It's all attitude.
When Tim Rice took over as the head wrestling coach at Manheim Twp. six years ago, he had to change the mat culture at the school.
Sure, he worked on technique. That's always important when you get into scrums at the high school level.
But Rice knew he needed more. He insisted his wrestlers be tough, hard-nosed competitors that win or lose, other teams didn't want to face.
It took a while, but Rice accomplished that goal. The Blue Streaks have used that in-your-face style to qualify for the last three District 3-AAA Team Championships and have developed state-caliber athletes that believe they can win every match.
“It's tough,” Rice said. “You can say it, but you have to put in the work to do it. Confidence comes through hard work every day. The kids have been doing that, and with that, the confidence builds.
“Our kids aren't afraid to step on the mat with anybody. One thing I take pride in is that we wrestle no matter what. We aren't always the best wrestlers out there, but we go six minutes and you can beat better kids if you just keep after it the whole time.”
The Blue Streaks wrestlers have won their share over the last three years using Rice's philosophy.
Alex and Adam Smith laid the foundation for this surge. They stepped into the room and led the Blue Streaks to their first district team postseason appearance in 2011.
Led by the Smith brothers, Matthew Grossman and Courtlandt Schuyler, the Blue Streaks took another big step in 2012 by beating fellow Lancaster-Lebanon foe Solanco in the district quarterfinal round.
The Blue Streaks became legit with a third appearance last season. And even though the Smith brothers were lost to graduation, a healthy cupboard of talent remains.
“You can't replace them,” Rice said. “They were a big key to getting over the hump of not being afraid to wrestle anybody.
“Those guys weren't always the most skilled out there, but they didn't care who they wrestled and most times didn't know. That definitely set the tone for the rest of the team.”
Continued Rice, “They are two guys that scored a lot of bonus points for us in dual meets. They were huge keys to the program getting to the level where we can wrestle anybody.”
Don't expect the Blue Streaks to slip.
Schuyler and John Shorter are state qualifiers returning for another go-around. Grossman is also back in the middle of the lineup.
There is plenty of young talent. Juniors Nick Hershey, Nick McKnight and Griffin Schultz were solid first-year starters, and talented freshman Colby Kenderdine is someone to watch throughout the season.
More important, the Blue Streaks have bodies. There is a good chance Rice can fill the entire lineup unlike previous years when he had two and three forfeits a night.
“I'm not sure we will be a better tournament team, but I definitely think we will be a better dual-meet team,” Rice said. “If everything works out, we won't have to forfeit a weight, which is huge.
“To get as far as we did in team forfeiting that many weights shows how much of a bonus team we are.”
The Blue Streaks will have to continue that trend to get past a loaded Solanco club featuring Connor Sheehan, Bo Spiller and, of course, Thomas Haines, in the Lancaster-Lebanon League.
But Rice's team doesn't care about records. Big-boy programs aren't concerned about the other team and who they are.
“Our goal is to go up every year, but we are where we want to be,” Rice said. “We are at the big tournaments, and that is huge.
“Being at a comfortable level where you know you have put in the work and are just as good as the other guys is a big part of the game. You don't care about the name on the singlet. You only care that you can wrestle anybody.”