Gotschall pin propels Bulldogs to win by criteria over rival Central Mountain
- TIM WEIGHT/For the Express Jersey Shore’s Isabella Gotschall wrestles against Central Mountain’s Kendall Wagner during the teams’ dual match at Jersey Shore on Thursday. The Bulldogs won by criteria, 24-24.
- TIM WEIGHT/For the Express Jersey Shore’s Isabella Gotschall and Central Mountain’s Kendall Wagner wrestle during the teams’ dual match at Jersey Shore on Thursday. The Bulldogs won by criteria, 24-24.
- TIM WEIGHT/For the Express Jersey Shore’s Isabella Gotschall reacts after pinning Central Mountain’s Kendall Wagner during the teams’ dual match at Jersey Shore on Thursday. The Bulldogs won by criteria, 24-24.
- TIM WEIGHT/For the Express Central Mountain’s Austynn Falls wrestles against Jersey Shore’s Taylor Ross during the teams’ dual match at Jersey Shore on Thursday. The Bulldogs won by criteria, 24-24.
- TIM WEIGHT/For the Express Central Mountain’s Mallory Wunder and Jersey Shore’s Carsyn Sobiech wrestle during the teams’ dual match at Jersey Shore on Thursday. The Bulldogs won by criteria, 24-24.
- TIM WEIGHT/For the Express Central Mountain sophomore Austynn Falls gets her hand raised after pinning Jersey Shore’s Taylor Ross during the teams’ dual match at Jersey Shore on Thursday. The Bulldogs won by criteria, 24-24.
- TIM WEIGHT/For the Express Central Mountain freshman Mallory Wunder gets her hand raised after pinning Jersey Shore’s Carsyn Sobiech during the teams’ dual match at Jersey Shore on Thursday. The Bulldogs won by criteria, 24-24.

TIM WEIGHT/For the Express Jersey Shore's Isabella Gotschall wrestles against Central Mountain's Kendall Wagner during the teams' dual match at Jersey Shore on Thursday. The Bulldogs won by criteria, 24-24.
JERSEY SHORE – As her match approached, Jersey Shore’s Isabella Gotschall paced her team’s sideline, hydrating, conversing with teammates and working to shake out the nerves ahead of a tough, anticipated matchup against 2024 state medalist Kendall Wagner. By the time the bout began, she was amped up and prepared and showed so accordingly.
The pair traded shots and advantage to start the match, hinting at a potential, six-minute slugfest. But out of a neutral reset in the first period, Gotschall found her opportunity to end it then and there and capitalized, getting Wagner in a headlock, taking her down and pinning her.
“I knew it was going to be a pretty close match, but I went into it and was like, ‘If I score, I score and if I need to defend, I’ll defend.’ Just tried having a good mindset,” said Gotschall on the match. “That headlock was just there. She popped her head up and I decided to take it.”
It wasn’t just a big win for Gotschall, who improved to 14-1 and earned her second win of the season over a state medalist. It was also a big win for her team, giving the Bulldogs the win they needed to defeat rival Central Mountain on criteria, 25-24, in front of their home crowd on Senior Night.
“It means a lot,” said Gotschall on the win. “I had a lot of nerves going into it but it’s just another wrestling match. I have God, I have my team, I have my family (with me), a good support system and I’m lucky to have it. Obviously, it feels good to win but I have more matches ahead of me.”

TIM WEIGHT/For the Express Jersey Shore's Isabella Gotschall and Central Mountain's Kendall Wagner wrestle during the teams' dual match at Jersey Shore on Thursday. The Bulldogs won by criteria, 24-24.
“It’s a great win for the girls,” said Shore girls wrestling coach Crock Herman. “Going into it, I didn’t know if we could do it with how we matched up. Girls work hard every day and that showed on the mat today. They went after it, very proud of them.”
The sophomore had already shown what she could do against state-caliber talent earlier in the season, pinning No. 5 Grace Crestani in just over a minute at the Lady Phoenix Christmas Classic in December. Even harboring additional nerves, with the team needing nothing less than a pin to have a shot, she once again delivered on her way to a marquee win.
“I usually get anxious all the time; it doesn’t matter who I wrestle. But if you’re not nervous, it doesn’t really show that you care,” said Gotschall. “I get a little anxious, but I have a lot of confidence going into it.”
That fall gave Jersey Shore a 24-18 lead, which immediately went back to a tie after Central Mountain’s Ashlyn Miller won the final match of the night by forfeit. Based on the NFHS Wrestling Rulebook (specifically Rule 9 – Section 2 – Article 2 – subsection F), the Bulldogs won on criteria due to them surrendering less forfeits.
For Central Mountain (4-9), it was a tough way to lose, with the team posting more competitive wins than Jersey Shore with pins from sophomore Austynn Falls and freshman Mallory Wunder. But head coach Dylan Caprio was still happy with his team’s overall effort.

TIM WEIGHT/For the Express Jersey Shore's Isabella Gotschall reacts after pinning Central Mountain's Kendall Wagner during the teams' dual match at Jersey Shore on Thursday. The Bulldogs won by criteria, 24-24.
“Overall, I was proud of the way the girls wrestled tonight,” said Caprio. “It was a great match. I know it’s tough taking that loss tonight but at the same time, the girls are improving and winning matches, so I’m happy with that.”
Falls continued her strong sophomore season on Thursday, posting a quick sub-minute pin during the match and also securing another pin amidst exhibitions that followed it. And facing an early 11-0 deficit, Wunder showed more flashes in route to a comeback victory against Jersey Shore’s Carsyn Sobiech.
After surrendering seven points in the first and another four off penalties in the second, the freshman found her footing, closing out the second with a four-point near fall out of top and foreshadowing what was to come in the third. There, starting in bottom, Wunder flipped the positions for a reversal, which gave her the positioning she needed to transition it into a pin.
“She wrestled a really tough match and ended up getting the fall there,” said Caprio on Wunder. “She’s an incredibly hard worker. She wants to win; she’s focused on winning. Every time she goes out there, she fights with all of her heart. That’s not something we can coach.”
Both teams return to action at the Bald Eagle Area Tournament, with that tournament set to begin at 9 a.m. on Saturday at Bald Eagle Area. They look forward to what should be a great tournament, one which is currently set to feature 17 squads.

TIM WEIGHT/For the Express Central Mountain's Austynn Falls wrestles against Jersey Shore's Taylor Ross during the teams' dual match at Jersey Shore on Thursday. The Bulldogs won by criteria, 24-24.
“We’re excited. Can’t wait to see what the girls can do,” said Herman. “When we get up there, anything can happen. Hopefully we can get a couple winners out of there and go after it hard.”
“The girls have had season. They seem to perform pretty well in tournaments. Mid-Winter Mayhem, we had some great performances, with Wagner taking second, Miller winning it and Falls taking third,” said Caprio. “Just continue what we’re doing.”
Jersey Shore 25, Central Mountain 24 (Jersey Shore won on criteria)
100: No contest. 106: No contest. 112: No contest. 118: Kaitlyn Scarborough-Perez (CM) won by forfeit. 124: Gracie Hostrander (JS) won by forfeit. 130: No contest. 136: Olivia Spott (JS) won by forfeit. 142: Mallory Wunder (CM) pinned Carsyn Sobiech (JS), 5:00. 148: Austynn Falls (CM) pinned Taylor Ross (JS), :56. 155: Addison Dangle (JS) won by forfeit. 170: Isabella Gotschall (JS) pinned Kendall Wagner (CM), 1:53.

TIM WEIGHT/For the Express Central Mountain's Mallory Wunder and Jersey Shore's Carsyn Sobiech wrestle during the teams' dual match at Jersey Shore on Thursday. The Bulldogs won by criteria, 24-24.

TIM WEIGHT/For the Express Central Mountain sophomore Austynn Falls gets her hand raised after pinning Jersey Shore's Taylor Ross during the teams' dual match at Jersey Shore on Thursday. The Bulldogs won by criteria, 24-24.

TIM WEIGHT/For the Express Central Mountain freshman Mallory Wunder gets her hand raised after pinning Jersey Shore's Carsyn Sobiech during the teams' dual match at Jersey Shore on Thursday. The Bulldogs won by criteria, 24-24.