A quick glance at Palmerton’s wrestling roster will reveal something noticeable - not many seniors.

The Blue Bombers will have only two upperclassmen this season - Daniel Lucykanish and Dominic Massey. That, obviously, will mean there will be plenty of underclassmen filling the lineup in 2022-23.

That isn’t necessarily a bad thing, though.

“There’s a lot of young talent that has been wrestling for many years together,” said head Justin Petersen, who believes that young talent will be the program’s strength this season. “They all get along great, so the team chemistry is something special and that helps a team go through the grind of the season.”

While Lucykanish, a four-year wrestler, and Massey will anchor the Palmerton squad, the rest of the team will be comprised of two juniors - returnee Gretchen Schaible and newcomer Clayton Everitt - and 11 sophomores, along with one freshman.

Gone from last year, where spots will need to be filled, are Dennis Lombardi (152 pounds), Jeremy Mooney (172), Colyn Mertz (189), Matt Garey-Hendricks (215) and Westin Horn (132).

“They worked hard and gave everything they had, which is all you ever wanted as a coach,” said Petersen. “Dennis and Jeremy were great leaders for the team, and replacing that leadership will be key this season.

“The big sophomore group got a lot of good experience last year, and can focus on taking positive steps forward to becoming better than they were last year,” said Petersen.

Some of those sophomores Petersen will rely on include Derek King (139/145), Caleb Gaffney (160/172), Aidan Ortiz (127/133), Dillon Lombardi (133/139), Jameson Trainer (145/152), Josh Merkel (121/127) and Kellen Trotter (107/114).

Schaible, the lone returning junior, will look to take the mat in the 127 or 133-pound weight class.

“All of them are experienced wrestlers that bring different things to the table for this team,” said Petersen. “We have a lot of young talent who I’m looking to step up to not just be contributors, but leaders on this team.

“Great opportunities for them, and I am excited to see them continue to grow and develop as wrestlers.”

Petersen’s top wrestler, unfortunately, won’t hit the mat until later in the season.

Lucykanish (152/160), who was 17-5 a year ago and finished second at districts to qualify for regionals, will be sidelined to start the year after suffering a football injury.

“Dan unfortunately suffered a foot injury at the end of football season, which will require some time to heal,” Petersen said. “He is a great leader and will continue to help the team, regardless of if he’s on the mat or not.”

Lucykanish and the Bomber coaching staff may be offering advice to a number of individuals that are fairly new to the sport and are trying to make their mark. They include Everitt (215/285), Massey (172/189), sophomores Jayce Koch (172/189), David Pereira (160/172), and Mason Becker (114/121) and freshman Vincent Taglieri (133/139).

“These kids don’t feel like newcomers at all because they have been in the room working with us for months leading up to the season,” said Petersen. “I haven’t quite seen something like this group before.

“We always have new kids come out and try it, but to see the level of dedication they show is something that is exciting.”

The Bombers finished with a record of 8-8 overall, including 5-3 in the Colonial League, which was good enough to qualify for team districts.

“We want to improve on last year’s dual meet record,” said Petersen, now in his ninth season. “I think we can compete with many teams in the area. It just comes down to matchups ,and our ability to wrestle to the expectations that we have for ourselves, which are high.

“Qualifying for district duals again this year is a definite goal, as well. Individually, we want multiple guys placing high at each of our individual tournaments on our schedule and at districts.”