It’s not that he’s apathetic. Quite the contrary.
It’s not that he’s distracted. One would be hard-pressed to identify a more focused person.
It’s not that he’s arrogant. That’s just not part of his nature, his character.
The motivation is the same, but there’s been a slight shift in his priorities. Little Aaron Seidel is all grown up and preparing to take on the world.
“I’m committed to college,” said Seidel, a future Virginia Tech Hokie. “I’m already set on winning an NCAA Division One championship. That’s something I’m looking forward to. Winning four state titles in Pennsylvania would be so sick because so few people have done it. But when you’re wrestling in college, no one cares how many state titles you won in high school. That’s what I’m focused on right now.”
If everything goes the way it has in the past, Seidel’s amazing wrestling career at Northern Lebanon – perhaps the greatest of all time by any Lebanon County student-athlete in any sport – will reach a climax at Hershey’s Giant Center in the early days of March, at the PIAA Wrestling Championships. Seidel is looking toward that tournament with great anticipation, but one gets the distinct impression that he is ready for some new challenges.
Warriors like Seidel live for and live on those next challenges.
“I’m definitely still looking forward to the state championships this year,” he said. “People always say the fourth is the hardest one to get. I’m going to focus on the moment. I’m ready. But I’ve said all along that becoming an all-American and a national champion and winning a world championship and an Olympic championship and becoming a world and Olympic team member are my long-term goals. States and all the tournaments I wrestle are stepping stones toward my long-term goals.”
“Right now, I’m in the thick of it,” he continued. “I’m not thinking about the end of my senior season. It (the conclusion of his Northern Lebanon journey) hasn’t kicked in yet. It’ll kick in the day after states. Then, I’ll be excited for my journey at Virginia Tech. Right now, I’m not thinking about anything else.”
“He just loves everything about wrestling,” said Northern Lebanon head coach Rusty Wallace. “He deserves everything he gets. The coolest thing about Aaron is that for as good of a wrestler that he is, he’s a far, far better person. He has a great head on his shoulders. He’s just a phenomenal kid.”
Aaron Seidel is one of only two Lebanon County wrestlers to ever win a state championship and the only one who has captured multiple PIAA crowns. Should he garner a fourth state title at Hershey in March, he would become the 15th Pennsylvania wrestler to accomplish such a feat.
Seidel is also on pace to break the all-time Pennsylvania record for victories in a career, a mark which currently stands at 199 wins. How about them apples?
“For me, it’s God first, family second, and then wrestling. I guess I’ve got to put school in there, too,” said Seidel. “It’s always been that way. I’ve always been faithful, I’m close to my family, and I love wrestling.”
“In my freshman year, I wasn’t even weighing in at 106 (pounds),” added Seidel. “I just kept growing and growing. I think in my freshman year, I got more technically smart. I was still a young teenager, and my dad helped me to figure things out. Now, I’m starting to figure things out myself. I’m an adult now not making stupid decisions. I know I’ve accomplished a lot since I was a freshman.”
“The success he’s had in wrestling was inevitable, first because of his work ethic,” said Wallace. “He’s willing to sacrifice things that most high school kids aren’t willing to sacrifice. You just knew he was going to have success and that he was going to pass everyone. I don’t think we’ve even scratched the surface of how good he can be.”
Once known as “The Baby Faced Assassin,” Seidel burst onto the state wrestling scene in 2021, capturing his first PIAA title and posting an overall record of 49-1. He followed that up with a 48-0 sophomore campaign and a 52-1 junior season. This year, he sports a 22-0 personal mark.
Seidel’s career record of 171-2 is astounding and his 90 career pins are similarly impressive. He holds many of the Northern Lebanon and Lebanon County career wrestling records, and he’s successfully wrestled in countless national and regional tournaments outside of the PIAA competition.
“After winning that (first state championship), it made me more confident,” said Seidel. “When I was in middle school, I was just an average wrestler. Going into my freshman year, I didn’t know what I was going to do. When I was in it, I thought, ‘I’m good. I can win.’ I was a freshman. I was a baby. But I was learning and learning and learning.
“In my freshman year, I was looking up to the seniors. I wasn’t as much of a leader as I am now. I was like one of the freshmen now. When I won states, it gave me more confidence, and I kept gaining confidence and kept gaining confidence. When you lose, it sucks, but when you win, it gives you confidence.”
“He was this little freshman, barely a hundred pounds,” remembered Wallace. “He’s just a student of the sport. He looks at wrestling in a way most people don’t. A lot of people hit a level of success, and they’re satisfied. He’s just the opposite of that. His record is 171-2 and he’s focused on the two. He doesn’t ever have that satisfaction.”
Because he’s grounded and in tune with where he comes from, Seidel is very much aware – and proud – of the legacy he is leaving behind.
“There’s a whole bunch of records that I have, and I want people to chase me,” said Collins. “I want people to know I was the boy, the guy at Northern Lebanon. I want to leave a legacy here and have people remember me forever.”
“I think some people take wrestling too seriously,” added Collins. “I’m a grown man now. I don’t take it too seriously. It’s a game. I want to have fun with it. I just always want to feel blessed and thankful. I always want to be honest and not be cocky.”
“The history of our program is something we take very, very seriously,” Wallace said. “For him to do what he’s done for the program is amazing. We always approach wrestling at Northern Lebanon as a team sport. The team aspect of wrestling is far more important to Aaron than the individual part.”
Focused on the moment, but never taking his eyes off the future, Seidel has thought about a day when his wrestling career will come to an end.
“I’ve been wrestling since I was 6 years old,” said Seidel, who’s undecided about his major at Virginia Tech. “I’m going to go as long as I can. I want to wrestle after college. I’d also consider MMA (mixed martial arts). It all depends on my job and what I’m doing at the time. But I’m going to coach until the day I die.”
“In order to be really good at things, you don’t have to be the most talented,” Wallace concluded. “Talent is low on the list. You’ve got to be willing to do things other people aren’t willing to do. The people who are best at what they do are just different. Aaron is just one of those kids who gets it. There are a handful of kids in the country who can compete with him, and that’s who he’s chasing. In wrestling, if you want to be really, really good, you can be.”
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