Optimism - and turnout - are high for the Jim Thorpe wrestling program this season.

The Olympians had more than 25 wrestlers out for the team, and return a solid core of upperclassmen eager to help the team take another step forward.

“Things are looking good,” said third-year head coach Dan Heaney. “We have quite a few upperclassmen that are returning; most of our varsity lineup is returning, so we feel pretty good about that. We should have a full lineup, and we’re just looking forward to getting the season started.”

Jim Thorpe went 10-7 a year ago and brings back seniors Ricky Kenna (21-16, sixth at districts, 160 pounds), Cael Heaney (160), Max Pfeifer (145), Pete Almedia (285), Rafael Dinarte (152), Jayden Mantilla (189), and Eric Irizarry (145), all of whom have significant varsity experience.

Additionally, sophomore Stephen Korte (27-11, sixth at districts, 120 pounds), juniors Chris Jacobacci (127) and Blake Carroll (215) bring valuable experience to the team.

Two upperclassmen, Nik Schwartz (170) and Owen Acker (138), are also returning, both of whom have the potential to secure spots in the starting lineup.

“We had open rooms through the summer. We bring in different clinicians to work with the guys,” said Heaney. “So we had guys come in and work with our kids through the summer, and then leading into the season we were opening the weight room and had an open wrestling room a couple days a week. Guys were in the weight room training all offseason. I’m happy with where we’re at.”

Another newcomer to the team this year is freshman Jared Mantilla (17-7, District 11 junior high medalist a year ago), who should be at 133 pounds.

Freshmen Cooper Kresge, Aiden Bowman and Jake Chamides will be in the mix at 107 pounds, while freshmen Donovan Llewellyn and Wyatt Berger will compete for time at 133. Freshman Jude Zito and sophomores Acker and Justice Richardson will be in the mix at 138 pounds, while sophomores Cole Harwood and Connor Zurawa, along with Schwartz, a junior who missed last season, will be vying for time at 170 pounds.

Sophomore Christian Binder should compete for time at 189 pounds, while junior Marcus Muffley will slot in at 215 pounds. Muffley missed the 2022-23 season.

The team has also been boosted by a burgeoning elementary program now in its third with over 50 kids, which has started to increase numbers at the junior high level and ultimately feeds into the varsity program

With Korte and Kenna both medaling at districts and several others on the cusp of landing on the podium, Heaney has seen the squad put in the work to take another step forward.

“Stephen put a lot of offseason time in, wrestling at clubs, doing a lot of competitions,” Heaney said of Korte. “Same with Chris Jacobacci, they did a lot of offseason work, on their own, in addition to the stuff that we did. I think the whole team in general is just looking forward to the season. We have a lot of guys who have been with us since their freshman year that were new to wrestling that are seniors now, and I think that they’re just looking forward to having a good season.

“As much as we’d like to see individual success, I think our team as a whole likes to win (as a team); the team success is as important as the individual success. Even a guy like Stephen, who’s had a lot of individual success and Ricky Kenna, those guys want the team to be successful as much as they want to be successful. They’re always helping out with the younger guys and trying to make everyone better.”

The squad has inspired each other to continue to improve, both on and off the mat, something that has the Olympians in position to keep moving in the right direction.

“The entire team has been working diligently in preparation for the season and is eagerly anticipating the opportunity to compete,” said Heaney.

They’ll get the chance to do so at home in a few marquee events, as the Olympians will host the Jim Thorpe Christmas Tournament Dec. 27-28, and the annual Schuylkill League Championships on Jan. 13.