The senior Red Raider, who will wrestle at Edinboro, cracked a smile immediately and said that was what she wanted more than anything. She reached the state final a year prior but ended with a silver medal. So earning gold was the redemption she wanted.

And, almost two months to the day later in March, Furman got that redemption.

The Red Raider standout won state gold and cemented herself as the Sun-Gazette Girls Wrestler of the Year for the 2025-26 season. It’s Furman’s second consecutive Wrestler of the Year honor.

“Every day I go out and wrestle I say I’m going to get 1% better every day,” Furman said after this year’s MATNESS at the MACC tournament on January 3. “I just try to do my best every day. I really want that gold.”

DAVE KENNEDY/ Sun-Gazette Montgomery’s Zoe Furman gestures to her coaches after winning the 136-pound state title at Hershey this past winter. Furman was named Sun-Gazette Girls Wrestler of the Year for a second consecutive season

Not only did Furman get 1% better every day, she dominated her opponents en route to gold and making history. She became Montgomery’s first-ever state champ in girls wrestling and became the first girls wrestler from District 4 to win state gold. She also became the first two-time state finalist in Montgomery history and District 4 history.

Furman went 45-0 this year, her first undefeated season, and won gold medals at the District 4 championships, Central Regional championships and the PIAA girls wrestling championships.

Of her 45 wins this year, 42 were in contested matchups and 37 came by pins as she overwhelmed her opponents. Only three opponents were able to go a full six minutes against Furman this entire year.

One of them came from Greater Johnstown’s Sayona Harris-Haye, a fourth-place state finisher a year ago. Harris-Haye gave Furman everything she had in the state final at 136 pounds this year, but Furman came away with a hard-fought 10-6 decision for state gold.

In the second round of the state tournament, Furman earned a 17-9 major over Parkland’s Angelina Spachman, another wrestler who was able to go six minutes vs. the Red Raider.

DAVE KENNEDY/Sun-Gazette Williamsport’s Lillian Rumsey took home bronze this year at the state tournament in girls wrestling at Hershey. Rumsey (118 pounds) was named runner-up for Wrestler of the Year honors behind Montgomery’s Zoe Furman.

The only other wrestler who was able to take Furman to the end was Downingtown West’s Sarah Pearson, who fell to Furman by major decision, 8-0.

Furman didn’t just pin her opponents this year either, she completely overwhelmed and was too much for them.

Twenty-six of Furman’s pins were in less than a minute, some were blink-and-you-miss it speed, such as when she pinned Penn Manor’s Julie Hanna in 11 seconds to open the year. In the first eight contested bouts FUrman had this year, she pinned five opponents in 20 seconds or quicker.

That’s how good Furman was on the mat. Even if an opponent knew what would come from the top-ranked wrestler in Pennsylvania at 136 pounds, they still weren’t able to stop her from getting a pin.

“It is all her mindset. She has the confidence that she knows she’s put in the work every time and she’s just ready to go to the next competitor (and dominate),” coach Jodi Furman said after the MATNESS at the MACC tournament.

And Zoe Furman did exactly that. Time and time again.

SUN-GAZETTE GIRLS WRESTLING ALL-STARS

FIRST TEAM

Malaina Comfort, Williamsport

(100 pounds)

Comfort put together a great sophomore campaign in her first year wrestling in varsity. The Millionaire went 31-7 and won the title at 100 pounds in the District 4 tournament. She would go on to place third at the Central Sectional and reach the state tournament, where she went on to take home a fourth-place medal. Wrestling for third in your first career trip to Hershey? Not a bad varsity start for Comfort.

The Millionaire ended the year ranked No. 4 in the state at 100 and constantly helped pick up dual meet points for Williamsport throughout the regular season. At districts, she won gold with an 18-1, 3:37 tech fall against Selinsgrove’s Aislynn Weller. At the state meet, she fell in the opener to Nazareth’s Chelsea Dressler before winning four straight consolation matchups — against Shaler’s Gianna Alcalde and Sharpsville’s Layla Colich by tech falls, Southern Lehigh’s Cambria Leshko by decision and Nazareth’s Chelsea Dressler by decision. In the third-place final, she lost by decision, 12-9, to Montour’s Kristen Walzer.

Jenna Houseknecht, Montgomery

(106 pounds)

Another year, another podium trip for Houseknecht of Montgomery. The Red Raider has shown for the past two years that she can compete with anyone in the state at her weight at 106 pounds. After taking bronze as a freshman, Houseknecht again reached the podium at Hershey by finishing with a sixth-place medal this year. The sixth-ranked wrestler in the state at 106 went 42-7 this year, winning six more matches than she did a year ago, and had an .857 winning percentage. She surpassed 50 career pins by winning 31 matches by fall this year and won the District 4 and Central Regional titles to reach the state meet.

At districts, Houseknecht won gold after defeating Hughesville’s Julia Ritter by pin in 3:00. She won regional gold with a 14-0 major win vs. Bedford’s Aliza Brambley. She fell in the fifth-place final at states by the narrowest of margins with a tough 1-0 decision to Northern York’s Makayla Smith. That came after another tough 1-0 decision loss to Shaler’s Blythe Letters who would end up finishing with bronze.

Kyleigh Ficks, Milton

(112 pounds)

Ficks had a standout freshman season and debut in varsity competition for Milton and showed that she can wrestle well against talented competition. The Black Panther, who earned honorable mention honors in the state rankings at 112 pounds, won 29 matches this year by fall as she finished the year 39-10.

The Black Panther freshman won the District 4 gold medal at 112 after she strung four wins together and beat Hughesville’s Jaysa Kiess by decision, 18-12. She beat Kassidy Durland of Sullivan County with a 24-second pin and needed just 29 seconds to pin Line Mountain’s Reese Kieffer. She beat Towanda’s Kaylen Sluyter in the district semifinals by decision, 6-4.

At regionals, Ficks earned a 3:12 pin vs. Riley Jackson of Bermudian Springs to reach the state meet. Her time in Hershey wasn’t what she had hoped after going 1-3, the lone win coming against Sluyter (6-5).

Lillian Rumsey, Williamsport

(118 pounds)

Rumsey — the runner-up for Wrestler of the Year honors — ended her career as the most winningest wrestler in Williamsport girls wrestling program history as she had 113 wins. She would have added to that total had she not missed a month of the season late due to a shoulder injury. But even with said injury, Rumsey still was able to dominate in the postseason and reach states for a fourth straight year — third in PIAA-sanctioned competition.

Rumsey went 25-3 in her injury-shortened senior year. At districts, Rumsey dominated wtih two pins and a 16-0 tech fall victory and beat Hughesville’s Ariahna Moore for gold. At regionals, Rumsey won all three bouts in the first period by fall against Northern Bedford’s Myha Dixon (1:17), Hazleton’s Kayla Torres (38 seconds) and Juniata’s Madison Bryner (34 seconds). She came up shy of her quest to win state gold, but beat Derry’s Kaila Keesecker in the fifth-place final by decision in a tight contest, 7-5. Rumsey announced at the Pittsburgh Wrestling Classic her intent to commit to Edinboro to wrestle. Rumsey leaves big shoes to fill at WIlliamsport as she ends her career as a three-time District 4 champion, three-time Central Regional champion and three-time state medalist in PIAA-sanctioned competition. She won a regional title and bronze medal as a freshman before the sport was officially PIAA sanctioned.

Ariahna Moore, Hughesville

(124 pounds)

Moore wrestled in the postseason at 118, but she is too talented of a wrestler to not be included on the first team, so she’s bumped up for the all-star nods to 124 pounds. Moore put together her best season yet in terms of wins. The Spartan junior went 35-10 this year with a .778 win percentage, both career highs, and won an impressive 28 bouts by fall this year to surpass 50 for her career (62). Moore took silver at the District 4 championships at 118 pounds after falling to standout Lillian Rumsey of Williamsport. At the regional tournament in Milton, she came just shy of reaching the state tournament after she finished with a fifth-place medal. Moore has proven every year that she’s a talented wrestler and not the easiest to defeat. In her three years of varsity competition, Moore has never lost more than 12 bouts in a season, and has only lost 10 each of the last two years. She’s closing in on 100 career wins, and will all but likely reach that milestone as a senior as she needs just 15 more to reach it.

At the regional tournament, Moore suffered back-to-back losses to Juniata’s Madison Bryner (10-5) and Crestwood’s Rachel Shoemaker (15-1) to fall into the fifth-place final. That’s where she defeated Hazleton’s Kayla Torres by major decision, 18-5. Both shoemaker and Bryner were state qualifiers this year.

Briella Walk, Montgomery

(130 pounds)

Walk reached the state tournament this year for a second consecutive season, but has yet to reach the podium. The Red Raider went 26-8 this year and had success in the postseason as a junior. At the District 4 tournament, she started strong with a 1:49 pin against Benton’s Kenzie Meikrants and pinned Madoka Charles of Hughesville in 3:14. She fell to Northeast Bradford’s Anaiah Kolesar by tech fall, 21-5, 5:09, before rebounding with a 2:17 pin against Towanda’s Kenzie Brown and earned a 2-1 SV decision against Shikellamy’s Aubrey Rebuck for bronze.

At the Central Regional, Walk again finished with a bronze medal. She lost to Athens’ Hanna Rathbun by major decision, 14-6, to fall into the consolations. From there, however, she earned an 8-0 major over Wilkes-Barre’s Jacqueline Hernandez and pinned Rebuck for third. Walk’s run at states didn’t go as she hoped after she lost to Mariana Bracetti Academy’s Julissa Ortiz by major decision, 15-1, and was eliminated by Plum’s Saphia Davis by decision, 7-3. She did pin Derry’s Maizy Mikeska, however. Ortiz, who will wrestle at Cedar Crest College, went on to take bronze at states, and Pitt-Johnstown commit Saphia Davis took fifth.

Austynn Falls, Central Mountain

(136 pounds)

Another wrestler who was too talented to leave off the first team like Moore above, Falls wrestled at 142, but is being bumped down to 136 for this all-star team. Falls went 21-6 this past year and was a second-place finisher at the District 6-9 championships and took home a sixth-place medal at the Central Regional tournament, coming just shy of qualifying for states for a second consecutive winter. Falls, a junior, posted 20 wins by fall this year to reach 59 for her career and sits at 73 career wins. She’ll have to put a solid campaign together next year as a senior, but 100 wins is within reach for her to accomplish.

At the District 6-9 championships, Falls beat Central Cambria’s Abigail Winkelman by fall in 1:34 and pinned Redbank Valley’s Emma Cravener in 50 seconds. She suffered a 17-3 major loss in the final to Brylee London of Curwensville. London went on to qualify for the state tournament.

At regionals, Falls posted back-to-back pins against Williamsport’s Mah’ogny Bell-Smalls (1:47) and Hazleton’s Kaiden McFarland (1:24) before a tough loss to Hughesville standout Avery Earnest by fall in 2:26. Her quest for a state run came up shy with back-to-back decision losses, however, to Wyoming’s Martyna Bonning and Redbank Valey’s Emma Cravener.

Avery Earnest, Hughesville

(142 pounds)

Earnest had her best season of her career yet, and she’s just a sophomore. But her sophomore campaign saw her leave Hershey with a sixth-place state medal a year after qualifying but failing to reach the podium. Earnest, who was ranked sixth in the state at 142 pounds, went 39-6 this year and dominated numerous opponents thanks to 31 pin victories. Her 39 wins was 10 more than the year prior and she had an .867 win percentage.

Between the District 4 and Central Regional tournaments, Earnest strung together six consecutive pinfall wins against Williamsport’s Mah’ogny Bell-Smalls (36 seconds), Selinsgrove’s Elizabeth Varner (1:41), Milton’s Shu Hyra Ali (2:16), Redbank Valley’s Emma Cravener (4:36), central Mountain’s Austynn Falls (2:26) and Hyra Ali again (2:52). The Spartan had two fall wins at states and earned a tough 10-7 decision over Dallastown’s Avery Baldwin before two back-to-back losses to close states out.

Earnest continues to get better year after year which she proved this past winter, and no doubt fans at Hughesville will see her put together another outstanding season when her junior year rolls around in December.

Caroline Hicks, Hughesville

(148 pounds)

Hicks had a superb sophomore season this year. After winning just 16 bouts as a freshman a year ago, Hicks went on to go 30-13 this year and come just shy of reaching the state tournament for the first time.

Of her 27 contested wins, 22 came by pin and five by decision. At the District 4 championships, Hicks beat Line Mountain’s Layla Dunn and Mifflinburg’s Avery Edison by fall before being pinned by Roslyn Snyder of Shikellamy in 63 seconds in the final to settle for silver. At the Central Regional tournament, Hicks suffered an opening loss by major decision to Clearfield’s Alara Quickel (13-1) before three consecutive pinfall wins against Towanda’s Kendal Cook, Philipsburg-Osceola’s Kendyl Meersand and Central Mountain’s Alana Rhodes. She then was beaten by Clearfield’s Alara Quickel by decision, 4-1, and pinned Punxsutawney’s Kiah Grennawalt for fifth in 2:55. Hicks will be motivated to break through as a junior and reach Hershey.

Isabella Gottschall, Jersey Shore

(155 pounds)

Gottschall had a great freshman season three years ago by becoming the program’s first-ever District 4 girls wrestling champion and highest-placing girls wrestler at regionals by taking silver. She also became the program’s first state qualifier. However the last two years, another trip to states has eluded the talented Bulldog. That doesn’t mean Gottschall hasn’t wrestled well, though. She’s still one of the top wrestlers in the district at her weight.

Gottschall went 26-4 this past year and of her 24 wins in contested bouts, all came by fall. Gottschall routinely is able to get her opponents into dangerous positions to secure pins and makes it often look easy.

The Bulldog on a gold medal at the District 4 championships this year thanks to three consecutive fall wins against Sayre’s Mikyah Brown (43 seconds), Selinsgrove’s Tatianna Myers (50 seconds) and Montgomery’s Georgina Leet (1:08). At regionals, she went 1-2 after Bellefonte’s Bailee Scott pinned her in 4:33 and Abington Heights’ Hayden Manning pinned her in 1:41. In between those losses was a 1:17 win against Selinsgrove’s Tatianna Myers.

Gottschall continues to improve each year little by little, so don’t be surprised if her senior year results in one more trip to states and a run at the podium in Hershey.

Kendall Wagner, Central Mountain

(170 pounds)

Wagner will no doubt go down as one of Central Mountain’s best-ever girls wrestlers when looking back over the next few years. She ended her career with 97 victories, coming just shy of becoming the first Wildcat girls wrestler to reach 100. She also was a three-time state qualifier in PIAA-sanctioned competition (qualifying once as a freshman before it was a sanctioned sport), and won an eighth-place medal as a sophomore and bronze as a junior. While she didn’t medal this year as a senior, she still was able to get to states one final time.

Wagner went 26-9 this year at 170 pounds and took home a silver medal at the District 6-9 championships and silver at the Central Regional tournament. She fell in the District 6-9 championships to Brockway’s Elysabeth Myers in a tough contest by decision, 7-5, and at regionals, was beaten by Myers again, this time 8-1.

At the state meet, Wagner opened the tournament with a convincing 15-5 major against Octavia Walker of Norwin before suffering back-to-back pins to get eliminated by Palisades’ Bryce Snyder and Shikellamy’s Finley Boetsch. Snyder, who was ranked No. 1 in the state at 170, went on to win the state title, and Boetsch wound up taking home a fifth-place medal. Wagner simply ran into two talented wrestlers at the wrong time at states.

Mia Davis, Williamsport

(190 pounds)

Davis only wrestled the last two years, but she made her senior year a memorable one. The Millionaire went 25-12, the most wins she had in a season, and saw success at each postseason tournament stop. She took home a silver medal at the District 4 championships and silver at the Central Regional championships.

At districts, Davis pinned Line Mountain’s Addison Nelson and Wellsboro’s Phoebe Bowen in less than a minute each before suffering a tough loss to Central Columbia’s Morgan Reichard in the final as the Blue Jay pinned Davis with 14 seconds left in the third period.

At regionals, Davis had three straight fall wins against State College’s Starlynn Emel-Rash, Wilkes-Barre’s Avah Jobarteh and Mifflinburg’s Taylor Stewart before again running into Reichard, who pinned her in 52 seconds. Davis’ time at states didn’t last as long as she hoped after she had back-to-back losses to Quakertown’s Caroline Hattala and Parkland’s Liz Karla Grullon-Vazquez. She had a state-opening win, however, over Lampeter-Strasburg’s Kinsley Ferreira in 5:04. Hattala, who will wrestle at Lehigh, won her second consecutive state title, and Grullon-Vasquez went on to finish seventh, meaning Davis had two outstanding opponents she had to face in a tough 190-pound bracket.

Adelyn Rine, Montgomery

(235 pounds)

Rine broke through this year as a sophomore and showed that she can wrestle with anyone she’s on the mat against. The Red Raider, who wrestled at 235 pounds, won 33 matches this year, a 20-win increase from her freshman season, and won 20 bouts by fall. She took home a silver medal at the District 4 championships and took fifth at the Central Regional tournament, coming shy of qualifying for the state tournament in Hershey.

At districts, Rine had back-to-back pins against Line Mountain’s Lacey Bartholomew of Line Mountain and Central Columbia’s Aubrey Edgar before suffering a fall in 3:54 to Athens’ Leah Nason in the first-place final. Nason would again hand her a loss in the consolations at the regional tournament by pinning her in 1:54 before Rine went on to beat Philipsburg-Osceola’s Daisy Glessner by decision, 2-0, to take fifth. Nason would go on to finish seventh in the state this year as a senior.

HONORABLE MENTION

(in alphabetical order)

Shu Hyra Ali, Milton (142); Phoebe Bowen, Wellsboro (190); Cage Farr, Milton (118); Addison Greger, Montgomery (148); Jaysa Kiess, Hughesville (112); Brooke Knoebel, Montgomery (100); Zoe Kunkle, Muncy (118); Isabella Olshefskie, Hughesville (100); Ashlyn Miller, Central Mountain (235); Mykia Petruskevich, Williamsport (124); Juliana Price, Sullivan County (100); Alana Rhodes, Central Mountain (148); Julia Ritter, Hughesville (106); Isla Twoey, Wellsboro (100).