On the heels of last year's successful dual meet season, the Zephyr wrestling team will look to get back into the fray and aim toward making a splash in the postseason.

Whitehall finished last year 12-8 (4-4, LVC). They also advanced four wrestlers to the regional round. However, three of those wrestlers were lost to graduation so once again the Zephs will have to climb the mountain with a young team.

It's been that way for head coach Tim Cunningham who is focused more on teaching his wrestlers than about the wins and losses.

"It's all about learning," said Cunningham who's entering his tenth season behind the bench. "That's what's important."

Cunningham will be molding a team that has a good nucleus and a lot of potential as they embark on the upcoming season.

Returning is district and regional champ Matt Bonshak who will anchor a line-up that features a mixture of veterans and novices. As a senior, Bonshak will also provide leadership, along with fellow seniors You Te Chen, Carlos Figueroa, Carlos Herrera Acevado, Joshua Howell and Shiwalla Singh.

Bonshak was 29-4 last season and is slated to wrestle at 160. He'll be looking to defend those titles, and should be poised to get back onto the podium once the tournaments begin. His ability to wrestle through adversity, remaining clam despite a flurry of holds that may have him behind during the match, and then stick a move that results in a win during the waning moments, places him among the Valley's elite. He'll be joined in the starting line-up by Chen who strives to get better every time he hit's the mat, said Cunningham.

"He'll be the first one in the [wrestling] room," said Cunningham. "He wants to be good and he works hard to be good. He's someone you enjoy coaching."

Chen will be wrestling at 126 this season and will look to bounce back from an injury-shortened year that began with promise.

Cunningham said that Singh is back this season and should help bolster their upper weights. He'll be penciled in at 220, while Howell, Figueroa and Acevado will give them depth.

"We're counting on those guys to lead the way," said Cunningham.

Other returning starters include junior Fouad Haddad (20 wins) and sophomore Brad Schuler who also tallied 20 victories. Haddad will be at 182 or 195, while Schuler will be at 152.

Junior Nico Kauffman also returns to the Zephyr starting line-up and will be at the 120lb. weight class this year. Cunningham said that Kauffman, who picked up 19 wins last year, dedicated himself to becoming a top notch wrestler.

"He's really picked it up this year," said Cunningham. "He's another one of the leaders in the room and right now he's working real hard."

The Zephs also return junior Adel Sharif who will once again wrestle at 106, while junior Tyler Bridgwood will be counted on to give them a solid presence in the upper middle weights.

Sophomore Robert Tully is another wrestler with experience and should help the Zephs pick up points at 138-148.

The Zephs will also count on juniors Quincy Boulware, Edward Howard and Alonzo Mann to provide depth and stability for a team that looks to be among the leaders in the Lehigh Valley Conference.

Promising newcomers include freshmen Matt Schuler (138-145) and Joseph Gladish (170-187), Tyler Schaeffer and Justin Maicks, while sophomore Edgardo Rivera is another wrestler to watch.

The Zephs will also feature sophomores Orlando Bonilla, Anotnio Estrella, Andrew Miller, along with freshman Tarek Elseify, Dominic Harris, Tyler Oswald, Charles Reed and Kyleel Thomas-Daye.

To prepare his wrestlers for the grueling dual meet season, Cunningham continually works on technique. He said constantly reinforcing moves and strategies helps them overcome obstacles they encounter during their matches.

"We drill them with technique," said Cunningham. "It's drilling, drilling, and drilling."

With powerhouse Bethlehem Catholic on their dance card right out of the chute, Cunningham knows his young team will be tested. That's followed by their annual trek to Delaware to compete in the Battle at the Beach. After they return home, it's the Konkrete Kids.

While it's a tough assignment, Cunningham said they'll look to complete a singular task.

"We want to get better every day," he said. "We'll keep the kids working hard and we'll look to improve every day."

Cunningham will be joined by assistant coaches P.J. DiStefano, Doug Bonshak, Ryan Heimbach, Frank Piff, Frank Rudolf, Gary Atiyeh and Tim Swiezak.