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Altoona coach Joel Gilbert and Tyrone coach Quentin Wright had to navigate the two toughest schedules in the Mirror coverage area this season.
Wright had to face a brutal Mountain League schedule (the top six teams were a combined 85-29) often forfeiting three weights. Tyrone went 6-8, but qualified five to the Southwest Regional and two to the PIAA Championships.
Altoona, which wrestled in the Panther Classic, Mountaineer Duals, Big 7 Tournament and Powerade, in addition to dual meets with Tyrone and Huntingdon, went 6-10 and qualified five to the Northwest Regional and three to the state tournament.
Gilbert and Wright have been named the Mirror's Coaches of the Year for meeting the challenges and achieving postseason success this season. Penn Cambria's Todd Niebauer, Glendale's Brian Storm and Northern Bedford's Brian Dutchcot were also considered.
It's the second straight year Wright has been named the Coach of the Year. Not bad for only being Tyrone's coach the last two years.
"I'm honored," Wright said. "It's just the work that the guys are putting in, and it's showing. We did about as well as we could do. Our record didn't reflect it because of the weights we were missing, but I need to get some of those weights filled. We did really well when it came to districts and regionals."
Gilbert's recognition marks the first time in the 40 years the Mirror has been naming the top coach that an Altoona coach has earned the award.
"That's pretty awesome. To me, it's a community thing," Gilbert. "I have great assistant coaches, great volunteer coaches, great junior high coaches, a great athletic director, school board and parents who are really focused in on wrestling and helping the program out.
"This isn't about me. It's about the whole program in general. I'm just happy to be the person to accept it."
Gilbert's top two wrestlers, Braiden Weaver and Luke Sipes, were also named the Mirror's Wrestlers of the Year. They were happy for Gilbert, who has a career record of 131-146 in 15 years as head coach.
"That's well deserved," Sipes said. "Coach Gilbert is awesome. He's not only one of the best wrestling coaches I know, he's a mentor in life to me. He's taught me a lot about what it is to be a good man and have good character. I see the work he's put into me, Braiden, (Caleb) Fasick and our whole team, and I know how much he cares about us."
"I feel like he should get it," Weaver said. "He's one of the best coaches I've ever had."
Wright, who has five wrestlers on the Mirror All-Star team, led the Golden Eagles to a fifth-place finish at the District 6 Class 2A Tournament and 10thplace at the Southwest Regional.
"That postseason was awesome," Wright said, "but really that's what we're trying to get to. The tough schedule will lead to that."
Gilbert might have made his schedule tougher with the addition of the King of the Mountain for next year. But Weaver and Sipes are back, and his junior high program had a big year. Junior High coach Ryan Barr was named District 6 Junior High Coach of the Year.
"It's easy to build a program around two good guys," Gilbert said. "I think we have some kids coming through who will look up to these two guys and maybe follow their road as they continue through the program."