Lehighton’s Floyd Brown has a bit of a problem.

But it’s one any head wrestling coach would be happy to have.

To date, the Indians boys team consists of 44 wrestlers — the most Brown has had at any time during his tenure.

While the impressive number assures a full lineup every time Lehighton takes the mat, it also means getting everyone action will be difficult.

“The numbers are great, which is exciting that we have a lot of interest in the program,” said Brown, whose team went 11-4 a year ago.“It is a tough balancing act. We try to get into tournaments where we can take more than just 13 people ... the challenge is just keeping everybody interested the whole season because of trying to find them matches and getting them competition throughout the year.

“It’s great to have the numbers, but you want to keep the kids active and have them stay with it.”

The Indians can put out two or three wrestlers at almost every weight class. With injuries always a possibility, having that depth is crucial to team success.

Speaking of injuries, Brown is thrilled to have a number of starting wrestlers back who missed time a year ago.

Sophomore Lukas Croizier should be a force at 145 after only wrestling five bouts last season, while junior Konner Nalesnik is healthy after an early injury derailed his sophomore year. He will probably be at 152. Senior Brok Solt missed time last year but returns and could slot in at 160.

Jacob Ferguson wasn’t hurt and enjoyed a stellar season, which included a 32-15 record, a third place at districts and a trip to states. The senior, who will be at 170, is hoping to get back to Hershey.

Ferguson was one of two Lehighton grapplers to make states. The other was Reese Balk, who posted 35 wins a year ago. He, along with Aidan Gruber (34-8), Wyatt Sherer (19-11) and Jacob Hall (17-12), have all graduated.

“We obviously lost some really good seniors from last year, and they’re un-replaceable because they were great kids who did very well in the postseason,” said Brown. “But I think we have some freshmen that are coming in with a lot of experience.”

“We’re going to have freshmen in the lineup that really haven’t been proven at the varsity level, although they’ve done really well at the middle school level ... I think in the beginning of the year it’ll be a little rough. We’ll take a couple lumps here and there. We have some tough competition early on, but as we get through the year and they gain some more experience I think they’re going to start finding their groove, and I think they’ll do fairly well for themselves.”

Brown does have other returnees who will help solidify the lineup and be a help to the younger kids. They include juniors Evan Wentz (25-12 last year), Blake Muffley (13-11), Carter Hontz (13-17) and Connor Dugan (12-16), and sophomores Asher Traylor (15-17) and Michael D’Amico (7-12).

“We want to be competitive in everything,” said Brown, whose team is now in the Colonial League. “We want to compete and be one of the better teams in our league. We want to be one of the better teams in districts, and the ultimate goal is to get individuals to the state tournament.”

Girls preview

The numbers haven’t just improved with the boys wrestling program.

The girls, in just their second season, have grown from a handful to 21 this year.

Jennifer Lobasso, who was a highly successful field hockey coach at Stroudsburg for many years, will be the team’s head coach and was very active in recruiting girls for the program.

“It’s exciting,” said Lobasso. “They are incredibly hard workers. They’re dedicated. They’re buying in. We have a few with experience, but everybody else is brand new to the sport. But it’s going great. They’re quick learners.”

Addison Chavanic (18-7) and Maggie Pagotto (12-7) both had stellar seasons a year ago, but have graduated. Junior Caeley Hinkson and sophomores Lillian Klotz and Cassidy Litts all saw time last season and return to try and improve and also aid the newcomers. Another wrestler on the squad with experience is Claudia Pagotto.

“They’re amazing,” said Lobasso of her wrestlers with experience. “They realize that although it can be seen as an individual sport, it is equally a team sport. We want to build team connections and chemistry, and that becomes a vital part of having a successful program. They help the inexperienced wrestlers, they model what they know, they serve as demonstrators of different things and they’re just flat out doing an amazing job.”

The head coach has set some lofty goals, aiming for a league title. She also believes every one can succeed in the postseason.

“I’m not saying that to sound cocky, but I’m saying that because of what I’ve seen in the room,” said Lobasso, who will be assisted by George Ebbert and Sarah Matika. “The people that have chosen to come out are tough, they’re quick learners, they hate to lose, they ask questions, and they’ll stay after practice to work on things. They’re an extremely dedicated group of kids.”