Despite changes out of his control, Tristyn Bodie remains consistent.
The Honesdale wrestler competed in Class 2A his freshman year and in Class 3A his sophomore and junior seasons.
No matter the opponent, Bodie finds success, compiling 29-, 29- and 30-win campaigns and two district championships.
This season, the Hornets return to Class 2A, where the senior takes on his greatest challenge yet — wrestling in a pandemic.
“With the situation we’re in now, it’s just heartbreaking to potentially miss out on his senior year or just a curtailed version is going to be not ideal,” Honesdale coach Ryan Chulada said.
Honesdale didn’t start winter sports practice until Dec. 10 because the school board shut down extracurricular activities because of the coronavirus pandemic. After the Hornets finally reached the practice mat, Gov. Tom Wolf halted high school sports for three weeks that same day. Then, the Honesdale school board met Monday and said it will continue remote learning and won’t start winter sports practice until Jan. 19.
Despite the fluctuating season, Bodie stays focused on what he can control.
“I’m preparing in my basement or somebody else’s basement, just training or going down to the (Gracie Wrestling Club) when I can,” Bodie said. “They really helped me out and gave me the right mindset. When I was down and I thought that there’s a good chance that we don’t have a season and what am I practicing for, they all really brought me up and said, ‘Hey, there’s going to be a postseason at some point and you just need to be ready.’”
Bodie ended last season on a roll, almost reaching the state tournament. He entered the district tournament at Hazleton Area High School as the No. 2 seed at 113 pounds. Bodie secured a pin and two major decisions en route to the District 2 Class 3A final. There he outlasted Delaware Valley’s Connor Crescimanno in a 5-2 decision to claim his second district crown, two years after topping the podium at 106 pounds in Class 2A at the Kingston Armory.
A week later, he lost his quarterfinal match at the Northeast Regional in Bethlehem, but Bodie rattled off two decisions in wrestlebacks and held a lead in the third period against Nazareth’s Andreo Ferraina in the consolation semifinals. However, he lost by a point, and won the fifth-place match to finish one spot from the state tournament.
“Something two-thirds of the way through last season clicked for him,” Chulada said. “There’s not a whole lot separating those top kids from the really good kids. Most of the time it’s mindset and attitude and belief and he started to get that little bit of swagger to him and he picked off some really tough kids.”
Those wrestlers included 2019 district champion Hazleton Area’s Johnny Corra, who Bodie beat in a 13-7 decision at district duals. He also defeated Wyoming Valley West’s Ian Ratchford, a wrestler who pinned Bodie the previous season, three times in a month.
Despite the solid year, he knows he can accomplish more.
“I think I did all right (last season), but there’s definitely room for improvement, always,” Bodie said. “It motivated me more than it satisfied me.”
He’ll face new opponents during his quest for a third district title when he returns to Class 2A.
“I look at it as I’m training the same way, I’m doing the same thing, nothing’s changed,” Bodie said. “The kids are just as good there. It’s just a smaller school. So, no matter who they draw me, I want to be ready to beat the best and be the best and do my thing.”
Honesdale dropped to Class 2A from 2016-2018 and thrived, capturing two District 2 team titles to qualify for the state tournament.
“It was awesome,” Chulada said. “It breathed a ton of life into our program just with exposure and excitement in the program. So, I really think that was a good thing for us as a team.”
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Honesdale’s Tristyn Bodie beats Wyoming Valley West’s Ian Ratchford in the 113-pound District 2 Class 3A semifinals.
As a freshman, Bodie secured the second trip to Hershey against rival Western Wayne with a 6-1 decision in the final match. He looks forward to renewing that Lackawanna League Division II rivalry.
“They’re definitely going to be a tough team to beat,” Bodie said. “They have a good coach and they have good kids. Matt Leslie is really good there.”
Honesdale will also face District 2 Class 2A runner-up and defending Division II champion Lackawanna Trail and their incredible young talent.
“I think us as a team if we bond together we could accomplish anything and I’m looking forward to seeing how it pans out,” Bodie said.
The Hornets have to wait until at least Jan. 19 to practice as a team. Despite the fluid situation, they have a stabilizing force in Bodie.
“You deal with all sorts of kids with coaching so I think motivation is probably the biggest factor as far as how successful an individual will be,” Chulada said. “With Tristyn, maybe his best attribute is he just lives for wrestling. He just loves the sport. It’s what drives him. It’s what defines him is just being a wrestler. It means everything to him and that passion comes out with the way he trains.
“My gosh, he always just sets the tone in the room for us and then that translates out on the mat.”
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