They’re no denying that last season was a special one for the Panther Valley boys basketball program.

Not only did the Panthers post their most wins in 18 years, but they also claimed the Schuylkill League Division 3 title, finished runner-up in districts, and qualified for the state playoffs.

Optimism remains high for another successful campaign, but the task has become much tougher as PV has moved into Division 1.

The switch to the bigger-school division will be a challenge for head coach Pat Crampsie and his squad, but they are ready to face it head-on.

“That obviously makes a huge difference,” said Crampsie. “It’s certainly not a knock on the smaller schools ... but the depth of (Division 1) really makes it difficult night-in and night-out when you have to consistently compete with teams that typically are a lot deeper.

“We fully expect to compete ... Our goals don’t change. We want to stay in the mix in the division, and obviously we know that’s going to be extremely difficult. With the wild card there, you hope to stay within striking distance. As far as districts go, No. 1 is getting that magic number to get into districts, because we feel that if we get in, we’ll be battle tested and can compete in 3A.”

The Panthers will be led by senior Rene Figueroa, who averaged 18.9 points a game last year.

“We need Rene to be a leader,” said Crampsie. “We know what he can do on the floor, we know he can score. We need him to not just be an all-state scorer. We need him to be an all-state player all around.”

Figueroa, a 5-7 guard, helped the team post a 16-10 mark a year ago as the program ended a seven-year stretch of losing records.

“It was a very fun year,” said Crampsie. “But I’ve constantly been reminding them that it’s going to be a whole different ballgame ... I want them to be confident, but I also want them to realize that this team has done nothing as of now. Last year is last year.”

Figueroa will be joined in the backcourt with juniors Brandon Stilitino and Erick Marchorro.

“Brandon can shoot as good as anyone in the league,” said Crampsie. “We’re going to count on him for some scoring. Erick gives us a little bit of everything. He’s a pesky defender, gives us another ball-handler on the floor and has a knack for making big plays down the stretch.”

Seniors Bradley Buzzard and Trey Turner will see time up front, although Turner can also rotate to a guard position.

“Trey was a captain last year,” said Crampsie. “He’s a very hard worker, and we’re glad we’ve got him back. Bradley had an ankle injury last year ... He grew a lot, and worked his butt off in the weight room. We’re looking for him to replace some of the rebounding and scoring inside that we lost.”

Blake White, a 6-0 junior who also suffered an ankle injury, should be a major contributor.

Senior Carter Brettle provides depth upfront, as will Aaron Miller and Geno Turner. Bryce Krapf, a sophomore, will compete for minutes at guard, while versatile junior Collin Eidle could see time at both the forward and guard positions.

“We’ll mix it up (on defense),” said Crampsie. “It’s going to be hard for us to match up with some teams man-to-man. However, we do feel we can do some different things out of our zone. We want to push the ball offensively. We’re not always going to be as structured as we’ve been in the past ... We need to play to our strengths, and a lot of these guys, in the open floor, is where they’re better at making plays, so we’re going to give them the opportunity to do that.”