However, sometimes, one big win is all it takes to turn the tide. With one victory over Tennessee phenom Ace Chittum over the summer, Eisenhour felt that spark come back all at once. He’s since gone on to have a tremendous sophomore campaign, which culminated in him clinching his first state medal on Friday.

“I was doing all these tournaments and ended up beating a good. That’s all it took, and it just pushed me to want to keep going and going and going,” said Eisenhour. “It gave me that confidence because I thought I was falling off. My attitude, my belief in myself, coaches and teammates, it’s changed so much.”

His effort was one of many examples of why the future looks bright for the area in wrestling. Alongside Eisenhour, Muncy freshman Chase Boozer and Montgomery freshman Gage Oberheim also clinched state medals on Friday, with Boozer doing so on the winner’s side at 139.

“To go and get that medal, it’s great,” said Eisenhour on the accomplishment. “Had a really good match in the quarters, with one mistake costing me against the best in the country. But came back down to get that nice 18-1 tech fall.”

Branden Eisenhour of Montoursville takes down Kooper Deputy of Chestnut Ridge during the PIAA State Wrestling Championships at the Giant Center in Hershey. DAVE KENNEDY/Sun-Gazette

Even against the No. 1 wrestler in the nation at 107 – Chestnut Ridge’s Kooper Deputy, Eisenhour’s re-established belief in himself showed in a big way. He was patient and calculated, but he was timid, trying his hand at breaking through Deputy’s sturdy defense whenever he had an opportunity.

Ultimately, the sophomore fell short against the phenom, but it was nothing like their previous matchup at King of the Mountain. After getting pinned by Deputy in December, Eisenhour went the distance in the March run-back.

One mistake ended up costing him, as an overextension out of top in the second gave Deputy an opening to work a five-point move in the eventual 5-0 decision. But it was an effort he was proud of, even with the loss stinging a bit.

“I handled his pace,” said Eisenhour when discussing what improved in the rematch. “You watch everybody that he beats, they don’t want to handle his pace. If you can keep up with him, you can do really well.”

The Montoursville sophomore has since bounced back in a big way, racking up four takedowns in an 18-1, second-period tech fall over No. 14 Max Jovenetti (St. Mary’s), which clinched his medal. Moving forward into future bouts, he aspires to run the table to close things out with bronze.

Chase Boozer of Muncy controls the action as he wrestles Tanner Hamilton of Grove City during the PIAA State Wrestling Championships at the Giant Center in Hershey. DAVE KENNEDY/Sun-Gazette

For Boozer, nothing about the pressure of making his PIAA debut has seemed to faze him, with his first two bouts on his way to a championship semifinal appearance going off without a hitch. After advancing to quarters on Thursday by way of 5-0 shutout, the Muncy freshman carried that success into Day Two and then some.

His quarterfinal bout came against No. 13 Tanner Hamilton (Grove City), who picked up an early takedown to go up 3-0. Boozer responded by scoring 12 unanswered to round out the match with a 12-3 major decision, bouncing back with an immediate reversal before completing dominating the second and third periods in terms of points and control.

Outside of a quarterfinal hiccup, it’s been the same story for Oberheim.

In the defining moment of his opening bout on Thursday, tied at 4-4 in the third period, Oberheim turned No. 7 Cody Householder (Brookville) twice to turn the tied bout into a 12-4 major decision. And after being shutout in quarters to kick off Friday, the freshman put together a shutout of him own against No. 9 Carter Ickes (Chestnut Ridge) to secure a medal.

With Montgomery sophomore Jenna Houseknecht and Williamsport sophomore Malaina Comfort also clinching medals on the girls’ side, that ‘future is bright’ sentiment doesn’t just apply to the boys. In hopes of elevating their standing on the podium, the five underclassmen are set to compete one last time on Friday, with those matches not set to finish in time for this print edition.