Jake Beistel’s awards and achievements can be read off like a grocery list. All Conference in football, Terrific twenty two, Pre season all star, WPIAL wrestling champion, consecutive state torment trips. Yet all of this doesn’t matters like the work he does off the mat and the gridiron.

Beistel was nominated in May for the Positive Athlete Award and won it for his work raising money for autism during his freshman wrestling season. He had businesses donate money for every mach he won. His talent on the mat was able to bring in a large donation.

“It feels great to be recognized, said Beistel. Yet it means more than anything that I could raise money for those kids”

For his win Beistel traveled to Pittsburgh to be interviewed by former Steelers greats Joey Porter and Hines Ward on the Hines Ward Show.

“It was great, said Beistel. They were both really funny. They’re just regular people. You always think of them as superhuman but there just normal everyday guys.”

Beistel has not always been as confident in front of a camera or people in general like he has a 300 pound nose tackle looking to tear his head off.

“I gained some confidence in the interview, said Beistel. It was calming. It felt like I was talking to an old friend.”

Beistel looks to make large contributions on the field and matt this year as well. He’s looking to make it his 3rd straight year in the State Tournament, second straight in the playoffs ,and a playoff berth in football.

“We have a really good group of guys on both teams, said Beistel. We can accomplish a lot this year.”