Entering his eighth season as head coach of the Jim Thorpe wrestling program, Shawn Albert envisions this year's team to be a split between solid experience and a work in progress.

"We are a tale of two stories," he said. "We have a solid group of veterans, and then we have kids who need time on the mat to get better."Gone from last year's squad is state champion Kevan Gentile, who took his grappling skills to the mat at Bloomsburg. Thorpe also must replace Robbie Geisinger in the 170-pound weight class, and Albert believes he has a good one in sophomore Austin Williams."I'm very excited about Austin," Albert said. "He has committed himself to the weight room, and he brings a great attitude to practice each day."Thorpe will also look for a good season from senior captain Cameron Condly and junior captain John Newhall."Cameron is probably our best conditioned athlete," said Albert. "He's very strong and his stamina will win matches in the third period. Last year, he nearly defeated a state playoff wrestler from Saucon Valley when he cut the deficit from five points to two in the last few minutes of the match. Cameron's durability will wear down opponents.""John Newhall, like all our veteran wrestlers, is strong on his feet and gets a lot of takedowns. He's also very strong from the top position. We are looking forward to success from John this season."With only three seniors, one of whom is returning Ryan O'Rourke, who compiled a 20-14 record at 285 pounds last winter, Albert admits his squad will have its hands full in dual meets and tournaments. But he expects individual success and improvement throughout the season.That includes Ethan Mourdant, who at 195 pounds posted a winning record as a freshman last year."Ethan has a good shot at getting past the districts," Albert said. "He's matured from the football field to the wrestling mat, and that should benefit his performance."Albert calls freshman Will Schwartz, a "little mat rat," who is "extremely committed to wrestling" and despite his young age, brings experience from club and camp wrestling to the high school.Jason Walck, at 138 pounds, has wrestled since his knee-hi program. Albert feels Walck will go through growing pains, but will definitely show improvement.Thorpe rosters 10 freshmen and five sophomores this season, and Albert knows that translates into a great deal of patience while the underclassmen improve their skills."I'm not discouraged to say that we will have to focus on developing many of our kids over the next two to three years," he said. "I am excited for our juniors and seniors. We'd like to see them all get out of the districts and qualify for the states."This year, Jim Thorpe will host a 17-team holiday tournament, as well as the 16-team Schuylkill League tournament Jan. 20-21.