From the opening whistle tonight until the mats are rolled away in the Giant Center late on Saturday, March 11, there are plenty of things wrestling fans will want to follow.

For a little preseason primer, here are 10 things to watch this winter:

1. High-flying Eagles

Exeter dominated last year en route to its first Berks Wrestling League title.

With four of five All-Berks wrestlers from a season ago returning, the Eagles will be hard to bring down this season.

Austin Desanto, a PIAA Class AAA runner-up last year, leads the group of returnees, followed by Tyler Bagoly, and state qualifiers Dennis Karas and Oscar Daniels.

But Exeter coach Jon Rugg, the District 3-AAA Coach of the Year last season, has his sights set a little higher than winning a second straight county championship.

"I don't really focus on that," Rugg said. "It's just about these kids and making sure that every year they're ready for the postseason."

The Eagles buzzed through their Berks I schedule with seven wins by an average of more than 48 points. The closest match was a 17-point victory over Gov. Mifflin.

In keeping with his word to make Exeter stronger toward the end of the season, Rugg watched the Eagles defeat Gov. Mifflin by 42 points in the Berks semifinals, then rout Wilson 49-9 in the county championship match.

"It's all because of the kids and how hard they work," Rugg said. "Every success that they get is all because of how hard they work."

The Eagles also earned their first PIAA dual-meet victory during a 22-5 campaign.

But Exeter was unable to break through the dominance of Central Dauphin and Cumberland Valley on the district level. The Eagles lost to Central Dauphin in the District 3-AAA semifinals before bouncing back to finish third.

"We lost to one of those teams each of the last three years in the district semis," Rugg said. "We'll see."

But instead of just watching to see what will happen, Rugg plans to challenge his wrestlers with a tougher schedule right from the start. Exeter will open the season at the Cumberland Valley Kickoff Classic today and Saturday.

"My goals are always higher than the county," Rugg said. "If we achieve those things along the way, that's good."

Wilson, Gov. Mifflin and Reading High will all be out to knock off the Eagles but may not find it any easier than last year.

Wilson, last year's county runner-up, lost to Exeter three times in nine days when the Eagles were at their peak.

2. Desanto's quest for gold

Austin Desanto was without a doubt one of the best wrestlers in the state last year.

During his junior season at Exeter, Desanto carried a 50-0 record into the PIAA Class AAA 120-pound championship match against Franklin Regional's Spencer Lee.

Desanto soon discovered why Lee was not only the best wrestler in the state, but also among the best ever to wrestle in Pennsylvania. Lee, a junior world champion, beat Desanto by technical fall in the second period.

But the thought of trying to avoid Lee, a three-time state champion with a 147-0 record, hasn't entered Desanto's mind.

"I want to wrestle him this year," Desanto said. "I could care less about a state championship. That doesn't matter to me."

Desanto enters the season with a 135-7 career record. He has won a pair of state medals, two Berks championships and a pair of District 3-AAA titles.

But he has a bigger goal than becoming Exeter's first state champion.

"I want to be an NCAA champ," Desanto said. "I'm probably going to have to wrestle him (Lee) at 125 so I want to get another look."

For the rest of the article, please go to the Reading Eagle... http://www.readingeagle.com/sports/article/berks-scholastic-wrestling-preview-eagles-hoping-challenging-schedule-just-the-start