Austin Brett was prepared for a big season.

As a junior last year, Brett finished fourth in the 126-pound bracket at districts after he couldn’t finish his bout due to an ankle injury.

This season, his sights were set for a district crown and beyond, However, his trek once again has been derailed.

Brett suffered an extensive elbow injury in the football team’s district semifinal playoff game, and his wrestling return is targeted at districts.

He has been working diligently to meet his goal.

“I’m not sure when I’ll be back, but I should be back for districts,” said the senior, who posted 27 wins last season and has been a three-time regional qualifier.

“It’s tough. I have been doing what I can with running and everything else to try and stay in decent shape. I want to start picking it up as the season goes along. Last year helped me prepare for what could be ahead this year.”

The Rough Riders’ lineup has been riddled with injuries. They entered Wednesday’s match at Southern Lehigh with an 0-3 mark.

Head coach Joe Russo knows the repercussions, but he is optimistic about Brett’s return.

“He’s a huge loss for us,” said Russo. “He probably would have gone to states last year. We hope he can make it back. He’s trying to get in at 122, which will make him dangerous even with only two qualifiers at each weight this year.

“If he’s back, and we get another one of our guys back, we can pick up some team wins. We will have a strong team for districts and having him back could push us into the top five in districts as a team.”

Brett envisions himself wrestling between his usual 120-126 range, and he expects to be in shape for districts with the two-week break before the start of the tournament.

He has drawn inspiration from his workout partner junior Jaryn Hartranft, a state and two-time regional qualifier, as well as his reciprocal support for him.

“Jaryn is at 160 now, but I don’t know if he will be there for districts,” said Brett. “He is working hard, and he can go far this season. Whenever he wrestles, Jaryn will be tough to beat.

“We have a good team when we have a full lineup. It’s just a matter of all of us getting healthy.”

Brett wants to continue his career in college, and he plans to pursue a degree in criminal justice toward a career in law enforcement, either as a police officer or an FBI agent.

Until then, Brett has his focus on his short-range goal of reaching districts.