PIAA Wrestling: Panthers’ Banks storms into girls’ final
Panther Valley's Brenda Banks takes down Hazleton Area's Evelyn Sheer during a 235-pound girls' quarterfinal at the PIAA Wrestling Championships on March 6, 2026, at the Giant Center in Hershey. Banks won by fall in 1:36. (Photo by Bob Lipsky)
Senior star will compete for 4th state gold
HERSHEY — A fired-up Brenda Banks is a dangerous Brenda Banks.
A fired-up and focused Brenda Banks is doubly dangerous.
Panther Valley’s senior 235-pounder proved that Friday night during the girls’ semifinals at the PIAA Wrestling Championships at the Giant Center in Hershey.
Banks needed just 24 seconds to grab a single-leg takedown against Dallastown’s Noelani Knott. Seconds later, Banks power-halfed Knott to her back for the fall in 45 seconds.
Just like Banks and her coaches drew it up.
“Take the match slow-paced but up the intensity,” Banks said. “Go slow to keep good pressure. … A clean match, nothing crazy, nothing wild. A quick, clean pin.”
Banks (36-0) will compete for her fourth state championship (and third PIAA-sanctioned) in Saturday afternoon’s finals. Her opponent will be Southmoreland senior Zoey Murphy (26-2), who rallied past Bedford’s Mylah Steinbuch 8-3 in the other semifinal. Murphy, in extreme pain and nearly in tears with an apparent shoulder injury, gutted out the win with a takedown and four near-fall points in the final minute of the match.
Banks pinned Murphy in last season’s state final.
“I’m extremely excited. I’m so excited for the finals,” Banks said. “It’s always the highlight of the trip, obviously. That’s the goal.”
Banks started getting locked in during the afternoon quarterfinals. Slapping her coaches’ hands hard before rumbling to the center circle, Banks began her quarterfinal against Hazleton Area’s Evelyn Sheer on high alert. After all, Sheer has the distinction of taking Banks down in the finals of the Coalcracker Tournament earlier this season. Banks came back to win that match by fall, but she recognized facing Sheer required an aggressive edge Banks brings out when necessary.
Aggressive, yes, but smart, too. Banks refused to dive underneath the powerful Sheer. Instead, she used her quickness and technique to sweep to a single-leg shot and convert the first takedown 53 seconds into the match. Banks went to work on top, but when Sheer tried to stand, she opened herself for a counter in which Banks floated back behind Sheer but hooked her head and torso at the same time. Banks drove her opponent to her back and finished the job in 1:36.
“As much as I love competition, I also like knowing that I’m secure in my position on the top,” Banks said. “I’m glad that I dominated that match.
“They’re not normally that squirmy on the bottom,” she added with a laugh, “but the fact that she was moving her hips opens an opportunity.”
Panther Valley senior Alisa Williams (170) couldn’t get her offense going and dropped a pair of bouts to bow out of the tournament one win shy of a medal. In the championship quarterfinals, Delaware Valley’s Kate Prior decisioned Williams 8-4, and in the second round of consolations, Canon-McMillan’s Audrey Calgaro shut out Williams 7-0.
Williams finished her season 32-9 and went 79-32 in her career.
