Mar 10, 2018 3 min read

HERSHEY – The road to greatness is filled with potholes.

Just ask any of the travelers.

There are more than enough ways to take a wrong turn or be derailed from reaching the final destination.

Gavin Teasdale has had his share of roadblocks this season, but overcame them all to reach elite status in the sport he loves: wrestling.

The senior from Jefferson-Morgan High School won his fourth PIAA Class AA championship at the Giant Center in Hershey Saturday afternoon when he disposed of Joshua Jones of Saucon Valley, 2-0, in the finals of the 126-pound weight class.

Teasdale became the 13th wrestler in the history of this great tournament to win four titles and the second at Jefferson-Morgan to do so, matching alum Cary Kolat’s four from 1989-92.

There was no release of confetti, the way the NFL celebrates Super Bowl champions, and no spinning of tires on the track the way NASCAR does it.

There was an awards stand at one end of the Giant Center, where the other seven medalists flanked Teasdale. No one threw up a fist in a rare moment of euphoria, no one did a backflip from the top of the stand.

Most, including Teasdale, had a look of relief. A long, tough journey was over and new challenges await at Penn State. It must be some sort of unwritten rule that wrestlers swallow their emotions, fearful of showing up their vanquished opponents because it is not the way in this sport.

Teasdale had to endure a lot of distractions this year, starting with a bout of dehydration that led to a hospital visit while wrestling in Las Vegas over the summer.

There was the emotional upheaval when his three-plus years of never losing a varsity match ended in spectacular fashion, the marquee – and final – bout of the Powerade Christmas Wrestling Tournament, 4-3, to Beau Bartlett of Wyoming Seminary.

A second loss popped up in early February, when a flu-weakened Teasdale dropped an 8-4 decision to Caleb Rea of Weir High School in the Panther Classic Invitational at Buckeye Local High School.

Still, Teasdale has used an incredible work ethic to keep himself in front of the pack and has wrestled some of his best matches in the most important bouts.

Ask Austin Clabaugh of Bermudian Springs, who lost a 13-5 major decision in the PIAA 120-pound finals last year; or Kollin Myers of Boiling Springs, who was teched by Teasdale, 23-8, in the 113-pound state finals two years back; or Aaron Burkett of Chestnut Ridge, who was Teasdale’s first victim in the state event, losing 4-2 in the 106-pound finals.

They know the talent Teasdale possesses and so do his fans who followed, cheered and celebrated all those wins. Teasdale has far-reaching goals, NCAA titles, Olympics.

But for these past four years, he provided quite a show. And we should be thankful to have been able to go along for the ride.