SLIPPERY ROCK — Wrestling is looking up at Slippery Rock High School.

One can figure that out by looking down — at the Rockets' youth program on the mat.

Slippery Rock's 12-under wrestling team won the Great Lakes League championship for the first time in program history this season and qualified four wrestlers for the junior state championships.

While that state event was canceled, the success of this program is ongoing.

“I'm excited about what's coming,” Slippery Rock varsity wrestling coach Denton Zeronas said. “You need a youth program to build a high school program in any sport.”

There are 15 teams in the Great Lakes League, encompassing much of District 10. Carter Rudish won a league title at the 8-under 90-pound weight class while Aden Shay won a league crown at 10-under 70 pounds.

Kolbie Magill placed second at 10-under 85 pounds and Westen Bromley was third at 8-under 70 pounds.

Those four wrestlers qualified for the state tournament by finishing among the top two in their respective weight classes at the Area 6 Championships. Carter and Aden took first place, Westen and Kolbie second.

“We had 20 kids on the roster for the Great Lakes tournament,” SR youth coach Kevin Shamblin said. “There's 52 kids in the (youth) program overall. The numbers have dramatically increased.”

Shamblin is in his third year as Slippery Rock youth wrestling coach. Mike Bromley helps coach the squad as well.

Shamblin estimates the team had 10 to 15 youth wrestlers in his first year. The number jumped to 25 last season before doubling this year.

“Interest in the sport of wrestling has really picked up in Slippery Rock,” Shamblin said. “We're building a winning culture and a family-type of program.

“We're looking to sustain a solid feeder system for the high school program and get the numbers up there as well.”

Shamblin added that the youth program's success will soon “fill the void” in the middle school program.

“The kids need to be able to stay with wrestling every year,” he said of the progression. “If there's a void, that's where wrestlers drop off and they don't always return.”

Slippery Rock's youth wrestlers generally get 25 to 35 matches a season. Some will wrestle as many as 60 matches.

The Great Lakes league runs through January and February and “we add open tournaments and some weekend events to that,” Shamblin said.

Zeronas expects the high school program to link with the youth program rather quickly.

“I've talked with those younger kids a couple of times, when they came to watch our varsity,” Zeronas said. “A couple of our wrestlers have talked with them.

“I know we're going to expand on that bond going forward. Building the relationship with the younger kids is part of developing thast sense of community. We definitely need that.”