The western Massachusetts wrestling landscape is littered with talent this year.
Frontier Regional is in a good position entering the season as several wrestlers who placed in postseason meets return.
Rearkeous McMillan (145 pounds) and Tanner Finch (113 pounds) each placed third at the Western Massachusetts Division 3 Tournament. Pettis reached 100 career wins.
Jackie Phong (fourth, 285), Bailey Murry (fourth, 126), Nate Austin (fifth, 195) and Jake Mattson (sixth, 106) also placed at sectionals.
Hampshire has a young team, but for the most part will rely on its upperclassmen. Junior Michael Baldwin looks to build off of a season where he reached 100 career wins. Baldwin was second at 152 at the Western Mass. Division 3 meet and fifth at states. Junior Mason Willard was sixth at 170 at WMass last season and is expected to hit 100 wins this year. Junior Kobe Clifford placed fourth at sectionals at 195.
Hampshire only lost one senior last year, state champ DJ Willard.
The Raiders have a strong class of sophomores and, according to Hampshire coach Todd Bryant, they learned a lot from DJ Willard and their other more experienced teammates last season.
Northampton received a waiver that will allow seventh- and eighth-graders to participate on the team. Blue Devils coach Joshua Bialek said this will allow for the team to better build for the future and increase numbers.
Northampton senior captain Noah Brink is chasing 100 career wins and is hoping to find a lot of success in the tournaments at the end of the season.
Brink was fourth at 132 pounds at Division 1 sectional meet. Maddox McPherson was sixth at 106 pounds for the Blue Devils.
Smith Vocational finished as co-Tri-County League champs. The next few years look very promising for the young team. Senior captain Zach Hall, and sophomores Tanner Smith, Eric Leet and James Biddulph are all expected to have good years, according to first-year Smith Voke coach William Hern.
Biddulph was sixth at 160 pounds at Division 3 sectionals.
South Hadley will for the most part rely on its upperclassmen this year, with four returning seniors and one new senior. However, they do have a bright future with the majority of the team being freshmen and sophomores.
Jacey Rondeau was second at 195 at Division 3 sectionals. Podolak was fourth at 120.
Gateway has one of the youngest teams this year with only one returning senior.
“We have a lot of new interest and first-year guys,” Gateway coach Mike Forand said. “So hopefully that translates to a better team a couple years down the road.”
Gateway has 16 wrestlers on its roster with nine in sixth, seventh and or eighth grade.
Granby is another very young team with no returning seniors, but it has nine newcomers, including three eighth-graders.
Junior Christian Perez returns after missing all of last season with a wrist injury. As a freshman, Perez was fourth at 106 pounds at Division 3 sectionals and eighth at the Division 3 state meet.