EASTON — Brenda Banks is the quintessential competitor.

The Panther Valley junior is also a model champion.

Banks has set a standard both on and off the mat, one she has shown capable of upholding flawlessly.

Her latest example came in Sunday’s District 11 girls wrestling tournament, where Banks once again stole the show to claim her second straight title.

For as spectacular as she is on the mat — posting three first-period pins to claim the 235-pound title — Banks might be even more sensational off of it.

“It’s a treat. She’s just unbelievable,” said Panthers’ head coach Kris Nalesnik. “Like you said, she’s a rock star. She comes off the podium and gets swamped by other teams who all want to take a picture with her. But she’s so humble, and just smiles and laughs. She’s the epitome of a champion. And even still, she doesn’t act like she’s at that elite level. She’s as much of a fan of these other girls. She had Aubre (Kratzer of Easton) and Savannah (Witt of Palisades) sign her headgear. Because that’s the kind of person she is.”

And like Banks, both Kratzer and Witt claimed PIAA titles a season ago, and all three look to be well on their way to doing so again this season.

The first stop on the road to Hershey came at Easton Area Middle School, where Banks went back-to-back at 235 pounds, and claimed the tournament’s Outstanding Wrestler award in the process.

In addition to Banks, three other area wrestlers also punched their tickets to next week’s regional tournament with top-three finishes. Lehighton’s Cassidy Litts (155), Pleasant Valley’s Juliette Trout (112) and the Panthers’ Alisa Williams (170) will all be wrestling next Sunday at Quakertown High School with a trip to the PIAA Championships on the line.

The top seed at 235 pounds, Banks had three decisive pins to claim a second straight district crown.

“I think I’ve become a lot better with my nerves and stuff, because before I would be all over the place prior to my matches and always have a pit in my stomach. I would just always be nervous; never scared, just horribly nervous,” she laughed. “I haven’t really felt that this year, so I think I’ve just become a lot more confident in my abilities, which is helping me out a lot.”

Banks opened the tournament by pinning Parkland’s Kendall Solenske in 0:10 before dispatching Northampton’s Danielle Glaser in 0:28 in the semis. In the finals, Banks pinned Liberty’s Addyson Munro in 1:07.

“It went from being tentative, to being somewhat sure of her abilities, to realizing that she’s going to win most matches,” said Nalesnik. “But that didn’t kill her drive. She still pushes every single day. In practice she’s going harder than anybody else in the room every single day, and that’s why you get these results. You don’t get these results if you take it easy and you take it slow. You have to give it 100 percent if you want it.”

And she does. Despite her dominance, Banks has continued to evolve as a wrestler, something that has helped her raise what was an already incredibly high ceiling.

“I’m working a lot more on shots in general,” she said. “As a heavyweight, shooting is non-existent almost. A lot of heavyweights don’t shoot, and for good reason, because wrestling with so much weight if you’re not strong enough getting underneath a girl that wouldn’t be the best idea. So I just work on building my upper body strength, and shooting has really helped me out because most people don’t expect it since I’m a heavyweight. Being able to maintain my body weight and distribute it well and shoot effectively has really helped me this season.”

Moving on

Being able to win in a variety of ways, and being able to come through in close matches, is crucial in the postseason.

Trout knows that.

A state qualifier last season and the No. 1 seed at 112 pounds Sunday, the sophomore opened competition with a bang, pinning Amiyah Rivera of Freedom in 0:15 in her first match.

Her quarterfinal contest against Wilson’s Nevaeh Colon, the No. 9 seed, was a closely contested bout, with Colon prevailing 12-10 before going on to win the title.

Trout bounced back, pinning her way through the consolation bracket, posting three first-period falls before topping Pen Argyl’s Carolyne Katz in 1:29 to place third and move on to regionals.

“I learned to just not give up,” said Trout. “Even though it was tough losing that match (to Colon) and that really brought me down, you can still come back. And what matters is making the top three, and then it resets next week. Hopefully it will be better next weekend and I’ll be able to move on.

“Last year showed me what it’s like, and I’ve found better ways to better mentally prepare myself.”

Being tough mentally and having resiliency is something Litts can relate to.

The sophomore suffered a serious neck injury last year that ended her season early and put her wrestling future in doubt. But Litts has persevered, and led a Lehighton team that enjoyed tremendous success this winter.

“I’m so proud, because last year I couldn’t even compete in districts,” said Litts. “It’s really rewarding that I was able to work my way back to place at districts and go to regionals. It was really tough having that injury last year and watching everything, especially at practice and not be able to do it. I thought I might not ever be able to wrestle anymore ever again. So to bounce back this year has been amazing. I’m so glad I could recover and that I have this opportunity.”

Litts was injured at a tournament in early January of 2024, and spent three months in a neck brace. She returned to wrestling in April, and hasn’t looked back.

After falling in her quarterfinal match, Litts — who was seeded third — rebounded with three pins in the consolation bracket, the last of which was a fall in 0:28 against Siobhan Devlin of Palisades to punch her ticket to regionals.

Another first-time regional qualifier will be Williams, who has made huge strides in her junior season and is now 30-6.

Williams earned a pin in her quarterfinal match against Pleasant Valley’s Isabella Altemose, and had a 5-3 lead over eventual champion Gracie Haflich of Liberty in the semis when she got four back points. Though Haflich was able to pin the third-seeded Williams in 2:58, the junior rebounded with two pins to place third, topping Pocono Mountain East’s Neysa Lynch in 5:59 and Freedom’s Anaya Velez in 2:23 to secure bronze.

“I’m really glad. This is my second year wrestling, and I’m so glad that I made it this far,” said Williams. “It’s been tough but I’m so glad to be here. Last year I was 14-13, and this year I have way more than that. I didn’t even make it to districts last year. I think that’s a great improvement.

“I’ve just been working with my teammates, getting guidance from my coaches, and I’ve really been able to progress. I just keep working, and keep fighting. I feel like I’m in a good space where I feel like I can go against anyone and hold my ground.”

PINNER AWARD ... Trout earned the Pinner Award at the end of the tournament. She had falls in 0:15, 1:51, 1:38, 0:44 and 1:29 on Sunday. “This makes me feel a lot better,” beamed Trout. “It shows that even though I lost, I can still come back.”

MEDALISTS ... Other area medalists Sunday were Pleasant Valley’s Lily Decker (4th, 235), Northern Lehigh’s Anna Trelease (6th, 142) and Panther Valley’s Kyla McQuillen (6th, 136).

LOOKING AHEAD ... The regional tournament will take place next Sunday at Quakertown High School, with the PIAA Championships to follow March 6-8 at the Giant Center in Hershey.