One thing nearly all wrestlers can agree on is no matter what happens this season, it’s almost surely going to be an improvement over last season.

After a shortened season that seemed to be over before it really got started last year, Northwestern’s wrestlers are looking forward to a full season and a full schedule.

“Only getting five matches in before districts is always tough, especially being a freshman,” said Tiger sophomore Dalton Clymer. “Looking forward to this year, getting a lot more competition in, a lot more tournaments and matches. It will be a fun season. I’m excited to see what happens.”

Clymer is the Tigers’ top returning grappler on a team of 11 who are nearly all returning from last season.

Clymer, who is the brother of state champs Scott, Ben and Caleb and state medalist Bobby Clymer, is coming off an impressive yet bittersweet rookie varsity season. He won the District 11 Class 2A title at 145 last year and was named the tournament’s most outstanding wrestler, but went 0-2 in regionals a week later to have his season come to an end.

“It’s a whole other level,” Clymer said of regionals. “Districts was some really good competition from what I faced during the season. Going out to regionals I don’t think I performed 100% how I should have. I saw last year that it gets a lot harder, a lot better competition.”

Clymer put in a full offseason of tournaments and training. He said he could tell other wrestlers at regionals looked ‘crisper and sharper’ than he did last year and he decided to change that.

“I wrestled a bunch during the offseason,” he said. “Competing in football helps. Going into this season feeling a lot stronger. I grew a lot. I know my technique has gotten a lot better.

“Last year my goal was to make it to states. Same mentality this year. Gotta make it there. Goal is to place. This year I really want to make that happen, especially with the unfortunate ending to last year. I’m looking to finish high this year.”

While the Tigers won’t have a full line up this season, it’s to Clymer’s and his teammates’ benefit that the holes in the line up are in the lower weights, meaning most of the team should have like-weight partners to work against in the wrestling room.

“Small numbers, unfortunately,” Clymer said of this year’s team. “We have a small group but a good group. Some good guys that are willing to push and willing to break you. They’re going to get better and we’re going to get each other better throughout the season. The room is not going to be a problem this year.”

The Tigers will have two seniors in this year’s line up in Nathan Peters and Eli Dellicker, who will likely be around the early part of the middle weights where the team is strongest, while Peters will be near the end of that part of the line up around 189.

The Tiger line up will likely start around the 120-pound class with junior Josie Wehr, followed by sophomore Katie Brensinger. Dellicker, Clymer and junior Buck Miller will form a tough block in the middle of the line up.

Peters, sophomore Hunter Flaherty and junior Elijah Johri will occupy the upper weights for the Tigers this season.

A few other newcomers to the team could help fill out the line up or could wrestle junior varsity this season.

Northwestern went 3-3 in an abbreviated Colonial League season last year. The Tigers didn’t go to any tournaments and had just two nonleague matches in 2020-21. There was no district team tournament. Therefore no one on the team had more than eight matches before heading into the individual district tournament, where only Clymer advanced.

“I don’t know if I ever had only eight matches (in a season),” said Dellicker, who’s been wrestling since kindergarten. “Getting to compete in live matches is where you really see progress. You get to see where you match up with the other competition and it really helps you to improve.

“I’m just glad we don’t have to wear masks this year. That was a real struggle. It helps us all be thankful we’re able to go to tournaments and do things we weren’t able to do last year.”

With at least three forfeits per match, the Tigers might have a tough time competing with the top teams in the Colonial League, which are likely to be Notre Dame (Green Pond) and Saucon Valley again this season. But the pieces are in place for the team to take a step forward this year not only as a team but also individually for several wrestlers.

Dellicker, who is looking to advance to regionals for the first time in a four-year varsity career, likes the make up of this year’s team.

“We have some young guys and some good returning talent,” he said. “I think we can be competitive this year. We just have to continue to work hard and grind the rest of this year.”