The Lions had a weekend to remember at the Church Farm Wrestling Tournament with 3 podium finishes from Kevin McCarthy, Matt McCarthy, and Israel Smith. Senior captain, Kevin McCarthy, set the tone for the Lions by winning his weight class. Not to be outshined was McCarthy's younger brother, Matt, who finished 2nd in his weight class. Israel Smith captured a bronze finish in his weight class as well. Despite dealing with numerous injuries throughout their roster, the Lions continue improve and show promise. The Lions have a few regular season matchups left before they start to prepare for the championship portion of the season. Hopefully the Lions will be able to use the next few weeks to get some of their key wrestlers back into the lineup healthy. O'Hara has their final home regular season matchup on Wednesday, January 15th, as they host Devon Prep in their home finale. 

Cardinal O'Hara improved their record to 1-0 in dual matches after defeating Chichester 38-35 in their season opener on the road. The Lions and Eagles battled back and forth all night, until both teams were tied up at 35 heading into the final contest of the night. O'Hara sophomore Jay King-Gant sealed the victory for the Lions with a comeback win after a late takedown of his opponent. Other Lions securing victories for their team included Brandon Briddes, Hayden Ganley, Matt McCarthy, Kevin McCarthy, Jay Borrelli, and Israel Smith. The Lions are back in action on December 18th at home against the Patriots of Archbishop Carroll. 

Cardinal O'Hara traveled to Pottstown High School on December 6th to kick off their 2024-25 season at the Pottstown Invitational. Throughout the weekend, the Lions faced off against a field of athletes from 24 different teams. After hours of competition, four Lions stood tallest with top-10 finishes. At the 127-pound division, sophomore Hayden Ganley finished in sixth place earning himself a spot on the podium. Junior Nate Evert also finished in sixth place in the 215-pound division. Lastly, a pair of seniors, Kevin McCarthy and Israel Smith, earned podium finishes in the 139 and 160-pound divisions. Every wrestler throughout O'Hara's roster competed valiantly and set the tone for the rest of the season. Both returning wrestlers and new faces within the program made a splash this past weekend, leaving coach Tom Shull extremely eager to see what the Lions are capable of throughout the rest of the season. Coach Shull believes his wrestlers are on the cusp of making some serious noise. O'Hara's first home match of the season is next Wednesday, December 18th, against Archbishop Carroll at 6PM. There is a good energy around the Lions wrestling program and they're ready to make a strong leap forward.

Last year marked the return of wrestling for Cardinal O'Hara High School. After a short hiatus, the wrestling program kicked off their unofficial inaugural season in 2023. O'Hara's first season back was filled with numerous bright spots including a top six finish in the Catholic League and a top seven finish in the district. O'Hara's 2023 squad included multiple twenty match winners and regional tournament qualifiers. Coach, Tom Shull, has his sights set on creating a program that is successful both on and off the mat. While Shull wants his athletes to win matches, he also wants his athletes to succeed in life. “Life tests us all in so many ways that the athletes that are able to embrace those challenges and persevere, will come out stronger not only physically, but more importantly, mentally.” (Tom Shull). On the mat last year, the Lions finished the regular season around the .500 mark, a huge success for their program. A focus for Shull and his staff has been continuing to expand the size of O'Hara's program, with a strong class of young wrestlers, O'Hara's future is trending in the right direction. Despite the young talent that's within the roster, the veteran leadership can't be slept on either. Returners like Paul Badame will be crucial to O'Hara's success this season. The Lions are thrilled to be back in action and they're ready to make some noice come February.