“Our team is very young,” says Bitner after reflecting on the loss of Hornet mainstays Ryder Bowen, Evan Ingerick and Silas Mickey from last year’s roster, “We have a ton of brand new kids to wrestling .. and we're excited to see our new guys learn the sport and grow.”

Bitner will have a pair of returning seniors, both District qualifiers in 2024-’25, to help lead an otherwise inexperienced squad.

Mason Nowak finished last season 13-19 and went 8-5 leading up to the postseason. After placing 4th at the North Sectional, the 133-pounder dropped his first two matches at Districts. 

Hayden Stevens, who went 22-11 last year, including a 9-2 mark leading up to sectionals, also took 4th in the North before falling twice in his District 4 Championship debut.  

Bitner points to freshman Mason Greene and sophomore Jorden Hines as potential newcomers who could make an impact this season. 

On the Hornets’ goals for the 2025-’26 wrestling season, Bitner says, “We want to send multiple guys to the district tournament and look for individual growth throughout the year. We're excited to have some new wrestlers in the program and want to continue to grow interest in the sport.”

Wellsboro will host South Williamsport for a scrimmage on Tuesday before opening their season at Athens on Thursday, December 4th.