” Ladick said. “We wanted to build expectations.”

What lies ahead

Ladick believes this team has a lot to prove still. He also wants to maintain the program’s ability to keep younger wrestlers interested. Putting together a schedule that allows younger wrestlers to get matches at big tournaments helps.

“You can make a mark,” Ladick said. “The kids love that. They feel seen, they feel heard.”

Cadwallader answered the call after Ladick encouraged incoming freshmen to try and grab a spot in the lineup. 

“I think it shows incoming freshmen for next year that they can win,” Cadwallader said. “Their freshman year isn’t just a warmup, it can be an impactful year in your high school career. They can all make it. Everybody on our team is capable of making the podium.”

--Josh Rizzo | rizzo42789@gmail.com | @J_oshrizzo