CHRIS MANNING/Sun-Gazette Correspondent Montgomery’s Emily Murphy - then a junior - wrestles during the 2024 PIAA Girls Wrestling Championship last March. There, she took bronze at 130.

Emily Murphy is making her senior year one to remember. She’s cruising by her opponents and as the Central Regional tournament nears, she isn’t showing any signs of slowing down.

The Red Raider is also slowly but surely closing in on a huge milestone as she’s four wins away from No. 100 for her career, which would make her the program’s first ever 100-win girls wrestler.

Her dominance has made her fellow wrestlers at Montgomery look up to her as a leader on the program and she helps act as a coach and give advice as well.

“Emily is a leader by example in the wrestling room. She works tremendously hard at bettering her technique daily,” Montgomery coach Jodi Furman said. “When Emily puts on her wrestling shoes and steps foot in the room, it is time to go to work. She makes our room better, which makes all wrestlers that are around her better.”

The Lock Haven University commit is 36-0 this year and has pinned 32 of her opponents. Murphy is strategic on the mat and is able to take her shots well and execute takedowns to get her opponents into position to secure a fall.

The No. 1 ranked wrestler in the state at 124 pounds, Murphy pinned three of her four opponents at the District 4 championships to win gold. She had a fall over Mifflinburg’s Aubrey Fluman (47 seconds), Selinsgrove’s Quinn Smith (1:47) and Shikellamy’s Rylee Campbell (29 seconds) before she earned a convincing 16-0, 4:19 tech fall win for gold against Northeast Bradford’s Anaiah Kolesar.

The dominating performance over Kolesar is even more impressive when you take into consideration the Northeast Bradford junior is ranked No. 3 in the state.

“Emily has also taken tremendous strides in areas outside of the wrestling room in order to improve overall as a wrestler. She worked hard in the weight room to improve strength, challenged herself to improve her mindset, as well as improved other health and wellness habits,” Furman said.

Murphy took bronze at states last year, becoming the program’s first state medalist in girls wrestling, and there’s no doubt she likely wants to check off another milestone before her career is finished: Montgomery’s first girls wrestling state champ.

Montgomery has a talented program this year in the second year of being a PIAA-sanctioned sport. The Red Raiders will have Jenna Houseknecht (106), Murphy (124), Furman (130), Briella Walk (136), Chloe Gordner (142), Georgina Leet (155) and Malayna Beattie (170) competing at the Central Regional tournament in Milton.

Both Furman and Murphy are ranked Nos. 2 and 1 in the state, respectively, at their weights.

“Emily and Zoe have been with us to start the girls program at Montgomery and to help sanction the sport in PA, so it couldn’t be more fitting for these two wrestlers to earn these rankings and continue to make their marks on Montgomery girls wrestling,” coach Furman said. “The leadership characteristics and work ethic that they display in the wrestling room on a daily basis has set our program up for continued success in the future.”

And the Red Raiders are hoping that success rolls into regionals this weekend.

“Our expectation as a program is to always be prepared to battle, our schedule has prepared us for tough moments. Each wrestler competes one match at a time and can control her attitude and effort during that match,” coach Furman noted. “The PIAA girls Central Regional tournament will challenge all eight of our Montgomery Lady Raider wrestlers to be prepared for those battles.”