There is always lots going on at Montoursville during the winter months. Concerts, club meetings, and basketball games are just a few of the many activities that keep students and their peers busy.
One of the especially popular events here are the wrestling matches. Coming directly from a cheerleader who was at every match this season, I can say with confidence that there was not a single one that had a small crowd.
The amount of support the boys on the team receive is an awesome thing to see firsthand. And the best part is that the boys notice it, and appreciate it. But most of the time they try to stay in the zone and not get too wrapped up in the vibe of the crowd until their job is done.
“To prepare for matches I listen to music and pace back and forth in order to focus,” said senior Gabriel Vanderwall.
Haze Mullen, also a senior, said he has similar tactics to get in the right mindset before a match. He said he likes to stretch and roll a little bit on the mat to try and stay warm.
One would think that walking out into the spotlight in front of a whole gym full of people would be nerve racking, but the wrestlers seem to live for the thrill.
Kaden Kleinman, a sophomore on the team, said that it is kind of hard to describe his emotions going into and during one of his matches.
“I feel like you just enter a flow state in a way,” Kleinman said.
One of the matches in particular that got some of the most attention during the 2025-2026 season, was the dual meet against Mount Carmel.
Prior to wrestling the Montoursville Warriors, the Mount Carmel Tornadoes took on the Muncy Indians. Mount Carmel won 42-33 which sent them through to wrestle the Warriors. But the Warriors held their ground, and pulled out a victory of 53-18.
The boys demonstrated many of their strengths and skills that they’ve been practicing all year.
“When I’m wrestling I usually am not thinking much at all, I honestly find that if I try and think too much about what to do it just slows me down,” said Mullen. “The match was good, I was wrestling up so I tried to be quick since he’d be stronger than me. If I took one thing to improve from that match it was definitely my positioning on top, I was almost in trouble because I got too high.”
Kleinman also got stuck in a tough spot during his match, but was able to turn it around.
“First period he almost took me down but I got out of it and ended up on top. I scored a couple back points to finish the 1st, and 2nd period I got a turn for the pin,” Kleinman said.
As the season draws to a close, the boys have many memories that they like to look back on, whether they’re graduating seniors or not.
“My favorite memory from wrestling is when I was able to wear the gold singlet in the sectional finals this year,” said Vanderwall.
Mullen was happy to look back on his previous seasons, saying that one of his favorite memories from his years wrestling was when they went to Hershey his sophomore year for the state duals.
“I didn’t get any time on the mat there but just being there seeing matches in the Giant Center was awesome,” Mullen said.
The team aspect of wrestling is a huge part of its success here at Montoursville. The wrestlers all practice and learn to grow and look up to each other, since they are working together to reach their goals after all.
But what really is so special is that even the upperclassmen look up to certain boys on the team, which is not common in most other sports.
“It’s hard to say which teammate I admire the most, I think there were a lot of people who you could look up to,” said Mullen. “The obvious answer would be Gage but I personally think that people like Brody and Murray and a lot of our teammates had a work ethic to look up to.”
Vanderwall agreed with Mullen, saying that senior Gage Wentzel is definitely one of the teammates that he admires the most.
“He always makes sure to keep our team focused after big wins, but also keep our heads up after big losses. He has always made sure to help give advice to me during practices and matches,” said Vanderwall
With the group of seniors leaving and moving on to their post-high school lives, whether they involve wrestling or not, Kleinman struggled to narrow it down to just one person that he admires the most.
“All of them have attributes that I strive to have,” Kleinman said.
Featured photo (at top): Gabe Vanderwall wins his match against Mount Carmel. Despite his shoulder injury, he continued on with his senior season, advancing on and wrestling at Districts. Photo from Lillian McCulloch’s “Montour Moments”
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