Muncy has been at a disadvantage since the start of the wrestling season.

Following a roller coaster 2022-23 season, in which the Indians finished 2-7 in dual competition before seeing more success in postseason, they came out the gate in 2023 with a large portion of their roster out with injury. That included their two best wrestlers in state champion Austin Johnson and state medalist Gage Swank, who combined for 78 wins last season and played a large role in their postseason success.

Their schedule hasn’t pulled its punches either.

In December alone, Muncy was scheduled to compete in three large tournaments, Top Hat (25 teams), King of the Mountain (33 teams) and Powerade (68 teams). Its tournament-riddled, opening month was complemented by some of its toughest dual competition of the season, with its first two dual matches coming against Line Mountain (5-0) and Warrior Run (4-0).

“It hasn’t been an easy schedule,” said Muncy coach Patrick Sparks after the team’s match against Williamsport. “It hasn’t been an easy schedule the past couple of years. It’s just one tough competition after another.”

The holes left behind through that early span were felt, as the Indians finished last at Top Hat and King of the Mountain and were outscored by a combined 122-15 through the aforementioned dual matches. Sparks knew those events would be rough but wanted to get the guys he had available as much experience as possible.

“We still have holes in our lineup,” said Sparks. “We had three kids on the mat (against Warrior Run) because we had so many issues with injuries.”

But the team remained poised and three weeks into the season, it had its first taste of success. With Austin Johnson and Nick Mull making their 2023 debuts at Williamsport on Dec. 23, 2023, the Indians were able to come out of the dual match victorious as both wrestlers picked up wins.

“We were able to put eight guys out (against Williamsport),” said Sparks after the win. “Our progression through the season has gotten better and better, and we’re excited to see where we can be in the next couple of weeks.”

Since then, the Indians have seen an uptick in success. Giving up less forfeits and having a state champion back in the lineup will do that.

It placed 33rd out of 68 teams at Powerade, with Austin Johnson carrying a large portion of that load with a runner-up finish. Then, against two respectable Mid-Penn squads in Benton (5-4, 3-0 Mid-Penn) and South Williamsport (10-4, 2-1 Mid-Penn), it endured close losses.

It’d be one thing if the Indians lost both those matches at full strength. But they managed to keep both matches close despite giving up a large portion of forfeits.

Against Benton, Muncy gave up 30 of its opponent’s 42 points by way of forfeit, outpacing the Tigers in terms of competitive win with a 3-2 advantage. One five-point swing would’ve given it the win, as it fell 42-33.

And it was the same story against South. Even with four losses by forfeit, the Indians managed to score 29 points and lose by 13, tying the Mounties in competitive wins 4-4 and winning all four of their matches by fall or tech fall.

The pieces around Austin Johnson have complimented him well, with sophomore Kase Snyder (9-7), junior Paxton Derr (7-7), sophomore Roman Maiorana (4-5) and senior Joshua Hill (4-5) showing that the team can consistently pick up wins in other weight classes besides 215. Hill, Maiorana and Snyder all went 2-0 against Benton and South.

It’s a team that’s one or two pieces away from being able to down considerable dual competition and have success come postseason. And with Gage Swank slated to return sometime within the coming weeks, it could have that piece back in due time.

For now, it’ll do what it can with what it has, as it steadily sees more improvements from its current roster.

“We hope to just continue to build and fill our lineup, continue to get better with our technique,” said Sparks on goals for the season. “Obviously, get over that hump at Powerade and then turn around in the meat of our dual season when we really kick off a lot of dual matches and get back to our home schedule and see what we can do as a lineup and where we can build.”