Zachary Briggs is no stranger to winning big time matches. And it didn’t take long for the Keystone College freshman to make an early mark for the Giants.
Briggs, a 2016 Wyoming Area graduate from Wyoming, has helped the newly formed Keystone Giants wrestling team to a solid start to the 2016-17 season.
So far this season, Briggs has six wins, four coming by pins, to help the Giants to a 5-7 record in their first season of wrestling since 1991. His record of 6-9 through the middle of December isn’t exactly where the freshman wants to be after a slow start to the season. However, he can see his hard work beginning to pay off.
“It’s been pretty great to be on the first year comeback here at Keystone,” he said. “It took a little while to get going but we’re starting to build some confidence.”
Briggs has been wrestling up a weight class or two over the first month of the season. He’ll wrestle at 165 for the majority of the season.
After losing by technical fall in his first three matches of the season, Briggs battled back to take down Mount Saint Vincent’s David Bell by fall in 4:11 in the 184-pound bout. The win was Keystone’s first of the season at the New York/Pennsylvania Duals. He would fall in his next three bouts at the duals.
Briggs would later get hot at the Muhlenberg Duals.
The former Wyoming Area star took a 0:55 second pin against Jeff Hilsher of Thaddeus Stevens College of Technology at 174 pounds. Against Keaton Gomez of Southern Virginia University, Briggs won his second straight bout, a 15-13 decision.
“That run gave me a boost to keep going and keeping getting more pins throughout the season,” he said. “I’m just trying to bring up my wins record.”
At the Bob Quade Invitational at Centenary University, Briggs received a first round bye. He would lose his first bout, 7-2, before rattling off two pins in a combined 1:38. He would fall in the consolation round.
The Giants traveled to the Wilkes Open on Dec. 22.
New ground for Keystone
The 2016 wrestling season is the first for Keystone College since the 1990-91 campaign. Steve Mytych Jr., the son of former Wyoming Area head coach Steve Mytych Sr., took over the program back in the spring.
It’s been a tough start for the Keystone coach, as the Giants currently sit below .500. But Mytych sees many bright spots for his squad, including Briggs.
“It’s going really well so far to be honest,” Mytych said. “From May 1 when I officially got in there, they told me to build the program. We’ve come a long way since that time.”
Mytych has known Briggs since the now-college freshman was in eighth grade. The coach said his hard work over the past five years has led him to where he is today.
“He’s young and he’s up in weight class,” Mytych said. “I think his success will definitely come in the second semester.”
The younger Mytych coached at Wyoming Area when Briggs was a high school freshman. He currently runs Wyoming Seminary’s Excalibur youth wrestling program. He’s also the head softball coach at Wyoming Seminary.
Revenge for 100
It wasn’t easy for Briggs to leave Wyoming Area. The college freshman fell two wins short of the 100-win plateau. He missed reaching the PIAA Championships by one spot, which may have handed him that career milestone.
Now, Briggs still has his sights set on 100.
“I’m going to keep practicing hard this offseason,” he said. “I need to keep up my lifting and good eating habits.”
Briggs won the District 2 championship as a sophomore, wrestling at 160 pounds and finishing fourth in the PIAA Class 2A Regionals. As a junior, he finished in fourth place in the district at 170 pounds.
In Briggs’ senior season, wrestling at 182 pounds, he cashed in on his second District 2 gold medal and finished fifth at regionals. His career mark of 98 wins ranks in the top-20 at Wyoming Area. He won 30 or more matches in his final three seasons as a Warrior, while he finished his senior season at 33-5.
To Briggs, the college ranks have been easier than high school.
“I have more opportunities to go to the gym and hit the bike,” he said. “It’s been a bit easier doing it on my own.”
Following a long break for the holiday, Briggs and the Giants will be back in action on Jan. 14 at Gettysburg College.
The son of Alan and Karen Briggs, he is currently studying accounting.
