FOUNTAIN SPRINGS — When natural ability meets work ethic, you get Nate Gadinski and Alek Hummel.
North Schuylkill’s star upper weights are having near-mirror-image senior seasons and show no signs of letting up.
In Wednesday’s 56-12, Schuylkill League Division I victory over Pine Grove, Hummel improved to 32-1 by pancaking Austin Ney for the fall in 2:30 at 195 pounds. Two bouts later, Gadinski (31-1) ground out a 1-0 decision over Scott Werner in the 285-pound bout.
Not surprisingly, Hummel and Gadinski spend a good bit of time testing each other at practice. Other teammates in that part of the lineup like Dane Tarantelli, C.J. Steinhilber and Brady Mickatavage also join in.
“We put best against best. ... We
try to better each other every day,’’ Gadinski said.
Their sustained excellence has gotten both noticed in the Off the Mat state rankings.
Gadinski comes in at No. 4, with his only loss of the season to Burrell beast Al Beattie in the finals of the Bedford tournament. Beattie is the top-ranked heavyweight in the state.
Hummel also suffered his only loss of the season at Bedford, falling in the semifinals 8-6 to Zach Miller of Greenville. Hummel, ranked No. 8, rebounded to place third. Miller comes in at No. 7 on the latest Off the Mat list.
Hummel and Gadinski qualified for the PIAA Wrestling Championships last season, but both went home empty-handed.
“I want to make it to the state tournament and hopefully place,’’ Gadinski said.
Added Hummel: “I want to hopefully be on the top of the podium. If I fall short, I’d be all right with top-four.’’
Gadinski and Hummel have taken different paths to become ranked in the state.
On one hand, Gadinski has wrestled every year since first grade. He’s a four-year varsity starter with 115 career wins. Earlier this season, he became the first Spartan heavyweight to reach the century mark.
“Since I got the job, having a kid like Nate in the room makes it a lot easier to coach,’’ North Schuylkill coach Chris Edwards said. “Solid as a rock, and he just keeps improving.’’
While he’s excited about the stretch run of the wrestling season, Gadinski is getting his future in order through football.
The two-way lineman recently signed with Division II power Bloomsburg University and projects as a defensive tackle. Gadinski plans to study finance or marketing.
Not bad for a guy who started playing football in seventh grade.
He’ll probably have to put some weight back on as Gadinski dropped from almost 270 pounds during the fall to a lean 237 during wrestling season.
“They’re a good D-II program, and I’m just glad that they wanted me as part of their team,’’ Gadinski said.
He got some more good news Wednesday when he learned he had been selected as North Schuylkill’s football scholar-athlete. He’ll represent the Spartans at the annual scholar-athlete banquet in the spring.
“It’s an honor because there are a lot of good students on my football team,’’ Gadinski said.
Hummel took a different route to becoming one of the state’s elite wrestlers. Though he started grappling as a young boy, he gave up the sport for nearly two years as a freshman and sophomore.
Eventually, Hummel found his way back to the mats and, Edwards said, became an honor roll student, too.
“Since Alek’s come back out his junior season, he’s steadily progressed,’’ Edwards said. “Every time we’re doing a sprint, Alek is first. He drills hard and he works hard. He’s a kid you don’t have to worry about anymore.’’
Hummel’s opponents are the ones doing the worrying. Over the past two seasons, he’s 70-10.
A football and baseball player, too, Hummel uses great leverage and hips to control matches. He’s also mature enough to know more is required to reach his goals.
“I work as hard as I can,’’ Hummel said. “I’m a lot more focused this year. ... I’m in shape, but not the shape I need to be for the postseason.
“I’m real pumped up,’’ he added. “My goal is to get on the wall as a district or regional champion.’’
That wall of fame is in North Schuylkill’s wrestling room, with rectangular plaques honoring the Spartans’ postseason gold medalists.
As for his future, wrestling at a Division I school is his ultimate goal. Older brother Auston is a freshman wrestler at Bloomsburg University. Joining him is a possibility, but Alek plans to wait until after the state tournament to make a decision.
“It’s real important,’’ Alek Hummel said of wrestling. “It’s pretty much — I wouldn’t say it’s my only way out of here — but it’s going to help a lot getting into college.’’
Meet Summary
North Schuylkill 56, Pine Grove 12
182 — Steinhilber (NS) dec. Soltys, 10-3; 195 — Hummel (NS) pinned A. Ney, 2:30; 220 — Tarantelli (NS) pinned J. Ney, 3:31; 285 — Gadinski (NS) dec. Werner, 1-0; 106 — Boyer (NS) tech. fall Howerton, 15-0, 4:33; 113 — Zaharick (NS) pinned Rossi, 4:30; 120 — Madden-Edwards (NS) pinned Gately, 1:27; 126 — Kessler (NS) won by forfeit; 132 — Griffin (NS) pinned Zimmerman, 2:19; 138 — Kassab (PG) pinned Wetzel, 5:06; 145 — Alexander (NS) dec. Carlin, 4-0; 152 — Rittenbaugh (PG) pinned Price, 4:23; 160 — Fisher (NS) dec. Aungst, 5-4; 170 — Mickatavage (NS) dec. Phillippy, 6-1
JV Score: North Schuylkill 12-0