The Palmerton girls’ wrestling program is still young, but the foundation gets a little stronger every year.

Now entering just its third varsity season, the Bombers continue to build slowly and steadily — a process head coach Josh Rake embraces as much as the progress itself.

With the program only in its third year of existence, Rake — who has been with the team since day one — remains focused on strengthening the base. Rather than getting caught up in competing for overall success in the Colonial League, the third-year coach prefers to see the program take small, steady steps in the right direction. The biggest priority is getting more girls involved in what has quickly grown into a popular varsity sport.

“Our biggest concern on the varsity team continues to be numbers and weights,” said Rake, whose Bombers finished 0-7 overall (0-3 Colonial League) thanks to low roster totals. “As we build though, we will have more depth in certain weight classes, but we are really struggling to field a full lineup right now.

“And yet, that’s what I love about wrestling — even if we don’t have the greatest success in duals due to not having a girl at every weight, we can still coach these girls to have success in the postseason. Obviously, we want to win those dual meets, but I’m more concerned about getting these girls matches and helping them reach those postseason goals.”

The Bombers also graduated their strongest advocate within the school. Skylar Benninger, a fifth-place finisher at districts last year and owner of a 15-14 career record, has moved on to Lackawanna College — taking with her the intangibles Rake valued most.

“She probably helped recruit more girls than I,” Rake said. “She was a captain and a leader on and off the mat.”

Now Palmerton will look to returning seniors Cassidy Merkel and Lea Schaible to help spark interest within the school while also anchoring the lineup. Merkel returns in the 124–130 range after finishing 17-14 last season at 124, while Schaible aims to improve upon her 10-16 mark wrestling between 142 and 149.

“They both have really put in a lot of work during the offseason at camps, clinics and practices,” Rake said. “They’re as ready as anyone for the start of this season, and I’m excited to help them reach their goals.”

Beyond the seniors, the Bombers will rely heavily on underclassmen to fill the remaining spots and shape the future of the program.

Two first-year juniors, Kyleigh Jennings and Abby Baker, are fighting for time at 170 and have impressed early.

“Both have really been pushing themselves in the room,” Rake said. “I am really impressed with how quickly they have picked things up.”

Also working toward lineup spots are junior Paige Kibbler and freshman Izabella McFarland, who are competing for the 112/118 position.

Leading the freshman group is last year’s junior high district champion, Nickayla Tomsic, expected to step in at 142–149. Junior high district runners-up Nicole Jennings (190–235) and Sofia Amorim (106–112) are also pushing to break into the varsity lineup. Freshmen McKenzi Smith (124) and Alexxa Winger (124) round out the newcomers battling for roles.

“We are only in our third year, so we are still building this program from the bottom up,” Rake said, noting that the incoming freshmen may become the team’s strength. “I think we are excited for the future, and excited to give an opportunity for all these girls to be a part of the greatest sport on the planet.”

While Rake hopes each wrestler finds success in both the regular season and postseason, he wants the program’s daily approach to remain simple.

“Our goal is the same every day we have practice: get better at wrestling,” Rake said. “These girls have their own individual goals to place at districts, or make it to states, etc., but they all boil down to the same thing — getting better.”