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DATES TO REMEMBER: July 30 --- SCFCA Media Day, Schuylkill Haven SPC, 11 a.m. .... Aug. 4 --- HS football heat acclimatization, HS golf practice begin .... Aug. 7 --- HS golf season begins .... Aug. 11 --- HS football practice begins (full pads) .... HS boys' soccer, girls' soccer, boys' and girls' cross country, girls' volleyball, girls' tennis practice begins .... Aug. 16 --- HS football scrimmages .... Pottsville at Mount Carmel, 10 a.m. .... Exeter Township at Blue Mountain, 10 a.m. .... Halifax at Nativity, 10 a.m. .... Hamburg at Tamaqua, 10 a.m. .... Mahanoy Area at Nanticoke, 10 a.m. .... Marian at Upper Dauphin, 10 a.m. .... Minersville at Northern Lebanon, 10 a.m. .... North Schuylkill at Danville, 10 a.m. .... Northern Lehigh at Jim Thorpe, 10 a.m. .... Palmerton at Panther Valley, 10 a.m. .... Pine Grove at Executive Education, 10 a.m. .... Lehighton at Pocono Mountain East, 10 a.m. .... Shenandoah Valley at Jenkintown, 10:30 a.m. .... Midd-West at Tri-Valley, 11 a.m. .... Newport at Williams Valley, 11 a.m. .... Schuylkill Haven, Central Clarion at Hollidaysburg, 11 a.m.

Top 10 Stories: No. 4 — Panthers’ Banks pins way to 2nd straight PIAA girls’ wrestling title

Panther Valley's Brenda Banks celebrates after pinning Southmoreland's Zoey Murphy in 42 seconds in the 235-pound final at the PIAA Wrestling Championships on March 8 at the Giant Center. (Photo by Bob Lipsky)

There are winning wrestlers. There are dominant wrestlers. And then there’s Brenda Banks.

Panther Valley’s 235-pounder crushed the competition en route to a second straight gold medal at the PIAA Girls’ Wrestling Championships in March at the Giant Center in Hershey. Banks, now entering her senior year, also won a state title as a freshman before girls’ wrestling became a sanctioned sport by the PIAA.

Panther Valley’s Brenda Banks has her hand raised in victory. (Photo by Bob Lipsky)

Banks proved nothing short of unstoppable during her four-bout run through the bracket at states. The pins came in 1:38, 1:00, in 10 seconds over Big Spring’s Esther Reed in the semifinals and in 42 seconds over Southmoreland’s Zoey Murphy in the finals.

Banks finished her junior season with a 36-1 record and improved to 73-2 for her career.

Banks’ state championship season ranks at No. 4 on the T102 Sports Now Top 10 Stories of the 2024-25 School Year as voted on by writers and broadcasters at t102sportsnow.com, WPPA/A-106 and T-102. To wrap up Year 1 and gear up for Year 2 of t102sportsnow.com, the staff is counting down the best stories of the past school year.

VIDEO: Fanelli, Evans & Patel Athlete of the Week (LINK)

T102 Sports Now Top 10 Stories

Thursday, July 17: No. 10 — Minersville’s Dante Carr commits to play football at UCF

Friday, July 18: No. 9 — Schuylkill Haven wins first Schuylkill League girls’ basketball title

Saturday, July 19: No. 8 — Sage Smeltz’s senior season at Williams Valley

Sunday, July 20: No. 7 — Tom Gallagher resigns as Blue Mountain football coach, Chuck Kutz returns

Monday, July 21: No. 6 — Blue Mountain softball coach Mike Rollman passes away unexpectedly

Tuesday, July 22: No. 5 — Tamaqua’s Mason Ligenza gets drafted to cap banner high school baseball season

Wednesday, July 23: No. 4 — Panther Valley’s Brenda Banks pins way to 2nd straight PIAA girls’ wrestling title

Thursday, July 24: No. 3

Friday, July 25: No. 2

Saturday, July 26: Top 10 views of the past year

Sunday, July 27: No. 1

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