Coming into the 2016-17 season, it's no secret to the Schuylkill League wrestling community that the Lehighton Indians lost a ton of talent due to graduation.

Among the key losses from last year's squad were Connor Frey (42-2), Tegan Durishin (41-9), Zach Kemmerer (31-11), Wyatt Clements (29-10), Xander Smith (20-10) and Tyler Cann, who had a strong postseason after missing a major portion of the regular season with an injury.But losing talent doesn't necessarily mean that the cupboard is dry.In fact, this year's Lehighton team is returning eight wrestlers that either started or saw significant time in the lineup a season ago. Lehighton's returning experience will serve as a good foundation as it tries to once again qualify for the District 11 postseason."I think everybody knows we lost some really top tier wrestlers, but I really like the crop of returning guys we have," said Lehighton head coach Floyd Brown. "We have some guys that have really improved and have worked hard in the off-season. I think we have a solid group and also a group that will only get better as the season goes on."That group Brown is referring to is Nate Kemmerer (Jr. 120), Logan Pagotto (So. 132), Tyler Schock (Jr. 138), Chris Whiteman (So. 145), Grant Wetzel (Sr. 152), Cody Scherer (Jr. 160), Dylan Schock (Sr. 170), and Jack Zimmerman (Jr. 195).Returning experience is important, but having wrestlers that you know will go out there and get a "W" is even more critical. Brown is depending on a foursome of Indians in Kemmerer (27-8), Scherer (22-18), Dylan Schock (20-18), and Pagotto (19-16) to bring home victories on a consistent basis."Those four guys, I think will have some success this season. They were all around the 20-win mark a season ago, which should give them some confidence coming into this season," said Brown. "I just like the way they look. They all look strong and have been wrestling really well at practice."Working hard in the off-season is key in any sport, but in wrestling where strength and endurance are the crucial ingredients to success, the off-season can either break or make a season.Brown believes the most important aspect his team improved in during the off-season was strength."I can honestly say a lot of our guys are coming into this season significantly stronger, which is a testament to the work that they've put in," said Brown. "I think you're going to see some major improvements from Grant Wetzel, Nate Kemmerer, and Chris Whiteman. Those guys really put some work in. Dylan Schock is another guy who has made some strides and is a lot stronger as well."Other Indians that will see time on the mat this season are Kevin Madea (106), Luke Sangiuliano (113), Nate Lucykanish (126), Isaiah Wetzel (126), Dagan Messinger (138), Josh Nelson (138), Christian Rodriguez (152), Alex Zigenfuss (182), Will Smith (195), Brett Gasker (220), David Citro (285), and Jake Hauser (285).