The West Allegheny High School wrestling team is opening the season shorthanded.

Four lettermen from last year's squad are injured. And none of the four will be available before Christmas.

Juniors Tony Monaco and Corey Cleric, a pair of middleweights, are recovering from injuries sustained during the soccer season. Senior heavyweights Jesse Lesko and Jullian Pendergast have a broken finger.

"I don't see any of them returning before Christmas," West Allegheny coach Mike Johnson said. "I'm hoping to get Tony and Corey back in January. I'm not sure what to expect with Jesse and Jullian. We have enough kids to fill while they're out, but it would be nice to get them back before the postseason tournaments."

West Allegheny finished second in Section 5-AAA last year and finished the season with an 11-2 record. Four starters from that team, all WPIAL qualifiers, were lost to graduation. That means the Indians will have a lot of new faces in the lineup.

"We're a very young team," Johnson said. "We have only two seniors. Half of our starting lineup will be freshmen and sophomores."

Johnson does have five starters returning who recorded 20 or more wins last season, including WPIAL champion and PIAA qualifier Troy Reaghard, a junior who posted a 33-7 record at 152 last season.

The other four returnees with 20 or more wins are Ken Scott (21-15 at 112), Aaron McKinney (32-7 at 125), Dan Bruni (21-8 at 135) and Jake Leninsky (32-8 at 171). McKinney and Leninsky were fourth-place finishers in the WPIAL.

"Our first big test comes this weekend at the Chartiers-Houston Tournament," Johnson said. "They have a good mix of quality teams from both Class AAA and AA. We're really looking forward to it."

West Allegheny was sixth in the team standings at last year's Chartiers-Houston Tournament. The Indians are one of the favorites in this year's field, which includes a total of 24 teams.

"Twenty-four is the most teams we've ever had," Chartiers-Houston coach Bill Sutton said. "We have two gyms. I'm in charge of one and Frank [Vulcano Jr.] runs the other. Frank does a great job running the tournament. We also have a youth tournament on Sunday. These tournaments are our only fundraiser."

West Allegheny and the host Buccaneers will be joined by Avella, Albert Gallatin, Bentworth, Beth-Center, Center, Charleroi, Chartiers Valley, Elizabeth Forward, Fort Cherry, Freedom, Jeannette, Jefferson-Morgan, Keystone Oaks, Kittanning, North Hills, Norwin, South Fayette, South Park, South Side Beaver, Southmoreland, Uniontown and Upper St. Clair.

"We will have a new team champion," Sutton said, referring to the fact that defending champion Shady Side Academy switched to the Powerade Tournament this year. "I don't see a clear-cut favorite. Albert Gallatin, Bethel Park, South Side Beaver, Norwin and West Allegheny look to be the top teams."

The tournament begins at 4:30 p.m. tomorrow with the quarterfinals to begin at 9 p.m. Action resumes at 10 a.m. Saturday. The consolation finals will be held at 5 p.m., with the Parade of Champions and finals to follow at 6:15 p.m.

A pair of PIAA champions are among four returning champions. Keystone Oaks' Anthony Zanetta and South Side Beaver's John Prezzia are the headliners. Zanetta won the PIAA Class AA title at 112 pounds last year. Prezzia won the Class AA 103-pound state title in 2006, but has spent the past two years battling injuries.

Zanetta is a two-time Chartiers-Houston Tournament finalist who won at 112 last year after placing second in the same weight class the year before. Prezzia is a two-time Chartiers-Houston Tournament champion. He won at 103 as a freshman, missed his sophomore year with an injury, then won at 119 last year.

The other two returning champions are McKinney and South Side Beaver's Colin Checkan. McKinney claimed the title at 130, while Checkan won at 140.

Also back are five of last year's runners-up: Kittanning's Keith Cornman (103), South Side Beaver's David Demor (125), Avella's Mitch Spencer (135), Albert Gallatin's Dan Karpency (145) and Reaghard (160). Reaghard is a two-time runner-up.

"We have enough talent to be a top-five finisher [in the team standings]," Johnson said. "I just don't know if we have enough balance to win the title. Half of our starters will be making their first appearance in a varsity tournament."