BUTLER TWP — Just call them Butler's growing grapplers.

The future of the Golden Tornado wrestling program looks bright, based on the performances of five freshmen and three sophomores in the varsity's starting lineup.

No one sees that more than Jack Codispot, the lone senior in Butler's lineup this season.

“It's going to be fun looking back and watching what those guys accomplish,” Codispot said. “Their futures are very promising.”

Coach Scott Stoner agreed.

“It's been a while since we've had a group like this do so well so early,” Stoner said. “You'd have to go back to Cole Baxter, Mike Crawford, Eric Tuck and those guys.”

The five freshmen excelling on the mat this season are Nick Schaukowitsch (28-8) at 106 pounds, Domenic Vivirito (18-10) at 126, Cooper Baxter (27-9) at 170, Jake Pomykata (16-10) at 182 and Shawndell Zapata (20-8) at 220.

Schaukowitsch, Baxter, Pomykata and Zapata all qualified for this weekend's WPIAL Championships at Canon-McMillan High School.

The latter three are competing at weight classes dominated by upperclassmen. At the Section 3AAA Championships last weekend, seven of the 11 wrestlers at 170 pounds, five of the 10 at 182 and five of the seven at 220 were either juniors or seniors.

“It's impressive what those guys have done at those weights,” Stoner said. “They do face more experienced wrestlers and getting them through (to WPIALs) this year can only help their development.”

Butler sophomores excelling this season include Clayton Dressler (24-15) at 120 pounds, Nate McMaster (26-11) at 138 and Steven Green (27-8) at 145. McMaster's 16 pins are tied with Codispot for the team lead.

McMaster and Green are headed to the WPIAL tourney this weekend.

“I know I can get a lot better,” McMaster said. “I have to be more careful in matches and clean things up.

“My goals are to get to 100 wins, become a section champion. Everybody wants to get to states and do well, but that's a process.”

Green has been wrestling since fifth grade and originally joined the sport “as something to do in the winter after football.”

Now he's all about wrestling.

“It's all on me and I love that,” Green said of the sport. “It's up to me whether I succeed or fail and there's no better motivation than that.

“I want to get to states by my senior year, that's for sure.”

Schaukowitsch has racked up 28 wins already and may be well on his way to 100. He was going to begin his mat career in seventh grade, but missed that season with a severely broken leg.

“It was pretty gruesome,” Stoner recalled. “He snapped that tibia right off. I didn't know if he'd come back out, but he was right back at it in eighth grade,.”

Schaukowitsch said his leg healed fine and “getting over it was mainly a mental thing.

“All I want to do now is work harder and get better,” he added.

While Dressler's season is over, he has 44 wins through two seasons and has a modest goal of 80 wins for his career.

He may be under-estimating himself.

“I don't know if I can get to 100,” he said. “I figure averaging 20 wins a year would be pretty good. I do have a natural love for the sport and want to take it as far as I can.

“My dad wrestled and I've been doing it since first grade. I'm going to keep pushing myself because I'm excited to see what we can all do as a group over the next couple of years.”

WPIAL WRESTLING (Butler County seeds)

106 pounds-Dylan Chappell (35-4), Seneca Valley, 2nd

113-Alejandro Herrera-Rondon (40-1), Seneca Valley, 1st

113-Noah Hunkele (23-6), Mars, 7th

132-Jason Geyer (32-9), Seneca Valley, 4th

138-Drew Vlasnik (29-9), Seneca Valley, 6th

145-Antonio Amelio (26-13), Seneca Valley, 4th

152-Nick Montalbano (26-9), Seneca Valley, 3rd

160-Jake Richardson (24-2), Mars, 3rd

182-Patrick Johnson (20-10), Seneca Valley, 8th

(top 4 placers advance to PIAA Championships)