Having attended a high school synonymous with wrestling, it’s not hard to admit that I enjoy covering the WPIAL championships.

Maybe it’s because at alma mater Trinity High WPIAL championships (28 in all) and a tremendous wrestling history always made for an exciting winter.

Trinity doesn’t have much history of success in other sports. There are no basketball or football glory days from decades past.

But wrestling always made fans sit up and take notice. Plus, my older brother wrestled at the 98-pound division, and that was great to see.

So fast forward to this season, which was the 15th year I’ve covered at least one round for the Eagle.

Wrestling definitely is different from any other high school sport. It’s the ultimate individual sport.

The wear and tear placed on the human body is amazing. A bloody nose? Shove in some cotton and get back out there. Shoulder popped out? Pop it back in.

Butler’s Mike Crawford is a prime example of the iron men of the mats.

Crawford entered the tournament with a bad shoulder, injured the other one in the opening round Thursday, then injured his knee twice in Friday’s quarterfinals.

He defaulted, and it didn’t look as if he would return for Saturday’s consolation rounds.

But Crawford did return and battled to a 1-0 loss, which eliminated him from the tournament, but as a senior, Crawford was going to go out on his terms.

Wrestlers are a different breed. There is a lot of tradition in the sport, and the bloodlines definitely run deep.

It’s a sport of honor. You shake your opponent’s hand before and after the match, and the opposing coach’s as well.

The vision of five mats laid out at the WPIAL finals and matches going on at a frantic pace is a sight to see. If you attend all four sessions, you will witness 420 bouts.

I used to run into friends, coaches and former committee members I knew from years past, which was great, and now that recent championships have been held at Canon McMillan High, it’s nice to get back to Washington County.

I remember when my dad used to listen to the Trinity wrestling matches, as well as the WPIAL and PIAA matches, on WJPA radio when I was a kid. They’re still broadcasting them today.

There’s a lot of memories there, although I don’t run into the same people I used to anymore. I understand things change, times change, but wrestling doesn’t. It still takes a huge commitment to win it all.

Loyalty. Attitude. Guts. That’s a sign posted in the wrestling room at Trinity. If you don’t bring all three to the mat, you certainly can’t appreciate this sport.

Sam Tallarico is a staff writer for the Butler Eagle.