Kyler Quick, Mahanoy Area

The Schuylkill League Division II championship goes through the Hegins Valley.

Tri-Valley has been the class of the division, winning 20 straight Division II dual meets and four straight Division II championships.

Not surprisingly, the Bulldogs should be in the thick of the fight again this season.

They’ll have challengers, to be sure, most notably Pine Grove and Mahanoy Area.

The Dawgs, though, could be building toward something really good, like they’ve done several times during head coach Dave Boltz’s 22 seasons at the helm. Tri-Valley has just three seniors, and much of its talent is in large sophomore and freshman classes. In all, the Dawgs have a 23-man roster and have a good chance to fill all 13 weights.

“The team goals are to repeat as Division II champs, place in the top three at the Schuylkill League Tournament and qualify for District Duals,’’ Boltz said.

Boltz is typically low key, but he likes what he sees from this group.

Tri-Valley returns seven starters and five others who saw varsity action. Junior Owen Wolfgang (26-14) and sophomore Noah Hanlon (28-16) were regional qualifiers as Wolfgang (107-114) placed second and Hanlon (145-152) third at districts. Junior Jaxon Bruso (27-14) is another quality lightweight.

Seniors Owen Fortna, Hogan Troutman and Kayden Lucas are back, along with juniors Garrett Leitzel and Max Masser and sophomores Hunter Updegrave, Donovan Keeth, Brock Bossler and Cayne Schadel. Five freshmen, including District 11 Junior High champion Parker Hatter, join the varsity.

Another team on the rise is Pine Grove, which jumped up from 3-12 to 9-7 last season with a lineup full of underclassmen. Eleven full-time and one part-time starters are back; the roster of 23 features 11 sophomores and five freshmen.

Seniors Austin Martin (28-10), Gage Cleary (21-13), Robbie Schaeffer (19-9) and Carson Lengle top the returnees, with junior Austin Frantz and sophomores Zach Kurtz (25-13), Scout Frantz, Isaiah Miller, James Hoy, Drew Hikes, Logan Troup and Aaron Osatchuck are back as well. The question is whether the experience they gained last season will translate into more victories this winter.

“We look to build off our season from last year,’’ Pine Grove co-head coach Paul Frantz said. “We’re looking to compete hard for a Division II title and make a Schuylkill League and District 11 run.’’

Another team to watch is Mahanoy Area, which now has co-op agreements with Marian and Shenandoah Valley. The Golden Bears have 32 on their preseason roster, including junior state qualifier Kyler Quick (34-13) at 189. Marian sophomore Rory Dixon (28-7) had a strong freshman season at Panther Valley, while sophomore William Stoyer was a District 11 Junior High runner-up last season.

Seniors Gordon Slater, Victor Hanley, Gavin Blackwell, Jacob Davis, Lenny Zack, Donovan Herman, Joe Dabashinsky and Bryan Ramos return, along with juniors Nick Manley, Sonny Seritti and Jake Taylor.

Seniors Giovanni Fleming and Racer McGuire and juniors Jah Bushati and Matthew Spino come over from Marian.

“We return a nice group of wrestlers that got valuable mat time,’’ Mahanoy Area coach Nathan Fegley said. “We are hoping to fill our lineup, which is a problem with small-school wrestling, but our junior high is starting to push some wrestlers up to us.

“We are co-opping with Shenandoah Valley and Marian this year, and we are very excited to welcome those athletes into our room.’’

Schuylkill Haven is in a rebuilding mode with lots of freshmen and sophomores. Seniors Aden Celani, Xavier Dierolf and Aidan Javorka, plus, junior Seth Goines, are back.

Williams Valley has some talented individuals but not enough depth to contend in the division. Senior Skylor Green (25-14), juniors Camron Green (29-11) and Xzavion Tennis (21-15) and sophomores Colin Crisswell (25-13) and Magnus Monger (23-15) lead the Vikings. After a hiatus, former head coach Curt Woodford returns to the first chair on the bench.

“We have five wrestlers with 20-plus wins, so we’re looking to improve in tournaments as well as improve the team record,’’ Woodford said. “We may not win many team matches, but we’ll look to gain the respect of the league.’’

Schuylkill League Boys

Division II

Mahanoy Area

Head coach: Nathan Fegley (4^th season)

Last year: 3-13, 2-3 D-II

Returnees: Gordon Slater, sr., 139; Victor Hanley, sr., 121; Gavin Blackwell, sr., 145; Jacob Davis, sr., 127; Lenny Zack, sr., 172, Donovan Herman, sr., 215; Joe Dabashinsky, sr., 215; Bryan Ramos, sr., 172-189; Kyler Quick (34-13), jr., 189; Nick Manley, jr., 127; Sonny Seritti, jr., 133; Jake Taylor, jr., 145-152

Newcomers: Giovanni Fleming, sr., 172-189; Racer McGuire, sr., 152; Kyler Pollack, sr., 215; Brandy Bonifacio, jr., 152; Jah Bushati, jr., 152-160; Christian Martinez, jr., 189; Josue Quispe, jr., 121; Matthew Spino, jr., 145; Aidan Phinazee, jr., 152; Isaac Cruz, soph., 172; Rory Dixon (28-7), soph., 152-160; Ben Lagaza, soph., 285; Matthew Lukash, soph.; William Stoyer, soph., 189; Nolan Timko, soph., 107-114; Nia Gregory, soph., 107; Francisco Cruz, soph., 285; Stanley Boris, fr., 160-172; Michael Elliot, fr., 189; Gage Nefos, fr., 121

Outlook: Bears now have co-op with Marian and Shenandoah Valley and acquire several capable athletes. Roster (32) is the largest in many years, so Mahanoy Area should be able to fill most, if not all, weight classes. Quick and Dixon are state-caliber performers. Program trending up; Bears should post a lot more victories this season and be a factor in the division.

Pine Grove

Co-head coaches: Paul Frantz (2^nd season) and Josh Hewes (2^nd season)

Last year: 9-7, 3-2 D-II

Returnees: Austin Martin (28-10), sr., 152-172; Robbie Schaeffer, sr., 215; Carson Lengle, sr., 172; Gage Cleary (21-13), sr., 127-139; Austin Frantz, jr., 152-172; Scout Frantz, soph., 285; Zach Kurtz (25-13), soph., 189; Isaiah Miller, soph., 145-152; James Hoy, soph., 133-139; Drew Hikes, soph., 127-133; Logan Troup, soph., 152-172; Aaron Osatchuck, soph., 139-152

Newcomers: Conan DeBruyn, sr., 133-139; Iniolawa Egbebi, jr., 172-189; Torren Crochunis, soph., 172-189; Shawn Kutz, soph., 133-145; Taylor Enge, soph., 127-133; Hayden Steinki-Moffit, soph., 139-152; Kendrick Wolfgram, fr., 121-133; Trent Warner, fr., 172; Quintyn Wolak, fr., 107; Cameron Waite, fr., 107-114; Chase Nagle, fr., 114-121

Outlook: Deep and talented roster from a program on the rise. Cardinals return 11 full-time starters, including seven sophomores. Also have strong senior class to provide leadership on 23-man varsity roster. Pine Grove has a slew of wrestlers poised to become consistent winners and several who already are. Should improve last year’s record and challenge for the Division II championship.

Schuylkill Haven

Head coach: Dave Osatchuck (9^th season)

Last year: 5-15, 1-4 D-II

Returnees: Aden Celani, sr., 172; Xavier Dierolf, sr., 172; Aidan Javorka, sr., 215; Seth Goines, jr., 152

Newcomers: Shawn Prentice, sr., 160; Bryce Reber, soph., 215; Brody Brand, soph., 285; John Stone, soph., 127; McKenzie Blevins, soph., 107; Dylan Benulis, fr., 114; Ethan Delgado, fr., 160; Cody Goines, fr., 145; Trayten Hasenauer, fr., 107; Kyle Javorka, fr., 172; Jack Krammes, fr., 152

Outlook: Rebuilding season for very young team. Key will be to get freshmen and sophomores mat time and focus on individual improvement.

Tri-Valley

Head coach: Dave Boltz (22^nd season)

Last year: 12-7, 5-0 D-II. Division II champion, District 11 AA Duals quarterfinalist

Returnees: Owen Fortna, sr., 172-189; Kayden Lucas, sr., 152-160; Hogan Troutman, sr., 160-172; Jaxson Bruso (27-14), jr., 127-133; Garrett Leitzel, jr., 107-114; Owen Wolfgang (26-14), jr., 107-114; Max Masser, jr., 172-189; Brock Bossler, soph., 127-133; Noah Hanlon (28-16), soph., 145-152; Donovan Keeth, soph., 215-285; Cayne Schadel, soph., 172-189; Hunter Updegrave, soph., 160-172

Newcomers: Kyle Bowman, jr., 160-172; Randy Heckman, jr., 215-285; Gavin Ballay, soph., 152-160; Dylan Blum, soph., 189-215; Ethan Miller, soph., 139-145; Samuel Misstishin, soph., 121-127; Mason Sims, soph., 215-285; Kian Gill, fr., 121-127; Jacob Schwalm, fr., 127-133; Ashtyn Warford, fr., 114-121; Liam Yourey, fr., 139-145; Parker Hatter, fr., 152-160

Outlook: Dawgs are young (3 seniors) but talented. The need to get everyone to the right weight so they can fill the lineup consistently. Tri-Valley returns 12 wrestlers with varsity experience and has large sophomore and freshman classes to provide depth on a 24-man roster. Division II favorite until somebody proves otherwise.

Williams Valley

Head coach: Curt Woodford (1^st season since 2011-12, 9^th overall)

Last year: 7-10, 3-2 D-I

Returnees: Skylor Green (25-14), sr., 160-172; Cody Miller, sr., 189-215; Camron Green (29-11), jr., 285; Xzavion Tennis (21-15), jr., 127-139; Eli Weiss, jr., 189-215; Asher Miller, jr., 285; Shawn Romberger, jr., 285; Noah Ferrier, jr., 145-152; Aidan Romberger, jr., 107-121; Magnus Monger (23-15), soph., 107; Colin Crisswell (25-13), soph., 160-172

Newcomers: None

Outlook: Vikings have several talented individuals, but lack of depth will make dual-meet success difficult. Will have to catch up after extended football season. Will look to excel in tournaments and be ready to perform in the postseason.