Freshman Hunter Nace got the ball rolling, posting a sub-minute fall to jumpstart a five-match span of quick wins that created a near-immediate 30-0 lead for the Wildcats. In a dual match between two storied area programs, Central Mountain (8-0) made it look easy, racking up eight competitive wins and six pins as it defeated Bald Eagle Area, 61-9.

“Anytime you can get a win like that over a Bald Eagle program with their rich tradition is a nice accomplishment,” said Central Mountain head coach Biff Walizer on the win. “They go out, and there’s fight from every one of them. Even in losing cases, there’s no quit. They come into practice; they work hard. So, as a coach, you couldn’t ask for anything more than that.”

“Central Mountain’s tough throughout their whole lineup,” said Bald Eagle head coach Ron Guenot. “They’ve got some good wrestlers and took it to us. That was that. There really isn’t much to say.”

At 107 with the score knotted at 0-0, Nace avoided a near-takedown from his opponent, Michael Wesley, on a shot right out the gate. Though it initially seemed like Wesley had the upper hand, that indication flipped in the blink of an eye.

TIM WEIGHT/For the Express Central Mountain's Hunter Nace wrestles Bald Eagle's Michael Wesley during a boys wrestling dual on Tuesday, Jan. 13, 2026, at Central Mountain. The Wildcats won 61-9.

Nace used Wesley’s momentum against him to secure a takedown of his own before immediately transitioning it into a pin opportunity. He’d go on to secure it just 34 seconds into the match, posting the quickest fall of his high school career to give the Wildcats an early spark.

“(Wesley) shot, and I sprawled. He tried to come up, and it was just there, so I sent,” said Nace on what led up to the pin. “It was great. The crowd was rolling. As a freshman, I loved (setting the tone).

His teammates seemed to feed off that energy, as a barrage of quick falls followed.

Collin Bauman followed him up with a 33-second pin against returning regional qualifier Liam Purcell at 121 and Gavin Heverly (127) and Jaggar Pardoe (133) kept the ball rolling with first-period pins of their own. Coupled with a win by forfeit from Angelo Tarantella, the score went from 0-0 to 30-0 in a matter of minutes.

The match would briefly slow down, as Bald Eagle’s heavy hitters combined for two bonus-point victories to cut the deficit to 24. But at 160, senior Dalton McDermott picked up where Pardoe left off with the team’s fourth first-period pin, and the Eagles wouldn’t impact the scoreboard again.

TIM WEIGHT/For the Express Central Mountain's Collin Bauman works for a pin against Bald Eagle's Liam Purcell during a boys wrestling dual on Tuesday, Jan. 13, 2026, at Central Mountain. The Wildcats won 61-9.

At 172, senior Mario Serafini fell inches short of a fifth first-period pin, briefly getting Brody Gardner on his back after securing an early takedown and working for a fall for over a minute. Though the buzzer rang before he could get it, the sequence resulted in four back points, and an early third-period reversal out of bottom granted him a 9-0 major decision.

To close things out, Hunter Donley (189) and Hayes Donley (285) each posted wins by forfeit. And after racking up four first-period takedowns, sophomore Todd Caris would work his fourth into the fifth and final first-period fall for the Wildcats on the night.

It was a case of Central Mountain’s depth shining bright and new starters leaving their mark. Though Pardoe and Serafini only recently became starters this season, and Nace is just a freshman, they each put together decisive victories to give the Wildcats an additional boost amidst a dominant win.

“Pardoe stuck around after not being a starter for a couple years, so he’s always ready to get out there and get after it when we give him the call,” said Walizer on Pardoe. “Just having those guys ready and willing to go out there and do whatever we need, that’s how team success happens.”

For Bald Eagle Area (6-5), the silver lining came from its matches spanning 139 to 152 pounds.

TIM WEIGHT/For the Express Central Mountain's Gavin Heverly gets his hand raised during a boys wrestling dual against Bald Eagle Area on Tuesday, Jan. 13, 2026, at Central Mountain. The Wildcats won 61-9.

Against Patrick Tarantella – who’s ranked No. 13 in the state in Class AAA – at 139, No. 4 Tanner Guenot put together a strong performance.

He was able to get behind Tarantella amidst a scramble in the first to post an early takedown. Then, in the third, he used a late overextension from his opponent to secure four near-fall points, scraping out an 8-0 major decision to get the Eagles on the board.

“Tanner wrestled a pretty good match there. It was one of the highlight matches there when they moved Tarantella up to 139,” said Coach Guenot on the performance from Guenot. “So that was a positive, seeing him pick up the major there against a good opponent.”

In a second straight state-ranked matchup at 145, No. 2 Aiden Kunes (Central Mountain) picked up three takedowns to go up 10-1 late. But No. 14 Dawson Lomison (Bald Eagle) was able to just avoid the major, securing a reversal just before the buzzer. And at 145, senior Caden Judice rounded out the team’s victories, racking up 12 points through the second to post an 18-3 tech fall against Central Mountain’s Luke Garman.

Central Mountain is set to return to action on Thursday, hosting HAC-I foe Williamsport before traveling to Hollidaysburg to face the Golden Tigers one day later. And for Bald Eagle, its return to action also comes on Thursday, where it’ll host a tough Huntingdon squad.

TIM WEIGHT/For the Express Central Mountain's Mario Serafini works for a pin against Bald Eagle's Brody Gardner during a boys wrestling dual on Tuesday, Jan. 13, 2026, at Central Mountain. The Wildcats won 61-9.

“We’re getting ready for that home stretch coming up,” said Walizer. “So, just trying to keep moving forward and take steps in the right direction.”

“We just have to get back in the room tomorrow,” said Guenot. “The guys that want to get better will get better, and it’s our job to try to help the kids get better every day.”

All three of those future matches are set for 7 p.m.

Central Mountain 61, Bald Eagle Area 9

107: Hunter Nace (CM) pinned Michael Wesley (BEA), :34. 114: Angelo Tarantella (CM) won by forfeit. 121: Collin Bauman (CM) pinned Liam Purcell (BEA), :33. 127: Gavin Heverly (CM) pinned Liam Corey (BEA), 1:49. 133: Jaggar Pardoe (CM) pinned Logan Burns (BEA), :54. 139: Tanner Guenot (BEA) maj. dec. Patrick Tarantella (CM), 8-0. 145: Aiden Kunes (CM) dec. Dawson Lomison (BEA), 10-4. 152: Caden Judice (BEA) tech fall Luke Garman (CM), 18-3 (3:49). 160: Dalton McDermott (CM) pinned Wyatt Knepp (BEA), 1:34. 172: Mario Serafini (CM) maj. dec. Brody Gardner (BEA), 8-0. 189: Hunter Donley (CM) won by forfeit. 215: Todd Caris (CM) pinned Kyle Watson (BEA), 1:39. 285: Hayes Henry (CM) won by forfeit.

TIM WEIGHT/For the Express Central Mountain's Patrick Tarantella wrestles Bald Eagle's Tanner Guenot during a boys wrestling dual on Tuesday, Jan. 13, 2026, at Central Mountain. The Wildcats won 61-9.

TIM WEIGHT/For the Express Bald Eagle Area's Caden Judice secures a takedown against Central Mountain's Luke Garman during a boys wrestling dual on Tuesday, Jan. 13, 2026, at Central Mountain. The Wildcats won 61-9.

TIM WEIGHT/For the Express Central Mountain's Dalton McDermott secures a pin against Bald Eagle's Wyatt Knepp during a boys wrestling dual on Tuesday, Jan. 13, 2026, at Central Mountain. The Wildcats won 61-9.

TIM WEIGHT/For the Express Central Mountain's Todd Caris gets his hand raised during a boys wrestling dual against Bald Eagle Area on Tuesday, Jan. 13, 2026, at Central Mountain. The Wildcats won 61-9.

TIM WEIGHT/For the Express Central Mountain's Hunter Nace walks to the center of the mat after securing a pin during a boys wrestling dual against Bald Eagle Area on Tuesday, Jan. 13, 2026, at Central Mountain. The Wildcats won 61-9.