One such wrestler was Hunter Donley, who’d be entering his junior campaign fresh off a breakout season. Having won just six matches as a freshman, the Wildcats upped that number by 15 just one year later, capping things off by earning a District 6 Class AAA bronze medal and reaching regionals.

That trajectory meant the potential for great things throughout the latter half of his high school career. But unfortunately, that half would be more than halved by injury.

A labrum injury prior to his junior season required surgery, ending his season before it could even begin. And upon getting a chance to return at the start of the 2025-26 season, a concussion prolonged his absence from the mat.

However, his fortunes finally changed at the start of the New Year. 679 days after his last high school appearance, Donley would rep the Blue & White Central Mountain singlet again, going 2-0 in the Wildcats’ dominant run through Rage in the Cage Duals on Jan. 3.

TIM WEIGHT/For the Express Central Mountain’s Hunter Donley wrestles Jersey Shore’s Riley Kanski at 189 during a boys wrestling dual at Central Mountain on Thursday, Jan. 22, 2026.

His return to the mat has meant a lot to him, his team and coaches. There was a time when the senior wondered if his wrestling career was over, but he kept fighting to make it back and finally, that patience and hard work paid off.

“We’re happy to have him back for sure,” said Central Mountain wrestling head coach Biff Walizer following the team’s run at Rage in the Cage Duals. “It’s a pretty big deal (having him back, and he looked good. Went out and got after his offense right away and had a pin and tech fall.”

When asked about what kept him patient throughout the ups and downs of his recovery, Donley brought up both inner and outer motivations that kept him focused on making it back.

Having started wrestling young, the hope was to finish things off on his terms. It wasn’t necessarily a matter of going out with a bang, though he does want to cap things off on a high note. Above everything else, he simply hopes to see it through to the end while having fun with his teammates.

“I started when I was really young, and there’s no point in quitting or giving up on it,” said Donley. “My goal right now is just to finish the season, have fun, try to have a good postseason run and just have fun with the team.”

TIM WEIGHT/For the Express Central Mountain’s Hayes Donley waits for action to resume during a boys wrestling dual against Jersey Shore at Central Mountain on Thursday, Jan. 22, 2026.

On the outer end, Donley isn’t certain he would’ve made it back without the help and support from his brother, Hunter, who’s had a strong start to his career of his own. The younger Donley has kept him motivated on getting back in shape and maintaining the diet he needs to prosper, support which added to the desire to return.

“Without my brother, the shoes probably wouldn’t have been coming back on,” said Donley. “But I put them back on, and I’m trying to get better for him and get better for the whole team.”

“Me and him definitely put a lot of work in that was unseen and unnoticed,” emphasized Hayes Donley after last Thursday’s win over Jersey Shore.

You’d think he’d deal with a large buildup of rust out the gate. And while it has shown up in spots when it comes to his conditioning, it hasn’t been on display in his overall technique and results.

In his first match back against Chichester, Donley needed just 16 seconds to secure a pin, setting the tone for a day which saw him earn his squad 11 points in decisive wins over the Eagles and Garnet Valley.

He’d go on to post two more falls before enduring his first loss, and has since started 13-5, with all his wins – apart from one forfeit – coming by pin or tech fall. In the process, he also earned a top four finish at the PHAC Wrestling Championships, taking fourth at 189 with a 4-2 record.

“It means everything because I’ve been through a whole bunch of injuries,” said Hunter Donley when asked about his immediate success at PHACs. “I’m back on the mat, and I’m ready to go for the rest of the year.”

“Going into Top Hat, Hunter was out with an injury, and I know that killed his momentum and his vibe,” said Hayes Donley. “But I think now with him back in the swing of things, he’s right where he was at the beginning of the season.”

Moving forward, his focus above all things is to remain healthy through the rest of his senior stint so that he can have as much fun with his team as possible. He’s made strides through the weeks in the conditioning category and hopes to see success down the road, as he shoots to build off the highs of his sophomore campaign.

“I just need to fight and try to finish it up,” said Donley at PHACs. I’ve got a couple weeks to kind of get back into ship-shape before postseason. I need to clean up my shots and try to get better angles and stuff.”