When the Pleasant Valley wrestling team takes the mat this season, it will do so without one of the most accomplished wrestlers in school history in Kenny Yanovich.

A three-time state qualifier, Yanovich tied the Bears' all-time wins record with 138 and set the all-time mark for career pins with 78.But the cupboard certainly isn't bare for PV, with several talented wrestlers returning after gaining valuable postseason experience last year, something second-year head coach Justin Micklos hopes will help offset the loss of Yanovich."Whenever you lose a kid of Kenny's caliber, it can be hard to overcome," he said. "But we have a great group of motivated wrestlers this year that we're hoping will really step up."The leaders of this year's team will likely be junior Brody Keefe (29-14) and senior Ahmad Curtis (21-10), both of whom capped breakout seasons by qualifying for the Northeast Regional tournament last year.The performances have Micklos looking for even better things from the duo this season."This is a big season for Brody and Ahmad," Micklos said. "I'm hoping that their experience during last year's regional tournament will act as a steppingstone to the next level, which they both can reach with hard work and dedication. I know they're capable of even more this year."Pleasant Valley will have plenty of depth around Keefe (170) and Curtis (285) as Garrett Gouger (160), Trent Thomas (195) and Nick Ammirato (220) should give the Bears a strong group of middle- and upper-weight wrestlers.Gouger was a 20-match winner last season and showed great versatility by competing at several weight classes, routinely giving Micklos options with other spots.Pleasant Valley's other returning 20-match winner is Jason Jacobi, who finished with a record of 20-13 and may very well take Yanovich's spot at 120/126 pounds.While those are some of the more established names that the Bears will be counting on this season, Micklos was noted a few underclassmen that will be just as important to the team's success."Some newcomers to our team will be freshman James Gehr (106) and sophomore Quintin Vesga (138)," the coach said. "We will need them to get acclimated to our program fast if they are to going to contribute and help us achieve success as a team this season."After compiling a 10-12 overall record and just missing a spot in the District Dual tournament, Pleasant Valley will look to make noise in its first season of competition in the Eastern Pennsylvania Conference.Seeing perennial contenders such as Easton, Northampton, Nazareth, Parkland and Bethlehem Catholic, will offer Pleasant Valley a chance to see some of the best competition in the state more frequently, something Micklos thinks will benefit his team."I'm excited to be in the EPC this year," he said. "I believe wrestling better competition will elevate the skills of all of our district teams. I think it will make for a higher level of competition, which is something we will benefit from, especially in the postseason."After Yanovich was hurt before last year ended, rendering him unable to compete in any of the coveted postseason tournaments, Micklos knows better than anyone that health can be key to achieving any individual or team goals.But if several promising underclassmen develop as expected, PV should have a strong core to compete in the EPC and beyond."My expectations for the team are high," Micklos said. "Looking at our team, we have a great group of wrestlers throughout our lineup. We have our eyes set on making district duals, and we'll see what happens from there."