A threepeat as Patriot League champions will be a long shot for the Whitman-Hanson wrestling team this season after a loss to Hingham last week, but the young Panthers showed the Harbormen and the rest of the region that they will be a threat for years to come.

The Panthers made things difficult for Hingham in the loss on Jan. 4 and rebounded with two first places and a strong showing overall, both against Hingham and at the Panther Tournament Saturday at the High School.

“We, as a team, must take our upcoming league meets one at a time and concentrate on the task at hand,” coach Eddie Flanagan said. “With the leadership of captains and the talents they possess, I think we can be a very successful team going forward.”

The captains led the way for the Panthers against the Harbormen with senior captain Colin McSweeney getting a win at 145 pounds and junior captains Jeff Bechen and Greg McGrath doing the same at 152 and 182. Whitman-Hanson also got a win from Colin Brain at 106 and a gutsy victory from Brody DeMinico, who fought through a third-round injury to force overtime before winning by takedown.

McSweeney, McGrath, Bechen and Brain were also the top four finishers for the Panthers at their annual Panther Tournament. McSweeney dominated his weight class to reach the finals, where he won by one point with a last-minute takedown. McGrath, who was seeded second at 182, also took home first place while getting some revenge on the Marshfield wrestler who beat him at the Marshfield Holiday Tournament in the process.

“Greg is one of the toughest wrestlers at his weight class in this region,” Flanagan said. “[And Colin] was near flawless on Saturday.”

Bechen took second, losing in the finals to a Duxbury wrestler. While the junior captain was hoping for a first place in front of the home crowd, Flanagan said Bechen still turned in a solid tournament.

“Jeff has nothing to hang his head over,” he said. “He is one of the best wrestlers the program has ever had as far as technique goes.”

Flanagan was also pleased with Brain, who placed fourth at 106 in what he said was a big step forward for the young wrestler.

“It was a huge day for him and a great way to raise his confidence going forward in his sophomore year,” he said.

The Panthers also got fifth place finished from sophomore Zach Perkins at 152 and senior Billy Madden at 220. Markus Coles placed sixth at 120, and Marco Sylvester and Kyle Meehan did the same at 160 and 195.

“Saturday, was a very good day for the program,” Flanagan said. “As a whole, the day went really great and is something for this young team to build on. I would also like to thank all the parents who gave up their days to help the day run so smoothly. Our parents are the backbone of the teams success.”