How good can the Lehighton wrestling team be this season?

That’s a question that will be answered over the next couple of months.

But the way the Tribe uncorked an impressive 57-18 lacing on host Jim Thorpe Wednesday evening, the early results for coach Floyd Brown’s squad have been a real eye-opener.

These Indians are looking to make a run at the big boys in their last season of competition in the Schuylkill Wrestling League before moving into the Colonial League.

And if Wednesday evening’s match is any indication, the Tribe look like they’re for real as they improved to 3-1 overall and 2-0 in the league. Their only loss came at the hands of perennial power Pen Argyl in a real nail-biter last week.

“I’m impressed the way we wrestled, especially coming off the loss to Pen Argyl,” Brown said. “That was a quality match, and we lost in the last bout. So the way we bounced back from that and wrestled against Jim Thorpe tonight ... yeah, I’m definitely pleased.

“We wanted to come out and get back on track. We have a couple guys back after injuries. Ethan Nothstein (sickness) and our 215-pounder, Wyatt Sherer. He wrestled a great match with only a couple of days of practice.”

The Indians laid a total of eight pins on the upstart Olympians, with three straight falls to end the match included in that number.

Nothstein got the ball rolling, pinning Christian Ortiz in 1:31.

The Indians picked up a forfeit at 114, before Thorpe’s Stephen Korte put six up on the board with an impressive second-period pin of Connor Dugan.

Then the Tribe went bonkers with four straight wins.

Jacob Hall and Christopher Jacobacci were in a battle down to the final minute of action at 127 pounds, before Hall squeezed by 7-4.

“That was a heck of an effort by Hall to beat Jacobacci, who is one solid wrestler,” Brown said. “That was a really good match. Jacobacci is an excellent wrestler and the way Hall went against him ... that was a great effort.”

Jim Thorpe’s coach Dan Heaney agreed about that particular battle.

“I usually don’t point to any one wrestler, because it’s about the team,” Heaney said. “But Jacobson did a great job. That was a very good match.”

After Blake Muffley picked up a forfeit at 133, the Indians got pins from both Evan Wentz and Jacob Ferguson. Wentz finishing off Zolton Bedocs in 3:05, and Ferguson disposed of Thorpe’s Richard Kenna in 1:03.

The Olympians’ Cale Heaney looked strong at 172. The coach’s son took care of Wyatt Smith 32 seconds into the second period.

But from there on, it was all Lehighton as three straight falls - Asher Traylor over Christian Binder (2:32) at 189; Sherer over Blake Carroll (1:00) at 215; and Reese Balk over Marcus Muffley (2:48) at 285 - wrapped up the match

“Lehighton is a good team, but I thought we wrestled well in some matches, too,” coach Heaney said. “I thought Cale wrestled tough, I thought Chris Jacobacci had a good match.”

PIN, PIN, PIN … The Indians have a lot of skilled wrestlers. They’re also a seasoned outfit, and could be the big surprise in the league this winter.

SHERER TOUGH … The standout for the Indians is coming off a knee injury, and look exceptionally strong in his bout at 215 with Carroll. Sherer has a lot of athletic ability.

STEPPINNG IT UP … Thorpe has a few impressive kids in Cale Heaney, Pfieffer and Jacobacci. This team is going to get better, once it gets a few more matches under its collective belts.

Lehighton 57, Jim Thorpe 18

107- Ethan Northstein (L) pinned Christian Ortiz in 0:31; 114 - Aidan Gruber (L) won by forfeit; 121- Stephen Korte (JT) pinned Connor Dugan in 2:27; 127- Jacob Hall (L) dec. Christopher Jacobacci (JT) 7-4; 133 - Blake Muffley (L) won by forfeit; 139 - Evan Wentz (L) won by forfeit; 145 - Carter Hontz (L) won by forfeit; 152 - Max Pfeifer (JT) pinned Zollon Bodocs in 3:05; 160 - Jacob Ferguson (L) pinned Richard Kenna in 1:03; 172 - Cael Heaney (JT) pinned Wyatt Smith in 2:32; 189 - Asher Traylor (L) pinned Christian Binder in 2:16; 215 - Wyatt Sherer (L) pinned Blake Carroll in 1:00; 285

- Reese Balk (L) pinned Marcus Muffley in 2:48.