Athlete of the Week

LebCo Athlete of the Week: Sam Wolford (Week Ending February 16, 2025)

by
Dan Rau
March 12, 2025

Sam Wolford

Sam Wolford has steadily improved as a wrestler since he first made States as a freshman. Now a junior, the Northern Lebanon star was selected as the LebCo Male Athlete of the Week following his 2nd straight Sectional Championship, winning the 114-pound weight class with a dominant performance. On his way to gold, one opponent and then won his next two matches via tech fall (20-3, 19-3).

For the season, Wolford finished 53-5. He was crowned the Lancaster Lebanon League Champion prior winning the District 3 – Section 2 Championship and the Distict 3 Championship, each for the 2nd straight year. He then went on to finish as the runner-up at the South East Regionals, thus earning his spot at the PIAA State Championships.

Making his 3rd trip to the PIAA State Championships this past weekend, Wolford was dominant through the first three rounds. His run concluded with a spot in the Championship Finals, where he lost a very tightly contested match to Faith Christian’s Freddy Bachmann. His silver medal will go into his collection of medals, which includes the 4th place medal he earned in 2024.

After moving up a weight class this season, to say that his season was a success would be an understatement of epic proportions. However, Wolford’s competitive fire will keep his sights set on winning gold in 2026.

Next season, he will presumably be “the man” for Northern Lebanon after Aaron Seidel graduates this Spring. The two young men have served as great training partners for one another over the course of the past few years. If asked, they will praise the effect the one has had on the other.

Last year, Wolford said of Seidel: “He continues to push me every day in the room, corrects what I do wrong or what I can do better. He encourages me through everything.”

With Karter Adams, another key piece of Northern Lebanon’s success as a team in recent years, also graduating, Wolford will have to lead the next generation of Vikings. That list includes his younger brother Carter, who just completed his freshman season complete with a trip to Regionals.

Wolford will be ready for the next challenge of his career. Not only has he received a tremendous amount of valuable mentorship from his Viking family, but he has also received many invaluable lessons at home from his actual family. His father, Sammy, knows what it takes to be a top-tier wrestler, winning three Virginia State Championships in the mid-nineties. Getting a high level of support in all aspects of life has helped to further drive Wolford’s path to success.

With three years of high school wrestling now complete, the last chapter of Wolford’s story has yet to be written. He is already working on the storyboard and will be putting in the work this off-season to make sure that when it’s published, it will include the dream ending. We congratulate Wolford on a job well done and wish him all the best in scripting the perfect conclusion.