CHRIS MANNING/Sun-Gazette Correspondent Williamsport sophomore Malaina Comfort wrestles at 100 pounds during the PIAA Girls Wrestling Championships at the Giant Center in Hershey.

Upon clinching her bronze medal at the Central Regional two weekends ago, Williamsport sophomore Malaina Comfort shared a smile-filled exchange with her opponent, Bellwood-Antis senior Juliette Cuevas.

Each had already clinched a state bid, so the stakes weren’t too high. But it was also an exchange that indicated more about Comfort’s overall attitude towards the sport.

Through just three battles against Cuevas, she and the returning state medalist became great friends, one of many friendships she’s developed throughout her first season of varsity wrestling. The tight-knit nature of the community is one of the many aspects of the sport she’s grown to love, a love that’s immediately propelled her to impressive heights.

“I actually talked to her right before our match,” said Comfort when discussing the moment. “The best part about this sport is that we’re all so close. We can be friends off the mat but as soon as we’re on it, we’re both locked in and nothing else matters.”

If you’ve discussed wrestling with Comfort or simply watched her compete, chances are, you’re aware of her attitude towards the sport.

Whether it’s how she wrestles, discusses her matches and opponents or how seamlessly she can bounce back from a tough loss, it’s clear that she’s passionate about it, striving for improvement while greatly enjoying the process.

That love and passion for the sport is an aspect of her character that her head coach, Kevin Werner, described as unteachable. It’s one of the biggest reasons she was able to finish her first run at states in fourth, picking up four straight wins through consolations to eclipse her state ranking by three.

“The qualities she has, we can’t coach,” said Werner on Comfort. “She’s a high-energy spark plug and joy to have around. She doesn’t shy away from competition. She enjoys it.”

That latter aspect becomes abundantly clear when looking back on Comfort’s season, with her ability to learn a matchup coming up time and time again.

After being pinned by Cuevas and Montgomery freshman Brooke Knoebel through Williamsport’s first two tournaments, she took complete control of those matchups, earning pairs of bonus-point victories to finish 2-1 in each. And that strength came up again in what could be considered the biggest win of her career up to this point.

In her first matchup against returning state medalist Chelsea Dressler (Nazareth) at the Williamsport Showcase, Comfort was tech falled. She’d just so happen to draw Dressler for her PIAA debut, which went a bit better as she fell by 10-6 decision. And the next – coming in the consolation semis – would go Comfort’s way.

There, the Williamsport sophomore used a strong second period to bounce back from surrendering an early takedown, working a six-point move to give her a lead she wouldn’t again relinquish. She’d go on to weather a tense third to take the match by 9-6 decision, clinching a top four showing in her first crack at the PIAA Girls Wrestling Championships.

“I remember my first time wrestling Dressler, I struggled to finish my shots, and my neutral wasn’t so great,” said Comfort on the difference between matches. “But the second time, even though I didn’t win, I had a lot more confidence because I knew that I could take her down and score on her, which made all the difference.”

It was the cherry on top of an exceptional run through consolations, one which saw Comfort overcome the pressure of elimination twice before working her way up the podium.

She’d kick off that consolation run in dominant fashion, tech falling No. 16 Gianna Alcalde (Shaler) and No. 14 Layla Colich (Sharpsville) with a barrage of takedowns and near-fall combinations to clinch her first state medal. Then, a late takedown in the first would propel her past No. 9 Cambria Leshko, as she beat the eventual place winner by 5-1 decision.

It’s a streak that highlighted what Werner previously referenced about Comfort’s attitude towards competition. Despite competing in front of the large Giant Center crowds for the first time, Comfort relished the pressure of the moment, showing composure in a situation that warranted nerves.

“I think that was my favorite part,” said Comfort, referring to her run through consolations. “Getting knocked out by Dressler kind of hurt, but to battle back like that so many times and then beat Dressler made it so excited. It showed me I have a lot more potential that I realized.”

“I think it really shows how much I’ve grown in the past couple of weeks. Preparing for the postseason, it’s long and a lot of stress, but I think everybody comes a really long way from where they started,” she added.

Even in her eventual loss to No. 3 Kristen Walzer (Montour) in the 100-pound consolation final, that ability to bounce back once again showed itself, this time in an in-match scenario. After going doing 10-0 heading into the third period, she was able to whittle that deficit down to a takedown by the time the bout wrapped up, working three takedowns to put pressure on the esteemed foe.

In defeat, that third period could still serve as one last high note for what’s been an incredible debut campaign for the sophomore, one which saw her eclipse 30 wins and earn a District 4 title. It’s a confidence boost among confidence boosts, a tone setter for what should be an exciting future for the underclassman.

“Perseverance and resilience are some of the hardest things to keep in mind while you’re fighting off you’re back and it’s taking everything not to just give up on yourself,” said Comfort when discussing the match.

“Even if you lose anyway, it’s so much better to know that you have a better shot of beating them. The fact that I scored after that just shows that I could have done better, and I’m ready for next time.”

With two more cracks at the grand stage, Comfort has set the tone in a big way, finishing just three steps short of the season’s most coveted milestone through one. Moving forward, she’s looking to continue to grow from both a wrestling and mindset standpoint, as she vies to become Williamsport’s first girls state champion.

“I’m just trying to be a little bit better every day, every match. It really shows, and it builds your confidence,” said Comfort on her mindset heading into the future.

“I think confidence is one of the most fragile but important things that you can have because it takes so long to build up and can fall in a moment. Sometimes, after it falls, you have the biggest opportunity of your life, and you have to keep going.”

“She’s steadily improving,” said Werner on Comfort. “She has a lot of growth to do. She’s still a young wrestler, but she’s gonna be impressive.”

RESILIENT RUN

Speaking of resilience, Williamsport senior Lillian Rumsey’s closing run in Hershey was a great example. Battling a shoulder injury that she was cleared from just a few days before the individual postseason began, Rumsey endured a tremendous challenge on the way to her third PIAA medal, finishing in fifth at 118.

Even when operating at a limited capacity, Rumsey weathered the storm on her way to her first championship semifinal appearance, falling just one win short of building on her previous bronze-medal finishes.

She’d go on to suffer back-to-back defeats before overcoming adversity to close out her career on a high note. While dealing with tremendous pain in her shoulder, she was able to hold on to defeat No.7 Kaila Keesecker (Derry) by 7-5 decision, carrying a seven-point move in the first period to the finish line.

“It’s tough to see her having to battle through that, but she was tough and made it through the match,” said Werner on Rumsey. “She’s done an excellent job for us (through her career). She has wrestled tough in every match she’s been in. Hopefully, she’s able to wrestle in college and look forward to seeing what she does in the future.”

It may not have been what she had in mind, as the goal has always been to take home PIAA gold. But the run doesn’t take away from what’s been a storied career for the Millionaire, rather the opposite in fact. Instead, it’s another bullet point worth celebrating.

Through three seasons competing under PIAA sanctions, Rumsey finished as a three-time District 4 champion, three-time Central Regional champion and three-time PIAA medalist. She wraps up her career with a 113-6 record and 95 bonus-point victories, the first Williamsport and third District 4 girls wrestler to surpass 100 career wins.