DAVE KENNEDY/For The Express Gauge Botero of Faith Christian grapples with Tanner Guenot of Bald Eagle Area during the PIAA Wrestling Championships in Hershey.

Over the past few seasons, the Bald Eagle Area wrestling team has had to deal with its fair share of tough departures.

In the spring of 2024, two-time state medalist Lucas Fye graduated, setting his sights for his current venture at Lock Haven. And now, one of its most prolific wrestlers in program history, wins leader and four-time state medalist Caleb Close, heads to American after capping his Eagle career as a PIAA finalist.

That’s the reality of high school sports. But fortunately for the Eagles, their new wave’s ushering has already been well under way.

After earning an LHSAA (Louisiana state) title as a freshman, Caden Judice stepped into the nation’s most competitive scene and immediately established himself as elite within it, proving it through his first two PIAA runs. Tanner Guenot has done the same in his first two seasons with the team and fellow sophomore Dawson Lomison isn’t too far behind the pair.

It’s a group that displayed clear improvements through the most recent postseason, building on prior successes and going to distance against some of the best talent in the state. And while Close’s departure will be a challenge to overcome, they should give the Bald Eagle faithful plenty to be excited about heading into next season.

Outside of the senior’s silver, Judice posted the highest PIAA placement of the three returners, heading into his own senior season having just made the consolation finals at 133, where he finished in fourth.

That placement was three steps higher than his previous. And while he held higher aspirations, he was proud of the improvement.

“Ultimately, my goal was to get third but I’m still really grateful because fourth for the state of PA is really something to be proud of and I’m proud of it,” said Judice on his thoughts following the run.

“Just want to shout out my mom and dad – without them, I couldn’t make this happen – and my teammates at M2 and Bald Eagle. Just really grateful and enjoying the moment, all my hard work’s paying off.”

Of the exciting moments that checkered his run, the one that stood out the most to the Eagle was the win that officially granted him a higher placement than last season. There, in championship quarters, Judice put together five unanswered points in the third to edge out North East’s Cyrus Hurd by 5-3 decision, turning Hurd briefly in the waning seconds to secure two timely, match-sealing back points.

His next win to up his potential placement further was similarly tight, as the junior and four-time state qualifier Brayden Hartranft (Berks Catholic) went into tiebreakers knotted at 1-1. Ultimately, Judice secured an escape in the first tiebreaker before riding out Hartranft in the second, advancing to the third-place bout and displaying continued composure in neck-and-neck scenarios in the process.

While there’s room for improvement heading into his senior season, the run gave him added confidence. He expects big things in his final chapter with the team and has already gotten back to work in pursuit of continued improvements.

“Hopefully I could be in the state finals, that’ll be my goal for next year,” said Judice. “A lot of things I can improve on after getting teched in the semis but nothing in particular, just continue getting better every day, just God’s plan and it’ll work out in the end.”

Though his run met a tough, abrupt conclusion, as an injury suffered in consolation quarters capped it off, Guenot weathered the storm that was arguably the toughest bracket of the event at 121 on the way to his second PIAA medal, finishing in eighth.

Fortunately, by Saturday night, he had recovered enough to obtain his medal and see his teammates wrap up their runs in person and expects to be back on the mat in the coming weeks. While the way his second stint at states wrapped up was disappointing, he was grateful to have the opportunity to stand on the podium come season’s end.

“It honestly could’ve been a lot worse for me, so I’m just thankful for that and want to give all glory to God in that aspect,” expressed Guenot.

“It was definitely still a fun experience and stuff happens, wouldn’t take it back if I could. It’s a learning experience and something that is going to make me hungrier for next year to do better and get higher on the podium.”

Throughout his run, his most storied challenger came in the form of 2023 state champion Gauge Botero (Faith Christian), a dominant senior that ultimately fell just short of repeating in Saturday’s final.

In their matchup, one early takedown made all the difference, as Guenot fell by 3-1 decision. But based on both the score and eye test, the sophomore fought well despite their gap in experience, falling just short of breaking Botero’s wall of defense on multiple occasions.

Along with picking up a win against eventual state champion Dom Deputy (Chestnut Ridge) in the Southwest Regional final, the now two-time state medalist heads into his junior season with multiple experiences to build confidence and learn from through the coming months. It’s been a storied, albeit bumpy, run for the Eagle, who has plenty to build on with two seasons left in the tank.

“I think it’s my self-confidence. I believe in myself a lot more; I’ve been getting better at that,” said Guenot on his takeaways coming out of those matchups. “My teammates, specifically Caden Judice, he really helps my mindset and keeps me straight. Without him, I definitely wouldn’t be in an opportunity to win a match like that.”

“I feel like getting those extra years of experience will make me better overtime, so I’m just looking forward to getting better,” he added.

With the added emergence of Lomison through the postseason, one which saw him earn a win in his PIAA debut, and the strides junior Gage Gardner made prior to his season-ending injury ahead of districts, there are plenty of reasons to be optimistic when it comes to the future of this team.

For now, they head into the offseason with much to reflect on, looking to get back to work if they haven’t already as they try to continue breaching boundaries. But come December of 2025, expect plenty of excitement.