If the Pleasant Valley wrestling team is building from the ground up, it certainly has a solid foundation to stand on.

Though the Bears will have some holes to fill, third year head coach Justin Micklos thinks his team has what it takes to make some noise this season."Our group of seniors are all great kids," Micklos said. "They all put in the time and I think the sky is the limit for this group."As individuals, they certainly have a lot of potential. Several of them definitely have a chance to make it to states and place high at districts and regionals."Many of Pleasant Valley's upperclassmen gained valuable postseason experience last year.Trent Thomas (27-8, 195 pounds) completed a breakout junior campaign with a fifth place finish at the District 11 Class 3A tournament and a sixth place result at the Northeast Regional event a week later. Jason Jacobi (28-8, 120 pounds) has plenty of momentum entering his senior year after also taking fifth at the district tournament and advancing to regionals."Those guys are going to be a strength for us this year," said Micklos. "The leadership that they provide for the underclassmen is amazing."They'll have some shoes to fill … but we have some guys that should be able to step up and I think they'll do very well."While Pleasant Valley didn't have a state qualifier last season, the Bears certainly got close with Ahmad Curtis (24-9, 285 pounds).Curtis finished his career with a remarkable postseason, taking second at the district tournament and narrowly missing a trip to Hershey with a fifth place finish at regionals.Pleasant Valley will also be without senior Brody Keefe (30-8, 170 pounds). Keefe, a regional qualifier a year ago, was diagnosed with leukemia earlier this fall.While it will be difficult - if not impossible - to replace Keefe and Curtis, the Bears appear to have options to plug in to both spots in the lineup.Senior Will Focht (4-3, 285 pounds) filled in last season when Curtis missed time and should be primed take on an even bigger role this year.Micklos was able to use Garrett Gouger (22-13, 152 pounds) at multiple spots in the lineup a year ago, and the senior's versatility should pay dividends once again this season. Trevor Dorn (18-11, 160 pounds) also has the potential to contribute at several different weight classes and the junior should continue to make strides with another year of varsity experience under his belt.James Gehr enjoyed a strong freshman campaign (21-10, 106 pounds) and should give Pleasant Valley depth at the bottom of the lineup, while senior Tyler Dorn (10-7, 145 pounds) should be an asset in the middle.With many of the pieces in place, the Bears will be looking to not only have great individual success this year, but to also do well as a team in the Eastern Pennsylvania Conference.Despite losing in the first round, the experience of qualifying for the District 11 Class AAA team tournament last season should motivate this group heading into a new season."Their attitude towards this year has been great. They all want to win," said Micklos. "They all come into the room and give me 110 percent everyday. They're putting in the work and it's going to pay off."