Senior Evan Whiteside, Gateway wrestlers set sights on WPIAL success

By: Robert Scott
Saturday, December 7, 2019 | 10:25 AM

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Nine wrestlers are on the roster for Gateway coach Ryan Sula, entering his fourth season at the helm. In his 10th season overall at Gateway, Sula is not letting a small roster deter him from having championship hopes for his athletes.

A couple of Gators came close to achieving goal at section and WPIAL competitions last season, including senior 113-pounder Evan Whiteside.

Sula hopes to capitalize on last year’s near misses.

“I think two or three kids have a pretty good shot at making it to the WPIAL tournament as it stands right now,” Sula said. “Towards the end of the year, you never know how many kids will stick with it, so I hope all nine kids have a shot at qualifying.”

Along with Whiteside, who finished fifth at 113 pounds in the WPIAL tournament, senior 145-pounder Oscar Portis is returning after missing last season with shoulder surgery.

David Clark is a 160-pound junior who was a win away from qualifying for the WPIAL tournament last season.

Sophomores Chris Morton (285) and Gavin Reed (195) are expected to make an impact in their first year at the varsity level. (Freshmen at Gateway wrestle on the JV team.)

Sula said his wrestlers have to go all out if they want to finish on the podium at any tournament.

“Coming to practice every day, getting work in outside of practice, whether it’s running or lifting, those are the expectations we set for our kids,” he said.

“As long as they fulfill their end of the bargain and have a drive to want to succeed, (they will be successful).

“You see it year-in and year-out. The kids that put in the work, come the end of the year, it’s about peaking at the right time and having a good section tournament.”

Sula is looking on the bright side of having a smaller roster.

“Besides the football players, every other kid on the team, including junior high kids, came to every practice leading up to this point and they work hard,” he said. “Not having a huge team this year, you don’t have a chance to take a minute or two off. They came in, and if they are in the wrestling room, they are working their hardest.”

Sula likes the way his captain, Whiteside, leads by example and believes he is more dedicated than ever.

Whiteside has looked at several colleges to continue his wrestling career — Gannon, Mercyhurst and Pitt-Johnstown along with Seton Hill — but has yet to make a decision.

“Evan got a taste of what it’s like to be really successful last year, and I know he’s been putting in the work all summer,” Sula said. “He’s fully committed to wrestling this year. In the past, he’s played other sports.

“He’s become a leader, being more vocal. He knows he has to put everything into every practice to show his teammates what they have to do.”

Whiteside has lofty goals but has been focusing on what he needs to ameliorate in his game to achieve them, such as improving at riding more efficiently.

“My goal is making it to Hershey (for the PIAA championships),” he said. “That should be everybody’s goal.”

His summer workout regimen included wrestling in freestyle tournaments, lifting weights and wrestling at least three times a week.

After finishing fourth in the WPIAL Section 1-AAA tournament and second in last season’s Eastern Area Invitational along with his fifth-place WPIAL finish, Whiteside has much to use as motivation, but what drives him the most is his mother.

After getting divorced when Whiteside was young, his mother had to find work to provide and often struggled to balance time with her son and her job.

“She motivates me to work hard every day after everything she’s been through,” he said. “We started out rough, but now we get along good.

“She motivates me to get better every day so I don’t have to live the way (we used to).”

Robert Scott III is a Tribune-Review contributing writer.

Tags: Gateway