High School Wrestling: Panthers’ Banks aims for 3rd state title

Panther Valley's Brenda Banks stands atop the awards podium after winning the 235-pound title at the PIAA Girls' Wrestling Championships on March 9 ,2024, at the Giant Center in Hershey. (Photo by Bob Lipsky)

Between matches at the PIAA Wrestling Championships in March, Brenda Banks put her glasses on, relaxed and chatted with friends, family and coaches on the Giant Center floor in Hershey.

Off the mat, the Panther Valley 235-pounder is thoughtful, bright and articulate with an easy smile.

When she steps on the mat …

Well, that’s a completely different story.

Banks locks in. She looks impenetrable. She anticipates what’s coming next. She’s smart and keeps perfect position on her feet, never getting caught underneath an opponent. That’s a must for any wrestler, but especially for heavyweights.

She escapes within seconds when choosing bottom. She’s a devastating pinner with a vast arsenal to turn opponents on top. And she’s got an aggressive streak that shows up when she’s repeatedly moving and snapping opponents’ heads from neutral and driving foes flat to the mat with powerful breakdowns on top.

All of that has added up to the best start to a high school career in many years in the Schuylkill League.

Two seasons, a 37-1 career record — and two state championships.

“Listen, if I knew what made her special, and could bottle it, I’d be a billionaire,’’ Panther Valley coach Kris Nalesnik said. “She is a one-of-a-kind wrestler. Any coach is lucky to get one of those in their entire career. I just happened to get mine right away. She’s absolutely amazing.’’

As a freshman, when girls’ wrestling made its debut, before the PIAA made it an official sport, Banks went 8-1 and won the state championship. She won four bouts on March 12, 2023, posting a win by injury default and three pins. In the semifinals, she avenged her only defeat (a 2-1 loss to Cumberland Valley’s Aja’nai Jumper) by pinning Jumper in 1:20. In the finals, Banks decked South Western’s Kayla Henderson in 2:27 for seven pins in eight victories.

Last season, in the first PIAA-sanctioned season for girls’ wrestling, Banks went a perfect 29-0 with 22 falls. She won District 11, Southeast Regional and the first PIAA gold. In Hershey, she won her first two bouts by fall, then shut out Henderson 2-0 and blanked Souderton’s MacKenna Atkinson 3-0. Banks outscored her four opponents at states by a combined 15-0.

Banks, who hasn’t lost a match since Jan. 21, 2023, will go for state title No. 3 this season.

“I’m extremely excited,’’ Banks said with a smile at Schuylkill League Wrestling Media Day. “My high school season is definitely my favorite part of wrestling. I love the team aspect of it. As individual as wrestling is as a sport, the team aspect, especially within our school, is extremely important for uplifting others and having our bond.

“So I’m really excited for this new season, and I absolutely love wrestling.’’

Banks has been in since the beginning of girls’ wrestling in Pennsylvania and has emerged as one of the sport’s stars.

“It’s crazy seeing how much it’s grown from my first year to right now,’’ Banks said. “Wrestling with the boys, with only me and one other girl on our team, and a whole boys’ team and going out there and wrestling the boys and everyone looking at us like we were crazy because it’s not really seen versus now where teams and schools in our area are implementing teams and having girls’ teams. It’s so crazy. We have a full lineup, and I couldn’t even have imagined that when we were in our first year.

“So, I think girls’ wrestling growing as a sport is amazing right now.’’

Even after all of her success, Banks continues to add technique and grow as a wrestler. Late last season, she added some pinning combinations that she employed in the postseason tournaments.

During this offseason, she’s worked on scoring more on her feet.

“So far as the school training, we’ve been going since early October about three days a week of practice,’’ Banks said. “In between, I do wrestle nationally, like this weekend (Nov. 16-17), I’m going out to (New) Jersey to wrestle a Pennsylvania vs. New York match.’’

Like everything she does, Banks has a plan to stay in good position, to make her opponents earn every point they score. And with the three-point takedown coming into effect this season, the incentive is there to become more effective from neutral.

“I’ve been focusing a lot more on taking shots,’’ Banks said, “but not really like doubles or blast doubles as heavyweights do, but more single-legs, high crotches, more of mid to lightweight kind of movements, because as I’ve gotten my stamina better and been more fluid in my movements and stretching, taking shots is a lot easier for me now. And I feel implementing that into my technique is going to help me a lot more because it’s not expected of heavyweights to be shooting like that.’’

If Banks can score more on her feet and get to work on top where she’s so dangerous, it will be game over for most opponents.

“That’s what I like to hope, yeah,’’ Banks said with a laugh.