Gardner was tasked with defeating Nick Bailor, a wrestler who was one spot ahead of him in the state rankings at the time. And with a 2-0 lead early in the third period, Bailor seemed to be in control.

But Gardner fought to create an opportunity for himself, getting Bailor off him for a gap-narrowing escape before working to get his opponent on his heels with his offense. Amidst a tie-up past the midway point of the period, he’d do just that, using his strength to push his opponent into an imbalanced position. Then, he tripped him up, got him down on the mat for the takedown and pinned him with just ten seconds to go in the match.

“That third period, I saw him breaking down,” said Gardner on the sequence. “That’s when I went for it.”

“Gage kept after it,” said Bald Eagle head coach Ron Guenot. “He didn’t give up and kept fighting, showed a lot of grit, a lot of guts there to come back and get the fall there.”

TIM WEIGHT/For The Express Bald Eagle Area’s Gage Gardner competes during a bout this season at 285 pounds. Gardner’s grit and consistency are at the forefront of his breakout season.

It would’ve been one thing if Gardner had settled for the decision. Through a hard-fought bout that had gone the distance, pulling off the comeback would’ve warranted excitement from the crowd no matter what.

But with his teammates in mind, he put in the extra effort and the result was three crucial bonus points and an uproar from the crowd that could’ve motivated anybody. Though the effort didn’t translate into a team win, as the Bison roared back to come out victorious, it still stood as one of the many exciting moments from Bald Eagle’s Senior Night match, one which temporarily created an avenue for the Eagles to defeat a top ten team.

“It’s all faith in my teammates and my coaches,” said Gardner on the keys to coming out on top. “I know that every match is leading up to Hershey at the end of the year and that’s the goal.”

It was another example of what Gardner has brought to the table this season.

Following a strong freshman campaign, which saw him qualify for regionals and win over 62-percent of his matches, Gardner endured his fair share of ups and downs as a sophomore, dropping 15 matches and concluding his season in districts.

TIM WEIGHT/For The Express Bald Eagle Area’s Gage Gardner competes during a bout this season at 285 pounds. Gardner’s grit and consistency are at the forefront of his breakout season.

He was overshadowed entering his junior campaign as a result, going into it unranked. But from the start of 2024, he’s quickly established himself as one of the team’s most consistent dual pieces, elevating his game both offensively and defensively and crediting working with guys like three-time state medalist Caleb Close for his improvements.

“I’m very fortunate to have a kid like Caleb in the room that I can constantly be working with,” said Gardner. “He’s always open to teach and has really elevated my wrestling to a whole another level.”

As it stands, he’s already achieved career-bests for wins (23) and pins (11) in a season, posting just six competitive losses and one that resulted in bonus points. And those upticks aren’t a result of easier scheduling either, with the team competing against a considerable number of tough teams and at three of the biggest tournaments in the state in King of the Mountain (32 teams), Trojan Wars (47 teams) and Mid-Winter Mayhem (57 teams).

At King of the Mountain, Gardner reached championship semifinals with a huge 2-1 decision win over Cam Danna – a West Allegheny junior ranked No. 8 in Class AAA. And though he’d ultimately be forced to bow out of that tournament due to injury, he was right back to accomplishing new highs the following weekend, finishing his Trojan Wars run as a runner-up.

“I don’t feel like there’s a lot of kids better than me,” said Gardner when asked about his mindset facing deficits against tough opponents. “I can do anything I want; that’s just the mentality. Top, bottom, on my feet, it’s the mentality that I’m going to go out there and beat you and put you through it for three periods.”

Heading into the postseason, he’s hoping to continue improving and helping his squad prosper through the rest of dual competition.

“I know nobody works harder than we do and there’s not gonna be anybody more conditioned than us, with more fight than us,” said Gardner. “We’re just going to keep grinding through next week and keep building week-by-week until we’re at districts, regionals and Hershey.”