In the round robin portion of the tournament, Brooke Knoebel (100 pounds), Jenna Houseknecht (112), Briella Walk (130) and Zoe Furman (136) all went undefeated in their pools while Adelyn Rine (235) and Addison Gregor (155) suffered one loss each.

The Red Raiders are coming off a season in which they won the state tournament team title and Montgomery’s wrestlers are picking off where last year left off.

Montgomery took second at the MATNESS at the MACC Tournament as four Raiders took home first-place titles, one took third and another finished fourth. The tournament featured wrestlers in round-robin competition and then, based on round robin results, were seeded in either the gold (medals awarded), silver or bronze championship brackets to wrestle. Each wrestler competed in at least five bouts, some competed in six.

“I mean I love seeing all of our girls, we just got new singlets this year — our championship singlets, and we use those for rounds that we placed,” Furman said. “It was so nice to get more girls out in those singlets and especially since we’ve come so far since beginning of year — we had new girls this year come onto the team — it’s nice to see them pick up the culture that we put down.”

Adelyn Rine of Montgomery wins the 235 pound championship after defeating Rosie Reese of Central Dauphin during their match at 235 pounds at the Matness at the MACC at Liberty Arena in downtown Williamsport. DAVE KENNEDY/Sun-Gazette

“We talk about the quality of the events and tournaments that we won,” Montgomery coach Jodi Furman said. “We continue to get more quality as we get toward states and they definitely showed up today and were ready to compete and did well among themselves in their brackets.”

Of all the runs on Saturday, Furman dominated the most at 136.

In the round robin bouts, Furman was unstoppable. She pinned Wellsboro’s Katherine Whitney in 27 seconds, needed just 18 to pine Line Mountain’s Paiton Burgess and then pinned Nevaeh Mojica of Upper Perkiomen in 40 seconds. Furman pinned Central Dauphin’s Alexa Elbertson in 30 seconds to win the title at 136.

“I kind of believe in if I’m going to get someone on the mat, I’m not going to disrespect them and I’m not going to play around with them,” Furman said. “I don’t want to play with my food, I’m going to go out there and get job done and get off the mat. It leaves less time for injury for me and less time for injury for them.”

In the semifinals, Furman again secured a win via pin, this time in 1:35 over North Penn’s Godie Hart.

Adelyn Rine of Montgomery controls the action as she wrestles Maggie Everette of Camp Hill during their match at 235 pounds at the Matness at the MACC at Liberty Arena in downtown Williamsport. DAVE KENNEDY/Sun-Gazette

Houseknecht, a state medalist like Furman, had three round-robin pins as well, albeit not nearly as quickly as her teammate. Houseknecht pinned Camp Hill’s Vero Menanga in 41 seconds, Central Dauphin’s Nikita Muithuri in 1:28 and then a third-period fall over Upper Perkiomen’s Brianna Godshall in 4:37 to advance to the gold bracket championships. In the semifinals, Houseknecht outworked Williamson’s Maddison Fay and led by 10 points before securing a fall in 2:58 and followed with a 14-6 lead in the third period which resulted in a 5:18 fall for the title.

“I’m happy, but I’m not like satisfied with it. It could always be better,” Houseknecht said. “There were key points that were good, and lower points I have to put more focus on in the room and practice.”

Houseknecht noted that she kept her composure really well even if she gave up a point and that wrestling on top looked really good from a wrestling standpoint as well.

While Houseknecht, Furman and Walk (130) all had experience wrestling in varsity competition last year and the postseason, this was Brooke Knoebel’s first go as she’s just a freshman. But the Red Raider ninth grader had a solid performance at 100.

Knoebel went 3-0 in the round-robin portion by pinning Camp Hill’s Stella Latorre and then having a tech fall win over Keyra Seville of Upper Perkiomen, 16-0, 4:24. Knoebel’s final round-robin opponent was Mifflinburg’s Lillian Frederick which Knoebel beat by fall in 22 seconds. 

Brooke Knoebel of Montgomery proudly holds her trophy after winning the 100 pound championship at the Matness at the MACC at Liberty Arena in downtown Williamsport. DAVE KENNEDY/Sun-Gazette

“I’m really happy with the way I performed because going in as a freshman, people don’t think a lot of you, but when you go out and perform like that, it’s good,” Knoebel said. 

The Red Raider freshman pinned Northern Lehigh’s Sophia Opazo in 1:17 in the championship semifinals before then dominating Danville’s Juliet Steckley in tinal, 16-0, 2:39 to take the title.

“My finals match definitely gave me a standpoint of where I was at,” Knoebel said. 

Knoebel added that her biggest strength was “staying calm and going in like you can win.”

Walk went 3-0 in the round-robin tournament by pinning Layla Ortega of Shamokin, picking up a tech fall over Emmalee Sabo of Camp Hill (16-0, 2:32) and pinning Line Mountain’s Alessaia Horning in 51 seconds. In the semifinals, Walk fell to Northeast Bradford’s Anaiah Kolesar, the tournament’s Outstanding Wrestler Award recipient by major decision, 11-0, and lost to Shikellamy’s Aubrey Rebuck in the third-place match by decision, 11-8.

Addison Greger of Montgomery tries to take down Kaylee Dawes of Camp Hill during their match 155 at pounds at the Matness at the MACC at Liberty Arena in downtown Williamsport. DAVE KENNEDY/Sun-Gazette

Rine had two wins via fall and one by decision, going 3-1 to advance to the 235 semifinals. Rine pinned Camp Hill’s Maggie Everette in 1:45 to secure a final berth and there, fought back to beat Central Dauphin’s Rosie Reese. Reese led 7-0 early in the first period after a takedown and near fall before Rine had an escape in the closing seconds to cut the deficit to 7-1. 

Instead of worrying or panicking, Rine kept fighting and was able to secure a second-period reversal and then pinned Reese in 2:58 for a title.

“I’m extremely proud, I’m so thankful for my coaches, my teammates. I’m so thankful for them and I’m excited, I’m really excited,” Rine said. “When I felt the pressure I said, ‘OK, we got this.’ I’m so excited and so happy.”

The Red Raiders’ 78 team points trailed only Central Dauphin’s 141.

“I’m very proud of all my teammates. I feel we worked so hard for this and we deserve it,” Rine said. “We all put in the effort. … I love all my teammates and I’m really proud with how well we all did.”

Jenna Houseknecht of Montgomery escapes the grasp of Brianna Godshall of Upper Perkiomen to the mat during their match at 112 pounds at the Matness at the MACC at Liberty Arena in downtown Williamsport. DAVE KENNEDY/Sun-Gazette

TEAM SCORES: 1. Central Dauphin 141; 2. Montgomery 78; 3. Shikellamy 74; 4. Upper Perkiomen 46; 5. Pine Grove 44; 6. Milton 38; 7. Toanda 36; 8. Northern Lebanon 29; 9. Camp Hill 27; 10. Mifflinburg 23; t-11. Wellsboro 21; t-11. Benton 21; 13. Williamson 11; 14. Danville 10; 15. Line Mountain 8; 16. Sullivan County 4; 17. Shamokin 1.

FIRST-PLACE GOLD FINALS

100: Brooke Knoebel, Montgomery, tech fall Juliet Steckley, Danville, 16-0, 2:39. 106: Kate Hollinger, Central Dauphin, pinned Angelica Garcia, North Penn, 0:50. 112: Jenna Houseknecht, Montgomery, pinned Brianna Godshall, Upper Perkiomen, 5:18. 118: Abby Stettler, Central Dauphin, pinned Kyleigh Ficks, Milton, 4:32. 124: Brooklyn Niman, Central Dauphin, pinned Rylee Campbell, Shikellamy, 3:19. 130: Anaiah Kolesar, NEB, maj. dec. Callie Hess, Benton, 17-4. 136: Zoe Furman, Montgomery, pinned Alexa Elbertson, Central Dauphin, 0:29. 142: Geanna Lemke, Pine Grove, pinned Shuhyra Ali, Milton, 2:41. 148: Roslyn Snyder, Juniata, pinned Jailynn Price, Central Dauphin, 0:31. 155: Ella Maxwell, North Penn, maj. dec. Brooklynn Gilbert, Central Dauphin, 14-3. 170: Finley Boetsch, Shikellamy, pinned Madison Rife, Central Dauphin, 0:51. 190: Ashley Hoffman, Central Dauphin, pinned Rieleigh Purcell, Pine Grove, 0:57. 235: Adelyn Rine, Montgomery, pinned Rosie Reese, Central Dauphin, 2:58.

FIRST-PLACE SILVER FINALS

100: Keyra Seville, Upper Perkiomen dec. Stella LaTorre, Camp Hill, 8-3. 106: Arianna Marroquin, Camp Hill, pinned Madelyn Smith, Upper Perkiomen, 0:50. 112: Dabriela Reyes-Ramirez, NEB, pinned Nikita Muithuri, 2:47. 118: Skylar Wiest, Shikellamy, dec. Heather Keim, Camp Hill, 8-6. 124: Charlotte Pierson, Upper Perkiomen, pinned Kiera Johns, Danville, 1:09. 130: Aaliyah Johnson, Central Dauphin, pinned Anna Lanka, Northern LEbanon, 0:59. 136: Leighton Sloat, Camp Hill, pinned Reminisce Perez, Northern Lebanon, 2:19. 142: Alisha Hidalgo, Camp Hill, pinned Alyssa Crist, Upper Perkiomen, 0:58. 148: Kendal Cook, Towanda, pinned Bella Hoyt, Campbell, 1:41. 155: Adria Page, Upper Perkiomen, pinned Rebecca Hilton, Northern Lebanon, 0:40. 170: Lydia Miller, Mifflinburg, pinned Kayleann Gonzalez, Line Mountain, 3:14. 190: Kristen Grubbs, Shikellamy, dec. Caroline Cunningham, Camp Hill, 1-0. 235: Leila Lopez, Upper Perkiomen, pinned Lacey Bartholomew, Line Mountain, 3:52.

THIRD-PLACE GOLD FINALS

100: Roshan Rai, Central Dauphin pinned Sophia Opazo, Northern Lebanon, 4:34. 106: Hailey Harbst, Towanda, tech fall Madison Schmitt, Nothern Lebanon, 17-1, 1:36. 112: Maddison Faye, Williamson, pinned Juliana Maldonado, North Penn, 1:13. 118: Kaylen Slyuter, Towanda, pinned Autumn Martin, Pine Grove, 1:07. 124: Cage Farr, Milton, pinned Samantha Eisenhauer, Pine Grove, 1:05. 130: Aubrey Rebuck, Shikellamy, dec. Briella Walk, Montgomery, 11-8. 136: Godie Hart, North Penn, pinned Ryleigh Ziants, Shikellamy, 0:56. 142: Dakota Dengler, Northern Lebanon, pinned Isabella Marlow, Shikellamy, 5:31. 148: Alyssa Posey, Benton, pinned Avery Edison, Mifflinburg, 5:57. 155: Addison Greger, Montgomery, dec. Kaylee Dawes, Camp HIll, 9-5. 170: Marielle Becker, Upper Perkiomen, pinned Adalee Becker, Towanda, 5:57. 190: Phoebe Bowen, Wellsboro, pinned Taylor Stewart, Mifflinburg, 0:45. 235: Maggie Everette, Camp Hill.

THIRD-PLACE SILVER FINALS

100: Isla Twoey, Wellsboro, pinned Kaylee Johnson, Towanda, 1:33. 106: Ava Pfleegor, Mifflinburg. 112: Autumn Dersham, Mifflinburg, def. Reese Kieffer, Line Mountain, via forfeit. 118: Alexandra Cannon, Upper Perkiomen, pinned Camryn Roman, Mifflinburg, 1:26. 124: Joby Long, Northern Lebanon, dec. Addisyn Templin, Sullivan County, 6-2. 130: Emmalee Sabo, Camp Hill, pinned Kenzie Brown, Towanda, 0:48. 136: Katherine Whitney, Wellsboro, dec. Taylor Bast, Pine Grove, 6-4. 142: Jura Anne, Central Dauphin, pinned Anastasia Phillips, Line Mountain, 1:01. 148: Payton Reiner, Pine Grove, pinned Nevaeh Leiby, Shamokin, 1:55. 155: Elizabeth Naughton, Towanda, pinned Danielle Bottiger, Shikellamy, 4:26. 170: Joyce Youssef, North Penn, pined Tsel Meg Tsogsaikhan, Milton, 4:25. 190: Addison Nelson, Line Mountain. 235: No bout.

CHAMPIONSHIP SEMIFINALS

100: Juliet Steckley, Danville maj. dec. Roshana Rai, Central Dauphin, 11-1; Brooke Knoebel, Montgomery pinned Sophia Opazo, Northern Lebanon, 1:17. 106: Kate Hollinger, Central Dauphin pinned Madison Schmitt, Northern Lebanon, 0:37; Angelica Garcia, North Penn, pinned Hailey Harbst, Towanda, 0:24. 112: Jenna Houseknecht, Montgomery, pinned Maddison Fay, Williamson, 2:58; Brianna Godshall, Upper Perkiomen, pinned Juliana Maldonado, 1:17. 118: Abby Stetter, Central Dauphin, tech fall Kaylen Slyuter, 2:51, 18-0; Kyleigh Ficks, Milton, pinned Autumn Martin, Pine Grove, 0:17. 124: Brooklyn Niman, Central Dauphin, dec. Samantha Eisenhaur, Pine Grove, 3-0; Rylee Campbell, Shikellamy, pinned Cage Farr, Milton, 1:03. 130: Anaiah Kolesar, NEB, maj. dec. Briella Walk, Montgomery, 11-0; 130: Callie Hess, Benton, pinned Aubrey Rebuck, Shikellamy, 1:27.

136: Zoe Furman, Montgomery, pinned Godie Hart, North Penn, 1:35; Alexa Elbertson, Central Dauphin, pinned Ryleigh Ziants, Shikellamy, 3:07. 142: Shuhyra Ali, Milton, pinned Isabella Marlow, Shikellamy, 2:31; Geanna Lemke, Pine Grove, pinned Dakota Dengler, Northern Lebanon, 3:06. 148: Jailynn Price, Central Dauphin, pinned Avery Edison, Mifflinburg, 5:20; Roslyn Snyder, Shikellamy, pinned Alyssa Posey, Benton, 4:23. 155: Ella Maxwell, North Penn, pinned Addison Greger, Montgomery, 1:33; Brooklynn Gilbert, Central Duphin, pinned Kaylee Dawes, Camp Hill, 4:21. 170: Madison Rife, Central Dauphin, pinned Adalee Wecker, Towanda, 1:10; Finle Boetsch, Shikellamy, pinned Marielle Becker, Upper Perkiomen, 0:13. 190: Ashley Hoffman, Central Dauphin, pinned Taylor Stewart, Mifflinburg, 0:20; Rieleigh Purcell, Pine Grove, pinned Phoebe Bowen, Wellsboro, 2:30. 235: Rosie Reese, Central Dauphin, bye; Adelyn Rine, Montgomery, pinned Maggie Everette, Camp Hill, 1:45.