SOURCE: www.niagara-gazette.com

February 22, 2024

NEW @GNN_Sports_:

The pain of coming up short at last year's state qualifier left @LockportSports' Liam Whalen open to change.

Instead of losing weight after football, Whalen kept the extra muscle, leading him to states, which starts Friday in Albany. https://t.co/JerzxY9TpT

— Joe Kraus (@ByJoeKraus) February 22, 2024

Liam Whalen's shot at qualifying for a state title slipped through his fingers but the pain's still numbing.

After clawing through the consolation bracket, Whalen's hopes were dashed in the true second match at 172 pounds after he was pinned by Lancaster's Michael Schaefer. Coming up short made Whalen open to change.

Whalen had no problem gaining weight, bulking up to 205 pounds as a defensive lineman for Lockport. But instead of trimming back down, Whalen kept the extra muscle for wrestling, ultimately leading to his trip to states.

The Lions senior is the No. 15 seed at 190 at the state tournament, which starts at 10 a.m. Friday at MVP Arena in Albany. Winning in Class AA and at the state qualifier in this new weight class makes competing at states, to Whalen, a surreal feeling.