If seasoned veterans are going to be at the forefront in determining how well a wrestling team will become this season, then look for the Tamaqua boys squad to be in dandy shape.

Coach Jim McCabe knows the lay of the land, as he enters his 10th season at the helm, and is fully aware it’s the offseason that takes a team to the next level.

The Blue Raiders mustered a 5-13 campaign overall a season past, and failed to garner a win (0-5) in the always tough Schuylkill League Division I, which houses the big schools.

“Improving one-percent every day,” said McCabe. “Intentional focus on the controllables in order to get one-percent better every day, doing the things others don’t want to do because its tedious and boring. We will have a set of principals that need to be met twice a day, and if they are met and we intentionally focus on that, then we will be better in March then we were in November.”

This edition of the wrestling program is focused to move in a positive direction.

And with the returning core featuring 10 letterwinners, this could be big uptick for the team.

McCabe said it all starts in the wee hours of the morning.

“Me and coach (Dave) Holmes open the wrestling room every day at 5 a.m. and you need to get your butt in and get one-on-one instruction if you want,” McCabe said.

As for the letterwinners back in the fold, the Raiders return William Behun (215), Brody Boyce (121) Angelo Cerimele (172) Jacob Hehn (189), the Schlier brothers, Aiden and Brody, both listed at 133, Levi Kunkel (121), Evan Temarantz (126), Chase Zeigenfuss (152) and Bradley Whalen (160).

McCabe and his staff are particularly high on five newcomers. Frankie Hill. (145), Jonathan Knepper (160), the McMillian brothers, Tyler at 139 and Mason at 145, Camden Walker and Jesus Laureano, both at 172. That group will vie for spots vacated by the graduation of Gabe Erbe and Stephen Kieffer.

“We have a few kids that could be brought up,” McCabe said about potential junior varsity wrestlers.

McCabe is excited, but to hear him explain what he enjoys and why he enjoys it, says it all.

“I love wrestling ... love the opportunity to work with these kids. I want them to be productive individuals inside and outside of the wrestling room, that’s all I can ask,” he said.

Lady Raiders

The girls are making an impact, with six varsity wrestlers embarking on this winter’s campaign, and two junior high participants, McCabe sees it all as a plus factor. He and his staff are encouraging more and more girls to come out for the sport.

The girls team has 22 competitions in all, McCabe pointed out, in dual meets and tournaments slated for this winter. Six weight classes are featured on the roster. At 103, Rylin Arroy; Kiely Kunkel at 109; at 112, Addison Trunk; Jalissa Correa is slotted at 120; followed by Kaitlyn Rivera at 125; and Shala Clay will wrestle at 170.

McCabe is excited about the growth of the girls wrestling program. He points to Kunkel, who has been wrestling since she was in kindergarten. Kunkle, Trunk and Arroyo aren’t new to the sport, according to McCabe. All three placed in junior high girls districts last year. McCabe said they’re young with a freshman and two sophomores.

“Those girls wrestled very well,” McCabe allowed. “All the girls on the (roster) are productively doing better at practice. They’re getting all the concepts of wrestling and are getting better.”

The rise in the girls program is starting to pay dividends and gather a lot of attention for the next level, McCabe explained.

“One of our girls from last year, Lexi Jones, got some form of money to wrestle at Muhlenberg,” he said.

McCabe is very optimistic for the girls, saying they can compete at the District 11 level.

As for getting more girls on the mats, McCabe is encouraged.

“There is definitely a whole lot of interest, but some are (hesitant) to pull the triggers (and) come out,” the veteran Tamaqua mentor said. “We’re going to continue to try and get some more girls out. We had more girls in the (wrestling) room, but they were afraid to come out. Three girls were (practicing) before the start of the season, then decided not to come out. Had they come out, we would have been at nine.

The interest level is growing, McCabe insists, for the girls. He meets with parents to assure them they will be taught, and it’s safe for them to get involved in the program.

“Once the girls get there, they love it,” McCabe said.

McCabe said he knows that it’s a fun sport up and down the program.

“There should be no stress. If there is, you are doing something wrong,” the coach said. “We’re really trying to teach kids about the stress level, and there should be no stress participating.”

McCabe said the teaching of low stress, and how to surrender the outcome, is what the focus is about for both the girls and boys.

“You can’t control if you are going to win or lose, but you can control how hard you work at practice,” McCabe said.

That in itself figures to be a plus factor for the wrestling teams this winter.