Ben Clymer started Faith Christian’s wrestling program a dozen years ago with a handful of interested kids running up a hill near the school’s Sellersville campus then learning how to hand fight at the top of that hill.
The team moved on from its early years from training in a Jiu Jitsu facility then a family-owned fruit and vegetable market building to next year being housed in a new, state-of-the-art facility on its current school campus in Quakertown.
Faith Christian’s program evolved into one of the nation’s elite. The Lions this season won the PIAA team tournament title for the fourth year in a row, the team title at the state individual tournament for the fourth year in a row and set a PIAA record with five individual champions.
They wrestled this season in Ohio, New Jersey, Maryland and California and again finished among the nation’s top-5 teams.
The Lions are roaring but will be without their leader in 2026-27. Clymer, 36, is stepping down to devote more time to the home team: wife Kailey and children Colton, 7; Hayden, 5; Kelce, 3; Hannah, 1.
“I was once introduced to Chris Mary, a standout wrestler at Chartiers-Houston and legendary coach at Canon-McMillan,” Clymer said. “After his accolades as a coach were communicated to me as a part of his introduction, Chris looked at me and said, ‘All I want to be known for is being a champion husband and father.’ His response has echoed in my head ever since.”
Clymer, 121-47 in 12 seasons, came to Faith Christian at age 24 after coaching football and wrestling at Amityville High School (N.Y.) near Hofstra where he graduated. He started at Faith Christian as a teacher and athletic director as well as the school’s first wrestling coach.
The program’s rise was gradual.
Faith Christian reached the 2017 Districts 1-12 Class 2A final, losing on criteria to Bishop McDevitt.
It reached the PIAA 2A team tournament the following year, losing 59-15 to District 11 powerhouse Saucon Valley. Six points came via a forfeit. One of the other two wins came against a back-up. It then lost 54-15 to District 7 power Burrell in the double-elimination event.
There were more lopsided state team duals losses in 2019 to Westmont-Hilltop and Notre Dame-Green Pond and 2020 to Forest Hills and Notre Dame-GP.
Following the COVID year, Faith Christian turned a corner in 2022, when it won its first state team duals match, 38-24 over Burgettstown in first-round consolations. Its two losses were much closer, too, 36-30 to Benton and 30-29 to West Perry.
The program took a meteoric jump the next season, when this year’s seniors were freshmen. The team was 15-2, including four wins at the state team tournament for its first PIAA gold medal.
The Lions have had similar success at the state individual tournament. They have 38 medalists, including 13 champions, the last four years. They are 13-4 in finals matches, 28-10 in placement matches.
Clymer led Faith Christian on the basic principles of dedicating one’s self to God, school, family and one another. Wrestling was merely the backdrop for that guidance.
“For 12 years we’ve ended our practice and competitions with one breakdown; ‘Not Outworked on 3…1, 2, 3, Not outworked!,’” he said. “The slogan has been a mindset to believe the work and type of work we put into our training is greater than our competitions. It stems from a verse, Hebrews 12:11 which reads, ‘For the moment all discipline seems painful, rather than pleasant, but later yields the fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.’
“However, at it’s core, the habit of ‘Not Outworked’ is meant to focus us on disciplining our lifestyle to keep our faith and our family in higher priority than our wrestling goals. The belief that our pursuit of Christ and pouring into the betterment of our families will yield the strongest foundation to build our lives on. It’s tough to keep that priority amidst the common pull for more practices, more training, more results. But I believe it has helped our program at Faith Christian Academy steadily build over the past 12 years.”
While Clymer’s body may not miss the training with and guiding of the Lions, his heart will.
“The joy I get training with and watching these young men grow into leaders and champions is hard to describe,” he added. “They have breathed life into me and caused me to elevate my own habits. Yet the same discipline I ask of my athletes is one that I now feel I must also pay more attention to. God has blessed me with a front-row seat to watching some of the most talented wrestlers in the country, but He has also blessed me with a growing family.
“And I feel it is time I make sure I am not outworked as a husband and father.”
Assistant coach Tom Hontz, now a teacher at Faith Christian who had a lengthy, successful head coaching stint at Upper Perkiomen, will take over for Clymer.
Photo courtesy of Ben Clymer
Ben Clymer and his family celebrated another successful season for Faith Christian earlier this month at Hershey’s Giant Center. (Photo courtesy of Ben Clymer)
Faith Christian graduates state champions Mark Effendian, Adam Waters and Cael Weidemoyer plus brothers Mason and Shane Wagner, Jason Singer and Lincoln Botero. The senior class was a combined 61-8 the last four seasons with three losses coming when backups were sent to a 2023-24 tournament while the starters were at the Walsh Jesuit Ironman tournament.
Effendian leaves as the program’s career wins leader with 169. Waters (166-7) is the only wrestler in PIAA history to win four state titles as an individual and with his team.
Weidemoyer was 110-16 in his career despite two stints missed because of injury. Shane Wagner was 42-10 in his only season as a starter. Mason Wagner, who missed his senior year because of shoulder surgery, was 101-32 in his three seasons as a starter. Singer, a three-time state medalist who didn’t have a starting spot this season, was 128-38 in his career.
Botero is the only one not wrestling in college. Effendian, who was 46-0 this season, is going to Princeton. Waters is committed to Ohio State. Singer is headed to Nebraska. Mason Wagner is off to Lehigh and Shane Wagner is going to Arkansas-Little Rock.
Hontz is not inheriting an empty cupboard. Top returnees include Iowa commits Freddy, a two-time state champion, and Joe Bachmann, a three-time PIAA gold medalist; Ohio State commit Nick Singer, who won a 2025 state title and was third this season; Nathan Yoder plus sophomores-to-be Riley Crandall, Cruz Little, Flynn Arnestad, Asher Bacon and Reece Movahed.
Crandall, Little and Arnestad all medaled at states as freshmen. Bacon and Movahed would have been medal contenders, but both missed the postseason because of injuries.
(Photo courtesy of Kailey Clymer
Ben Clymer, wife Kailey and their four children celebrate another PIAA Wrestling Championships ending. (Photo courtesy of Kailey Clymer)
Clymer undoubtedly will miss the daily interactions with the team members. He will miss the bond that developed through those conversations that went beyond wrestling.
The grind of scheduling, fundraising, travel arrangements, etc., however, will be replaced by quality time in raising his four children and checking things off his ‘honey-do’ list at the family’s Coopersburg home.
“I am forever indebted to Faith Christian Academy and my uncle, Ryan Clymer, for taking a chance on hiring me 12 years ago,” Ben Clymer said. “I am equally indebted to the many parents and kids who have placed their faith in me to help lead them. As it turned out, I gleaned much more from my time with them than they did from me.”
Clymer’s grind ends next month with the team banquet.
“That’s when I’ll check out to be a dad,” Clymer said.
Clymer said he expects to coach again, but is not putting a timetable on his return, or whether it will be at the varsity level.
Senior writer Tom Housenick can be reached at thousenick@mcall.com