After all of his accolades are listed, the first response is usually the same:

"Really?"

Yes, really, when it comes to Faith Christian freshman wrestler Joey Bachmann.

Get a load of what he's already accomplished on the mat and, don't forget, he's a ninth grader.

(Where to start? Where to start?)

OK, Bachmann's last summer

Bachmann, representing Puerto Rico, won the Under 17 Pan American Games gold medal in freestyle in Mexico. That led to a third-place finish at the Under 17 World Championships in Turkey a short while later. Not too shabby for a 15-year-old.

"Getting to wrestle in other countries was really cool," the Lansdale resident said. "You learn about different places, get to walk around the cities, and see different styles of wrestling.

"It was a lot of fun."

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Skip ahead to now

Bachmann, who has been attending Faith Christian since fifth grade, also has a Walsh Ironman title and Beast of the East title at 107 pounds etched on his resume.

For those that don't know, the "Ironman" and "Beast" are perhaps the two toughest in-season tournaments in the country.

"Joey just takes it all in stride," Faith Christian head coach Ben Clymer said. "When you look at what he's already done, and how bright his future is, it's just remarkable.

"To be that accomplished at this point is unbelievable. But, when you see how hard he works every day in practice, and his desire to get better, that just tells you a lot about him.

"He doesn't let it get to his head at all. He just works."

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That work has been a common theme for as along as Bachmann can remember.

"I'm wrestling all the time," Bachmann said. "It's year-round with all of the different tournaments and then school season starts.

"And once the school season is over, there are always tournaments and just working to get better. I really don't get tired of it because you can always get better and that's what I want to do."

Joey Bachmann is No. 1 in the nation

All of the winning (Bachmann is 17-0) has him ranked No. 1 in the country at his weight class by every ranking service.

"I don't really think about it (the ranking)," Bachmann said. "I just want to keep getting better and be a part of the team.

"The guys on the team have been great and we try and help each other."

Now, when you consider the Lions ran away with PIAA Class 2A team title last year (having two PIAA individual champions and seven other place-winners, all underclassmen, will do that) and add Bachmann to the lineup, well, come March in Hershey, the rest of the state in Class 2A will be competing for second.

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"Joey has fit right in," said Faith Christian junior Gauge Botero, one of the Lions' two PIAA individual champions last season (then freshman Adam Waters was the other), who just returned to action after a knee injury.

"He's fun to watch and gives everything he has all the time."

How it started for Bachmann

Like so many, Bachmann started with wrestling as just something to do.

"I guess I was probably 3 or 4 when my little brother and I started wrestling each other in our basement," Bachmann said.

"And then when I was around 5 I went to my first tournament and have been wrestling ever since. My dad coached us, and my brother and I both just liked wrestling and stayed with it."

Worth mentioning, Bachmann's brother, Fred, is an eighth grader at Faith Christian and will be joining the team next year. He happens to be the No. 1-ranked middle schooler in the country at 99 pounds.

Fred also competed at the Pan-Am Games and the World Championships (as a 14-year- old, and the youngest wrestler in the tournaments), winning a silver medal in Greco-Roman and a bronze medal in freestyle in Mexico.

"Joey's brother Fred is also really, really good," Clymer said. "We're looking forward to having him with us next year."

Going forward

In the pre-Internet days, a talent like Bachmann could fly under the radar, at least for a while, and kind of ease his way into the public consciousness. But those days are long gone.

Everyone in the wrestling world knows of Bachmann, and the potential he brings. Fortunately, he hasn't let it get to him.

"I just want to go out and wrestle the best I can," Bachmann said. "My goals are to win a state championship this season and help the team win the state (team) title and then win a world championship (in the summer) — something I didn't do last summer."

He'll also help raise the talent level of his teammates that are close to him in weight.

"The guys that Joey wrestles against in practice keep getting better just by having him to go against him," Clymer said. "They learn things from him, and he works with the other wrestlers and that just makes everybody better.

"I'm really looking forward to see what he can do over the next four years. He brings a lot to the table. Even though he's only a freshman, the colleges are already well aware of him and what he can do."

See our first individual rankings: Check out the first Bucks County area individual wrestling rankings

Drew Markol: dmarkol@theintell.com; @dmarkol

This article originally appeared on Bucks County Courier Times: Upper Bucks freshman wrestler Joey Bachmann ranked No. 1 in the nation