The Emmaus wrestling program is coming off a solid season, one which showed the program is on the upswing. Hornet head coach Thad Smith is optimistic about the 2021-2022 season.

“Our goal is to be better than .500, get to the third round of team districts and put some individuals in Hershey at the end of the season,” said Smith.

In reviewing the Hornet roster, Smith notes “we are younger in lower weights with experience in the middle and upper weights.”

Those lower weights start with Carter Solomon, a freshman, at 106. The 113-pound weight class has Aex Iss, a junior, scheduled to start. Aiden Horn, a junior, and Chancellor Henry, a freshman, are in the mix at 120 and 126. Another young wrestler, freshman Jesse Scott, is the 132 pick. Moving to the middle weights, junior Marco Albanese or senior Nick Velde are battling for honors at 138 and 145. However it turns outs, Smith will have experienced wrestlers and leaders in both positions.

Velde was a district and regional third-place finisher last season. He reached the PIAA East Super-Regional round. In most years, he would have been in Hershey competing in the first few rounds of the state tournament, but super-regionals replaced what is traditionally the first two days of states in order to cut down on the number of athletes at states last year. Velde took fifth place in the East, missing the state tournament and a guaranteed state medal by one place.

At 152 pounds there is a competition between Caleb Baldwin and Drew Schmidt. Quinn Scott will wrestle at 160, while Jack Brion and brother Jake Brion will compete at 160 and 170, respectively. Football players Jared Groller and Trevor Gitski will compete at 215 and 250 pounds, respectively.

The program will return to a full schedule after last year’s abbreviated season. The Hornets open with five matches in one day at Pottsville High School’s Case-Flynn Duals Saturday, Dec. 11. Their league schedule will begin Dec. 15 at Northampton and continue the next day when the Hornets host Parkland.

Emmaus is scheduled to compete in four tournaments this season, including the Bethlehem Area School District’s Hurricane Classic in late December, the Dallastown Duals (Jan. 15), the Denver Duals at Cocalico High School (Jan. 22) and the opener at Pottsville. This year’s EPC Duals are slated for Saturday, Jan. 29. Individual districts will be held Feb. 25-26.