An argument can be made that the toughest sport to participate in at the high school level is wrestling.

Not only do wrestlers have to fight to maintain weight and strength, they must also battle daily in the wrestling room to improve their form and technique.

That’s even tougher this year because on top of the normal challenges, wrestlers have to overcome the added challenge of COVID-19.

Probably no sport produces less physical distancing than wrestling, which creates another obstacle for the athletes and coaches to overcome.

Jim McCabe embarks on his 15th season (130-156) leading Tamaqua’s wrestling program with the perfect combination of optimism and realism.

“I really, really don’t know what to expect,” McCabe said. “COVID policies and protocols have us learning as we go. We are going to be very cautious, with all of our kids, mostly dealing with the unknown.”

Certainly, the fear of the unknown makes it even tougher to attack, but even with that being the case, McCabe is more than thankful to be able to get the wrestling season off the ground.

“I can’t thank our school district officials enough,” he said. “They’re committed to keeping the school open and sports up and running.”

The 2020-2021 season brings an interesting blend of experience, but McCabe feels the squad needs to solidify moves to take the next step as experienced wrestlers.

McCabe is also happy with how his team is adjusting to the differences that the pandemic has created.

“If you love your sport, you will do anything that allows you to continue competing in that the sport - including wearing masks. All of our kids are adjusting to that, and are showing how much they love the sport by working through this crazy time.”

The Blue Raiders are coming off a season that saw them go 11-10 overall, but 5-1 in Division I of the Schuylkill Wrestling League, which houses defending champion Pottsville and powerful Blue Mountain.

Tamaqua lost six members of that team. Bronson Strouse, Caleb Sell, and Carson Krell all graduated; Austin Oncay opted out because of COVID; and Jerome Balliet and Lucas Schickram are both injured.

Tamaqua will have freshman Gabe Erbe at 106 pounds, while the 113 and 120 weights are unsettled, or may not be filled.

From then on, the weight classes are strong with experience

At 126, senior Tyler Hazlett is a returning vet.

The 132 class features two strong letter winners in sophomore Jacob Schlier and senior Nick Wall, with sophomore Zaidyn Walker also in the mix.

At 138, senior Mike Shlanta and junior Devin Schlier are both returnees from last season.

Moving up to the 145 class are the Steigerwalt brothers, Randy and Mike, the former a senior and the latter a junior, both of whom have been in the wrestling wars and are capable of making an impact.

Senior Aaron Coccio, who finished third in the District 11 meet last season, is listed at the top of the chart at 152, along with experienced junior Nathan Milkovits.

The 160-pound class finds senior letter winner Reese Szabo and junior Mike Leary.

Juniors Cole Eberts at 172 and John Buday at 189 are the lone rangers in their weight classes.

The 220-pound class features a potential standout in veteran Nathan Wickersham, who placed eighth at the PIAA championships a year ago. Sophomore Donavin Albert will back up Wickersham.

The Raiders currently have a void at 285.

“We’re optimistic, that’s for sure, with the experience we have coming back,” said McCabe, who will be assisted by Brandon Eberts and volunteers Danny Coccio, Steve Milkovits, Ryan Oldt. “Our depth is very good, and that makes it really good for the program.”