It could have been overwhelming.

It could have been overbearing.

Brenda Banks carried more than just a spotless record and a surplus of championships into last week’s first-ever PIAA girls state wrestling tournament.

The Panther Valley sophomore also handled the pressure of expectation.

Banks was, once again, flawless.

A favorite to finish off an unbeaten season and capture the 235-pound title at the PIAA Championships, Banks was self-assured and prepared.

Banks navigated the three days of competition at the Giant Center knowing that, no matter what, her community supported her and was with her with each step of the journey.

“My principal Facetimed my athletic director while she was there to broadcast my second match in the auditorium for everyone to see,” Banks said of her pin against Southmoreland’s Zoey Murphy. “And I got sent a lot of videos of everyone cheering for me after I won. It always surprises me how many people care, and come out to support me for my wrestling. And it’s heartwarming to see everyone band together to help me out.”

The win against Murphy was one of four for Banks on her way to the 235-pound championship. A 3-0 win over Souderton’s MacKenna Atkinson in the final - her fourth victory over Atkinson this year - capped a 30-0 season, one that included district and regional titles and dominance over her competition. She was unscored upon in her four matches at states.

Her success has generated plenty of interest and attention from around the area and beyond, something that could cause unwanted anxiety. But it’s given Banks - who was fourth at the US Marine Corps Junior National Wrestling Championships for Team PA last year - inspiration to always push forward. And a sense of security in the support she receives.

“I like to think that it doesn’t,” Banks said of the attention creating added pressure. “I get nervous and I want to win, but with that, I wouldn’t say that the support and the people coming out helping me and supporting me so much is added pressure, but it more kind of feels like a safety blanket almost. If I were to fail, they would still be there for me, and they would support me and still be proud of me no matter what. And I think that more pushes me forward to do what I do, rather than the pressure of failing.”

The community came together to honor Banks after her achievement with a fire truck parade through Nesquehoning, Lansford, Summit Hill and Coaldale. Banks also had a parade when she won the state title in a non-PIAA event last year.

“The entire community, all the boroughs of Panther Valley, care,” said Panthers’ head coach Kris Nalesnik. “And that’s what it is. It’s literally four towns that are one family.”

Banks, who will again participate in track and field this spring, has been wrestling for two years. It’s the same amount of time the program has been under the leadership of Nalesnik, who brought it back after it was dormant for two years.

The Panthers support girls and boys teams, and have a healthy amount of interest in each.

“When we first had the idea to bring it back and we were just getting it going, my main thing was to just give these kids the outlet,” said Nalesnik. “It was not even so much as pushing for success but giving the kids the experience that wrestling will teach them for non-wrestling activities; discipline, accountability, things that these kids need in life. That was my main goal bringing it back. Obviously, you want to win. Your goal is always to win. But it wasn’t even that when we started.

“I was trying to get a full roster for the first couple of years, take the lumps that come with growing, and maybe over time make it out to states. The idea of having a state champion, most coaches will coach their entire career without one. I’ve said it probably a hundred times, you have an athlete like Brenda once in a coaching career if you’re lucky. And to have her as a freshman and see her win the unofficial (non-PIAA) state title last year, win the official state championship this year, and she’s just going to keep looking to get better. It’s an amazing thing, one that without the backing of the community and the (school) board we never would have been able to do.”

The program is a source of pride for the wrestlers and the community. And the backing for Banks was a beacon she will never forget.

“Everyone in our towns are pretty close, and I’ve lived here for a long time, and I’ve gone to school here most of my life,” said Banks. “So I do know a lot of people, and we’re all pretty tight-knit, especially at my school and within my team.”

Four towns. One family.

Tiger pack

Northwestern had a pair of medalists Saturday. Luke Fugazzotto had a remarkable run in the boys Class 2A tournament. The sophomore claimed his first state medal in his second appearance at the event with a runner-up finish at 172 pounds.

Fugazzotto was pinned by defending state champion Adam Waters of Faith Christian Academy in the finals.

In his first two matches at states, Fugazzotto - who finished the season with 40 wins - knocked off Fort Cherry’s Braedon Welsh, who was fourth at states a year ago, in overtime before knocking off last season’s runner-up Hunter Hohman of Grove City with a 16-12 decision. He followed that dominant 6-0 win over Notre Dame Green Pond’s Keegan Ramsay, who beat him 8-2 in the district final two weeks earlier.

Senior Katie Brensinger also medaled at the first PIAA girls tournament Saturday. The senior pinned Lake Lehman’s Alahna Morris in 1:44 to place fifth at 148 pounds.

“It was an amazing experience,” said Brensinger. “I had fun with my team, and I’m just really glad that we were able to go out and compete alongside the boys at Hershey.”

Like Banks, Brensinger had plenty of support in Hershey.

“It was amazing. I had my parents, my brother came, my grandparents, I had so many family there,” she said. “And the ones that couldn’t come, they have Flo premium so they were watching the matches, they were posting them on Facebook for all my friends to see. It was awesome. I had my college coaches texting me all the time, my past wrestling coaches, and just people there that I knew were supporting me, and watching my matches, it was awesome.”

Brensinger, who will wrestle at East Stroudsburg University, plans to keep wrestling as much as possible while she also participates in track and field.

“Me, my teammates Luke and Noah (Schlofer), all three of us are going to try and go back out to Fargo (for nationals) this year individually,” said Brensinger. “So I’m definitely going to be competing in tournaments, and definitely go back out to the freestyle state championship and just keep wrestling in any tournament that I can while still doing track. So I have to kind of multitask with sports again. But I don’t want to stop wrestling, so I’m going to go over to Luke’s house, he has practices; like open practices, so I go over there to practice. I go to any other school that has open practices and I practice there throughout the summer, throughout the spring. So I’m going to keep on my wrestling schedule.”

Wrestling is very much a way of life for Brensinger and her teammates, including Fugazzotto who has two younger brothers, in sixth and eighth grade. And her coach, Joe Killar, who was taking in a youth tournament with his son and several other Northwestern eighth graders in Williamsport the day after the state tournament.

“Next year will be the first year that all the kids that I’ve coached since kindergarten and first grade will be up at the high school level,” said Killar, who has been involved with the program for around nine years. “So that will be neat to see all the kids I’ve been around forever in my son’s grade that are wrestling. There’s a really good group of kids coming up next year.”

Killar wants the successes of this season to carry over into next year.

“Hopefully we can improve on what we did this year,” he said. “I was hoping that this year we would have had improvement on the previous year. But we were about the same. I think next year will be a pretty drastic improvement in how the team does, I’m hoping. Hopefully we can get more state medals coming home soon. We’re just looking to build for next year and try to improve on where we ended.”

Balk bounces back

Lehighton’s Reese Balk enjoyed a stellar senior season, one that included a District 11 title at 285 pounds and his first trip to states.

It was a run of success that came one year after Balk’s postseason was cut short when a shoulder injury suffered at districts left him unable to compete at the regional tournament following a fourth-place finish at districts.

“Maybe a month or so after I just kind of started lifting weights, doing lat raises, just to build the muscle back,” said Balk, who did not require surgery. “And then two months later I was already getting ready for football and ready for the season.

“At the end of football season I was perfectly fine. I was ready to go for wrestling. I was all hyped up.”

And it showed. Balk registered another 30-plus win season, and finished with 68 victories over the last two years.

“I appreciate it a lot more. Senior year, the last time I’m going to be out on that mat,” said Balk. “Just have to wrestle like there’s no tomorrow.”

Balk had extra urgency on the first night of the regional tournament, suffering a loss in his opening bout. But the senior didn’t panic, coming back that night to win a consolation round match, and winning his next two consi matches the following day to secure a spot in the top-six and a berth at states.

“He had a really good season, had over 30 wins again,” said Lehighton head coach Floyd Brown. “Not being able to wrestle at regionals last year I think was in his mind throughout the season. He wanted to work hard and make sure this year it wasn’t the same thing. He came back, lost that first match, which caught him off guard I think. And you have to win three in a row (to advance to states) after that, and he did that and was able to move on. It’s a great accomplishment for him.”

Despite not medaling at states, Balk’s success over the last two years has as much to do with his spirit as his skill.

“He got hurt and missed his freshman season. And his sophomore year, he was a JV wrestler and didn’t really get a whole lot of matches,” said Brown. “And then last year, he just kind of came out of nowhere. We knew he was going to be a solid wrestler; he just couldn’t crack our lineup as a 10th-grader.

“Coming into his junior year, he got bigger, stronger and had a great year. Probably should have been here (states) last year. And I think that actually kind of fired him up a little bit to do well this year, and get to regionals and get out to states.”