Montoursville’s wrestling team competed at the tough 2025 Powerade Tournament and ended the day with two standouts securing podium trips in Branden Eisenhour and Gage Wentzel.

Wentzel had the best finish for the Warriors as he walked away with a silver medal in the 172-pound bracket. Wentzel fell in the championship final to University, West Virginia’s Max Fortier by decision, 4-1. Wentzel had a second-period escape to take a 1-0 lead into the final two minutes, but Fortier scored a point from an escape before a huge takedown for three points with 28 seconds left to win it.

Wentzel had a semifinal win over Ponaganset, Rhode Island’s David Perez, 9-4. Wentzel had a huge third period to secure the win. After trailing 4-1 entering the final period, Wentzel had an escape six seconds in to cut the deficit to two and took the lead with 26 seconds left thanks to a take down and scored four on a nearfall with 12 left. Perez score three in the first period on a takedown.

In the championship quarterfinals, Wentzel defeated Parkersburg South, West Virginia’s Jesse Adams in a close bout, 5-4. Wentzel led 3-0 with a first-period takedown before Adams had an escape to make it 3-1 going into the second period. Wentzel scored two points in the second and led 5-1 going to the third. Adams had an escape and scored two points late to make it a one-point deficit, but Wentzel held on late to prevent dropping into the consolations.

Wentzel beat Penns Valley’s Brayden Lisowski in the Round of 16 by fall in 1:04.s

At 107 pounds, Montoursville’s Branden Eisenhour finished fourth after losing in the third-place match to Trinity Camp Hill’s Arav Pandey and had one of the most exciting runs in the Powerade Tournament.

Eisenhour had a great run through the consolations to make it to the third-place bout. Eisenhour lost in the Round of 16 to Ace Chittum of Cleveland, 4-0. In the consolations, Eisenhour had a 4-0 win against Malvern Prep’s Evan Cies and then cruised to a 17-0, 2:16 tech fall in the next round against Triston Mouton of Baylor, Tennessee.

Eisenhour had two more decision wins and a major to stay alive in the consolations, capping an outstanding run.

Eisenhour and Wentzel were Montoursville’s only two medalists, but the Warriors had a handful of wrestlers competing. Also wrestling for Montoursville at the Powerade Tournament were Blake Fry (152), Brody Bower (127), Coltyn Wagner (114, Gabriel Vanderwall (285), Hayden Harvey (189), Hunter Gee (145),Kaden Kleinman (139), Mason Murray (215), Ryan Meredith (160) and Teli Bobotas (133).