(Sixth in a series)
When Bethlehem Catholic head coach Mike Cole summoned Zach Papcsy to compete in last February’s PIAA Team Wrestling Championships, it was viewed as a swan song to Papcsy’s favorite sport.
The junior spent the last two years trying to figure out what was wrong with his back after injuring it as an eighth grader in his District 11 junior high semifinal match.
“I did not have a practice all year,” he said. “At that point, I was told I’d never wrestle again, so I just wanted to get out there and have fun and be with the team. The best thing was I got a high school win. I got it at team states. I loved it. It was so much fun.”
Papcsy did not have any fun the previous two years. He did not have any surgeries, but there were six sets of shots, a slew of MRIs and X-rays and trips to nearly 20 doctors.
There was no light at the end of the dark tunnel. There were no answers, only the message that his wrestling career was history.
But his father, Steve, insisted on going to one more doctor in August. That trip resulted in a diagnosis and a plan for the immediate future.
Papcsy has spinal stenosis, a condition where the spinal canal narrows, putting pressure on the spinal cord and nerves, which can lead to pain, numbness, or weakness in the arms or legs. He also has three ruptured discs with fluid leaking into the nerves.
“I was just happy somebody finally figured it out,” he said. “People said I had a fractured spine. Some said it was just soreness. Some didn’t see anything wrong from the MRIs and X-rays.”
Papcsy has appointments once a week to go in spinal traction and has an inversion table at home. His doctor told him that he was cleared to wrestle even though the problem would never go away.
He has been in the wrestling room training and anticipates being in Cole’s lineup this season.
“The doctor told me that I was never going to not have pain,” Papcsy said. “He said that it’s not going to get any worse. It’s just the pain. If I can handle it, then I was good to go. That put a smile on my face.”
Cole only saw Papcsy wrestle once in an offseason tournament as a freshman. He was impressed. But he had not worked with him in practice, not seen his level of determination and grit on a daily basis.
Cole was curious. He now is seeing what Papcsy has to offer. The two, along with his parents, have devised a plan for the short term.
“He keeps a log every day,” Cole said. “I told him to push himself until it hurts. I want him to do that now so we know at what point we have to take a step back. We can’t afford that in February.”
Papcsy is slotted to be a contributor at 160 and 172 pounds.
The 17-year-old also played football, volleyball and threw the javelin in track, but his passion has always been wrestling. It’s in his blood. His brother, Jarred, was a three-year starter and a 2017 state medalist at Bethlehem Catholic who is now on Cole’s coaching staff.
It was Papcsy’s father, Steve, who insisted on getting one last medical opinion in August because he wanted to exhaust all possible options before seeing his youngest son call it quits.
It wasn’t until a couple months after being diagnosis in August when Papcsy was cleared to wrestle.
“My parents do so much for me,” he said. “If I have a problem, it’s their biggest concern. We’re a big wrestling family. When we got news [that I could wrestle], it was the biggest thing. My parents were telling their friends, their siblings’ friends, everybody, that I can finally wrestle.”
While Papcsy and his family searched for answers, he continued to be a part of the team. He relished the friendships too much to be away from them.
And, he somehow never gave up hope even though he had to acknowledge the possibility that he would be a wrestling spectator for the rest of his life.
“I couldn’t imagine not wrestling for two years,” Bethlehem Catholic teammate Nico Emili said. “I know Zach loves this sport more than anything. When he was hurt, he still came to practice, was on the bench every single match. He was just as much a part of the team whether he was wrestling or not.
“Wrestling’s my No. 1. It still is for him. It’s impressive how much he stayed with the team when he was still hurt and knowing that he was not coming back until he healed, if that ever happened.”
The lineup
Cole has an idea what the Golden Hawks’ lineup is going to look like, but it might take time for it to all shake out with so many youngsters being counted on.
Freshmen Gino Bozzi and Mike Nicosia are battling it out at 107. Freshmen Messiah Cartagena and Guisseppi Bozzi will be in the mix for 114.
Emili, who was District 11 and Northeast Regional runnerup and PIAA seventh last season at 107 as a freshman, will start the year at 121. Sophomore A.J. Gomez, who sat out last year after transferring from Bangor, also will be at 121.
“Nico will go down [to 114] when it makes sense for him,” Cole said.
Freshman Jack Cole, Mike Cole’s nephew, will start at 127.
Junior Reef Dillard, a regional champion last year with 68 career wins, and sophomore Andre Cerrato, who was 12-9 last year, will be at 133.
Cerrato could also be at 139 if Keanu Dillard, a three-time state champion, goes to 145.
Sophomore Jaden Santiago, 9-10 a year ago, is up at 152. Papcsy and junior Mason Thomas will be at 160 and 172, depending on matchups. Thomas suffered a season-ending injury late last season after being district sixth as a freshman.
Junior Connor Gillahan, who won 26 matches last season and was district sixth, and junior James Bozzi will flip flop between 189 and 215.
Senior Grant Mulhern, who missed all of last season after shoulder surgery, is at 285.
“We were really excited about him in his first year,” Cole said of Mulhern. “It was very unfortunate not to have him at all last year because it was his first year wrestling. We’re hoping proximity will help him pick things up from last year.
Bethlehem Catholic’s bid for a fifth consecutive state team title will rest on the development of the first-year varsity starters of all ages, particularly the freshmen down in the lower weights.
“If we’re going to win,” Cole added, “we’re going to have to count on them and hopefully my ability to surround myself with good coaches will pay off by developing these kids.”
The schedule
(dual meets at 7 p.m. unless noted)
Dec. 3: at Emmaus
Dec. 10: at Northampton
Dec. 12-13: Walsh Jesuit (Ohio) Ironman
Dec. 17: Easton
Dec. 20-21: Beast of the East at University of Delaware
Dec. 30: Tony Iasiello Christmas City Tournament
Jan. 3: at Notre Dame-Green Pond
Jan. 7: Freedom
Jan. 8: at Pleasant Valley
Jan. 13: at Allen
Jan. 14: East Stroudsburg South
Jan. 17-18: Escape the Rock at Council Rock South
Jan. 21: at East Stroudsburg North
Jan. 24: Whitehall, 1
Senior writer Tom Housenick can be reached at thousenick@mcall.com