Scheib signs with Lehigh Mtn. Hawks

ORWIGSBURG - Sam Scheib started going to wrestling practice before he started going to school.

Back then his dad, Kevin, was head coach at Williams Valley, and young Sam liked to tag along.

"Even before I signed up for elementary at Tri-Valley, I was in wrestling with him over there with the guys, and stuff,'' Sam said.

Scheib officially started wrestling in second grade, and the sport has been a big part of his life as long as he can remember.

"Me and my twin brother Nathan were always at it - all the time, out in the yard,'' he recalled with a smile.

A lifetime in the sport has led Scheib from Hegins to Benton to Bethlehem, where he has signed a letter-of-intent to become a member of the Lehigh University wrestling team.

Former Benton four-time state champion and Penn State national champion John Hughes is an assistant coach for the 13th-ranked Mountain Hawks.

Benton's Eric Hess and Lewisburg's Nate Brown are members of the team.

"I love the campus. ... Some of the guys that go there, I wrestled with up at Benton club,'' said Scheib, who has known Hughes since his freshman year.

"It was kind of a goal I never expected would happen. ... I never really thought Lehigh would look at me. It's a huge relief (to have signed).''

Scheib plans to major in business, but said that might change.

A quiet, laid-back guy off the mat, Scheib usually prefers to let his wrestling do the talking.

"His No. 1 attribute as a leader is by example,'' Tri-Valley co-head coach Ty Rothermel said. "He uses his mouth, but kids look up to him, look how hard he works and the results on the mat.

"Some kids will talk all the time and soon you tune them out,'' he added. "When he does talk, he means what he says, and he has the utmost respect from the rest of his teammates.

"When he opens his mouth, people listen.''

People also pay attention when Scheib steps onto the mat. He's won from the beginning of his varsity career and has gotten better every year, putting in a lot of offseason training at the Benton club.

Scheib went 30-11 and finished sixth at districts as a freshman. He took a step forward as a sophomore, going 36-15 with a fourth at districts and a fifth at regionals that earned him his first trip to the PIAA Championships.

Last season, Scheib went 40-4 and placed second at districts and third at regionals to earn a return trip to Hershey. He's won just one bout at states, though, something he's working to change this time around.

Heading into the January 22 semifinals of the Schuylkill League Wrestling Tournament at Blue Mountain High School, Scheib was 18-2 on the year for a career record of 124-32. That includes a 58-6 mark over the last season and a half.

"Sammy's a coach's dream to have in the room,'' Rothermel said. "... He's one of a kind. You don't find anybody that works any harder consistently as he does.

"You can expect him to give 100 percent every day at practice, every time he steps on the mat.''

Sign up for Text Alerts

Sign up for e-mail newsletters