A lack of depth plagued the Pleasant Valley wrestling team last season.

The Bears struggled with forfeits, giving up at least two matches in every dual. The end result was a year focused more on individual success than team accomplishments.

What a difference a year makes.

An influx of young talent, mixed with some seasoned upperclassmen, has head coach Justin Micklos optimistic about Pleasant Valley’s prospects this season.

“I expect this year to well-exceed last year’s expectations,” said Micklos. “We have about 12 freshmen this year, four seniors, (and) a lot of young kids up-and-coming. So for us, as long as the young guys get acclimated, I think the sky’s the limit to what we could do.”

For a program that fought to fill a lineup a year ago, the Bears are now flush with the largest number of freshmen on the roster since Micklos took over the program.

“It helps a lot, because we can help them get better, and it fills in our spots so we’re not giving up forfeits and they can get wins for us,” said senior James Gehr. “It helps the team a lot by just filling in the spots.”

Gehr, coming off a 17-9 season which included a runner-up finish at the Kurt Meister Invitational, will be counted on to be a stabilizing force for Pleasant Valley this season wrestling at 138 pounds.

Another senior, Dan Valdner, is also expected to play a key role for the Bears at 113 pounds.

Valdner is excited about what he’s seen from the team so far.

“We definitely got the numbers this year,” said Valdner, who placed third at the Kurt Meister Invite a year ago. “I like the enthusiasm in the room. Talking to a lot of the freshmen and wrestling with them, they look like they know what they’re doing, and I’m pretty confident this year.”

Micklos is looking for freshmen Chase Garcia (106), Chris Frable (170), Gavin Dorn (160) and Chris Tartamella (145) to step right into the lineup and contribute. Seniors Wayne Blizzard (126) and Spencer Mease (195), junior Anthony Mazzella (195) and sophomore Hanna Hunter (120) also return with varsity experience.

Pleasant Valley will have to replace Trevor Dorn, who advanced to the District 11 Class 3A semifinals. Dorn (24-6) fell one spot short of advancing to the Northeast Regional Tournament with a sixth-place finish at districts.

Dorn also placed first at the Saucon Valley Invite and took second at the Bethlehem Holiday Classic last season.

If the new talent can blend with the established veterans on the roster, look for the Bears to be more competitive as a team in the Eastern Pennsylvania Conference and beyond this season.

“My expectations for the seniors on the team, they’ve been around this program for three or four years now, they know what to expect, they’re expected to go out there and wrestle a tough match,” said Micklos. “I know not every match is a winnable match, but I expect them to give 100 percent, and I believe they’ll give it to me.

“The freshmen, they’re learning that mentality, and they’re learning new moves, everything every day. They’re learning from the seniors and how to practice the right way. So the sky is the limit for everyone.”