Central Mountain, Bald Eagle Area, Jersey Shore and Bellefonte have a number of talented girls wrestlers in their lineup at various weights. And that talent translated to success at the District 6 and District 4 championships recently.
The next step for those standouts from their schools is this weekend’s Central Regional tournament on Saturday at Milton High School, which features a number of talented wrestlers from throughout Pennsylvania looking to get to the state tournament.
One wrestler who already knows what it takes to get to the state tournament is Central Mountain’s Kendall Wagner. The two-sport standout — who plays basketball for Bucktail’s girls basketball team — took silver this year at 170 pounds at districts and is set to medal once again at regionals.
Last winter, Wagner took silver at regionals and became the Wildcats’ first girls wrestler state placewinner as she took eighth.
Wagner, however, is in a brutal bracket this year at 170. The field features the top two state-ranked wrestlers in the state in Punxsutawney senior Jael Miller and Greater Nanticoke junior Sierra Ripka.
TIM WEIGHT/For the Express Central Mountain’s Austynn Falls wrestles during a tournament this season. The sophomore is set to represent the Wildcats at the Central Regional girls wrestling tournament, Saturday at Milton.
Miller is ranked No. 1 in the state with a 24-0 record and won the District 9 title while Ripka is ranked No. 2 and won the District 2 title. Wagner is on Ripka’s side of the bracket.
Wagner is 22-6 this year and will face District 2 fourth-place finisher Annalia Ward in the first round. If Wagner earns a victory, she’ll have to wrestle either Athens’ Abigail Wagner (22-8), the District 4 champion, or Huntingdon’s Lillian Casterline, the District 6 fifth-place finisher.
While having the top…