NEWPORT NEWS, Va. — Leave it to big brother.

With his family gathered around the dinner table one night, Caleb Hartung was talking about his wrestling future.

His older brother and former college football player Nate came up with his destination.

“Nate knew someone who attended The Apprentice School (in Virginia) and he thought they had a wrestling program there,” said Caleb, a 2020 Butler graduate. “He checked into it and they did offer wrestling.”

The pieces fell into place for Hartung from there.

He was in the welding program at the Butler Vo-Tech. Butler competed at the Virginia Duals last season — a high school and college event The Apprentice School also attended.

“We were able to take a look at Caleb on the mat and visit with him as well,” Apprentice School coach Micah Amrozowicz said. “We were highly impressed with him as a wrestler and with his character.”

Despite not getting started in wrestling until junior high, Hartung found a home in the sport — among other things — for the next four years.

The Apprentice School competes in the National Collegiate Wrestling Association, an organization with as many teams, if not more, than NCAA Division III.

The Apprentice School is one of 36 NCWA Division I wrestling programs — Washington, Toledo, Florida, Arizona, Temple and Colorado State among them — and there are 50 Division II programs in the organization.

Hartung was among a 12-wrestler recruiting class this year that included matmen from North Carolina, Delaware, Georgia and Texas.

“There are no pushovers here,” Hartung said of The Apprentice School team. “There is a lot of talent in the room.”

That room is empty for the time being as The Apprentice School pulled the plug on its 2020-21 wrestling season in mid-October.

“That was a company decision,” Amrozowicz said. “There are 20,000 employees in this company. We are a business first, a school second and wrestling comes third.”

Hartung has no problem with the pecking order.

“I feel like I'm getting the best of three worlds,” he said.

By attending The Apprentice School, Hartung becomes a paid employee of Newport News Shipbuilding. He works from 7 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. three days a week and goes to welding school two days a week.

He is in a four-to-seven year program and still has four years of wrestling eligibility after this year.

The Apprentice School has won the USCAA National Invitational Tournament three straight years. The Builders finished second in the Mid-Atlantic Conference Championships last year, trailing only Liberty.

“We have a national finalist coming back at 235 pounds,” Amrozowicz said. “I can see Caleb taking the 197-pound spot, though he'll have the chance to compete for the No. 1 spot at whatever weight class he desires.

“Either way, I see Caleb being a four-year starter for us.”

Hartung's high school career got off to a slow start as he tore a tendon in his thumb during his sophomore year. He was 7-9 that season.

He followed that year up with a 25-14 mark as a junior before blossoming his senior season with a 33-10 record.

“He had no real talent coming in (to high school),” Butler coach Scott Stoner said of Hartung's wrestling ability. “He was a crazy, off the wall kind of kid.

“But in the practice room, he really took focus. He stayed after it, learned some moves that worked for him.”

The Apprentice School accepts roughly 220 out of every 4,000 applicants, an acceptance rate comparable to Yale and Harvard. Eighty-two percent of the school's graduates stay on with Newport News Shipbuilding for at least 10 years.

“I don't have to do as much work recruiting wrestlers as other schools do,” Amrozowicz said. “People find us. No other school has this type of set-up. Our graduates don't have to go out and look for a career. They already have one if they choose to stay.”

Hartung plans to weigh his options once he completes his schooling.

“If I like it down here, I'll just stay here,” he said. “Otherwise, I may go back to Pennsylvania and start my own business there.

“It's a nice situation to be in.”

He still has wrestling ambitions as well.

“I want to get on the podium before I'm done here,” Hartung said, referencing the NCWA Championships. “The ultimate, of course, is getting to the top.”

Not bad for a guy who had seven wrestling wins halfway through his high school career.

“Caleb found the perfect fit,” Stoner said. “He knew what he wanted to do and went after it. He's put himself in a great situation.”