Saturday, January 24, 2026 was an evening of milestones, excitement, and celebration for Padua Wrestling. Prior to the home dual meet victory over St. Ignatius, Coach Dave Morell ’80 was recognized for his dedication of 40 years to Padua Wrestling, highlighted by the success of his 25 years serving as Head Coach.
Assistant Coach Gerry Scott ’95 delivered an emotional pre-match presentation. “The numbers speak for themselves- seven individual state champions, countless state placers and qualifiers, numerous conference and sectional championships, a district championship, twelve top-ten team finishes at the State tournament including three top-five finishes, and several coach of the year awards. But what matters most cannot be measured. Dave Morell didn’t just make us all better wrestlers; he made us better people. Thank you, Coach Morell, for your leadership, loyalty, and your unwavering commitment to Padua Wrestling.”
As the opening ceremonies concluded, the Padua wrestlers unveiled exclusive team t-shirts honoring Coach Morell and Assistant Coach Kyle Kaminski ’15 presented him with a commemorative award and banner. Then, in front of the large home crowd filled with many Padua Wrestling alumni, the Bruins took care of business on the mat with 8 individual wins including 4 falls and 2 technical falls, defeating the Wildcats by a score of 41-30. The top moment of the meet was John LoFaso ’27 pinning his opponent to earn his 100thcareer victory as a Padua Bruin.
