The Times News Wrestling Report will look a little different this season.

With schools compiling a wide-range of matches - through Tuesday, Jim Thorpe and Pleasant Valley had one competition and Northern Lehigh two, while Tamaqua has eight and Lehighton, Northwestern and Palmerton each have seven - we will be compiling a notebook in order to better represent teams and their wrestlers.

Look for the traditional rankings to debut as we get closer to the postseason. Though there is currently no bout minimum, wrestlers still need to maintain at least a .500 record for these purposes. Similar to last season, the TN Wrestling Report will appear every two weeks during the regular season.

With that said, here are some highlights from around the area through the first few weeks of the season, broken down by weight class:

106

Tamaqua freshman Gabe Erbe

(6-2) has split time between 106 and 113 pounds so far this season. At 106, Erbe is 4-1 with two pins, a major decision and a forfeit. Both of his victories at 113 have come by pinfall. In his most recent match against Schuylkill Valley on Jan. 23, Erbe pinned Caden Hummel in 0:27.

113

Lehighton freshman Aidan Gruber is currently 6-1, suffering his first loss of the season by a 7-5 decision to Pottsville’s Luke Sterns in the Tribe’s most recent match on Jan. 20. Gruber has a pin, technical fall, major decision and a decision, in addition to two forfeits, among his victories this season. Northern Lehigh senior Brenden Smay

has opened the season with back-to-back victories. Smay, who was sixth at districts last year, won by technical fall against Northwestern’s Ryan Bergenstock (2-4) in the team’s opener on Jan. 22 and followed that performance with a major decision against Wilson’s Jon Wohlbach on Jan. 25.

120

One of the early standouts here has been Northwestern sophomore Josie Wehr. She earned a pin against Lehighton’s Reese Scaturro (3-3) in the season opener on Jan. 8. Her two most recent matches have been at 113 pounds, where she has pinned Saucon Valley’s Sophia Riehl and James Cashman of Palisades. Jim Thorpe sophomore Ridge Snyder is currently 1-0, pinning Tri-Valley’s Carson Yourey 1:36 on Jan. 9 in his only match. Pleasant Valley’s Logan Segeda

pinned East Stroudsburg South’s Eryk Wozniak in 2:36 on Jan. 23 in the Bears’ only bout this season.

126

Lehighton sophomore Nicholas Zeigenfuss

has one pin and is currently 4-3 this season. He was fifth at districts a year ago, when he made the Times News Wrestling All-Star Second Team.

132

Lehighton junior Lukas Ferguson has opened the season 7-0 with three pins and a pair of close decision victories. Ferguson edged North Schuylkill’s Ethan Miernicki, 2-0, on Jan. 9, and topped Blue Mountain’s Harry Bowers, 4-3, on Jan. 13. All three of Ferguson’s pins have come in the first period. Northwestern freshman Katie Brensinger

is currently 3-3, with all of her victories coming via forfeit.

138

Lehighton senior Steven Fritzinger is currently 6-0 with a pin, major decision and a pair of close decisions over Tamaqua’s Jacob Schlier (2-4) by scores of 7-5 and 3-2, which came during the Tribe’s doubleheader sweep on Jan. 16. Northwestern junior Eli Dellicker, who placed at districts a year ago, currently holds a 4-3 record. He topped Palmerton’s Aaron Gardner (2-5) by a score of 8-5 on Jan. 15. Fritzinger pinned Dellicker in 5:04 on Jan. 8 in the season opener. In two matches so far this season, Tamaqua senior Michael Shlanta

has pinned Pottsville’s Blake Bender (1:43) and earned a major decision over Williams Valley’s Drew Buffington (10-0).

145

Northwestern freshman Dalton Clymer (3-0) has hit the ground running. Clymer, the younger brother of state champions Ben, Scott and Caleb Clymer, and Bobby, who was a state qualifier, began his career with a 10-7 decision over Northern Lehigh’s Trevor Amorim at 152 pounds on Jan. 22. Amorim was a district runner-up last year. Clymer followed that with a 4-2 decision over Saucon Valley’s Cael Markle on Jan. 23, and a 9-5 decision against Jon DeNato of Palisades on Jan. 25, both at 145 pounds. Tamaqua senior Randy Steigerwalt (6-2) has seen time at both 145 and 152 pounds this season. He has gone 3-1 at both weight classes. Lehighton senior Jon Ahner is 4-3 with two pins. Steigerwalt topped Ahner via major decision and pinfall on Jan. 16 during the teams’ doubleheader. Pleasant Valley’s Blake Walters topped East Stroudsburg South’s Niran Nguyen 15-11 in his only match so far. Northern Lehigh’s Jon Zemlansky pinned Northwestern’s Braxton Hoffman (0-5) in 2:36 in the season opener, his only match so far this season. Tamaqua senior Michael Steigerwalt pinned Schuylkill Valley’s Maxwell Lawler in 1:24 on Jan. 23, his only match this season. Teammate Devin Schlier

is 1-1 at 145 pounds this season for the Blue Raiders.

152

Northern Lehigh’s Trevor Amorim bounced back from a 10-7 loss to Northwestern’s Dalton Clymer in the season opener by pinning Wilson’s Gunner Scheetz in 1:04 on Jan. 25. The junior will look to build on his district runner-up and regional qualifying performances from a year ago. Northwestern senior Ben Griffith is currently 5-2 with four pins this season, one of which came against Palmerton’s Dennis Lombardi (3-4), at top seed at last season’s district tournament, on Jan. 15. A regional qualifier each of the last two years, Tamaqua’s Aaron Coccio

has opened his senior season sporting an 8-0 record. Coccio, who was fourth at districts last year and third as a sophomore, picked up an impressive 5-0 decision over Faith Christian Academy’s Lincoln Hower on Jan. 23. Hower was a District 1 2A champ a year ago. Coccio has five pins this year.

160

In his only match so far this season, Jim Thorpe junior Gabe Heaney pinned Tri-Valley’s Blake Harner in 2:54. Northwestern junior Mason Brensinger, a champion at the Coal Cracker Tournament last season, is currently 3-2. Brensinger topped Palmerton’s Dan Lucykanish (2-4) with a 3-1 decision in sudden victory overtime on Jan. 15, and has pins against Lehighton’s James Traylor and Wilson’s Ian Feckete. Pleasant Valley’s Gentry Kanpp pinned East Stroudsburg South’s Marcus McNeill in 4:54 on Jan. 23, his only match so far this season. Tamaqua’s Reese Szabo

(7-1) has been on a seven-match tear since getting pinned by Pottsville’s Bryce Schappell in the season opener. Splitting time between 160 and 172 pounds, Szabo has three pins during his winning streak.

172

Lehighton senior Richard Fronheiser has continued to build on his fourth-place finish at districts and appearance at regionals from last season. Fronheiser is currently 7-0 with three pins, a major decision and a technical fall. Bouncing between 172 and 189 pounds, Tamaqua junior Cole Eberts

is currently 5-2 this season. He posted a 10-4 decision against North Schuylkill’s Jared Tinari on Jan. 13. Tinari won over 20 matches last season.

189

Tamaqua junior John Buday (6-1) has seen time at 189 and 215 pounds this season. He has won six straight matches since getting pinned by Pottsville’s Augustus Warke in the season opener. Four of his victories this season have come via pinfall. Northwestern sophomore Dartanyon DeLillo

is currently 4-3. DeLillo pinned Lehighton’s Kai Phillips (2-4) in 0:21 on Jan. 8, and posted a 7-2 decision against Palmerton’s Jeremy Mooney (2-5) on Jan. 15.

215

Tamaqua senior Nate Wickersham has been an absolute force at 215 and 285 pounds so far this season, posting an 8-0 overall record. Wickersham, who placed eighth in his second straight trip to states a year ago, is 4-0 at both 215 and 285. Just one of his victories has come by way of forfeit; six are by fall. One of his most impressive wins was an 8-3 decision over Faith Christian Academy’s Leo Muzika on Jan. 21. Muzika was a District 1 champion, placed fifth at regionals and qualified for states last season. Northwestern senior Isaiah Johri is currently 5-2. Noah Schlofer

, a freshman, earned a 3-1 decision over Riley Campbell of Palisades in his season debut on Jan. 25.

285

Lehighton senior Michael Yeakel sports a 5-1 record with two pins. One of those victories came against Northwestern’s Elijah Johri

(3-2) in 1:13 in the season opener.

COMPILED BY PATRICK MATSINKO