Well. One down, three to go.

A month and a half removed from her 2-1 loss to No. 8 Octavia Walker (Norwin) at Queen of the Dam, Wagner got a chance at avenging the defeat on the grand stage. And make the most of it, she certainly did, dominating her way to a 15-5 major decision that advanced her to her third straight state quarterfinal.

“It felt good. Just kept sticking to the game plan like we’ve been doing,” said Wagner on the win. “I’ve been working on my feet and finishing my shots all week, and it showed out in that first match like right off.”

It took Wagner less than a minute to outscore her previous point total against Walker, as she landed a double-legged shot, picked Walker up off the ground and slammed her down to the mat for the quick takedown.

CHRIS MANNING/For The Express Central Mountain’s Kendall Wagner competes at the PIAA girls wrestling championships in Hershey at the Giant Center on Thursday at 170 pounds.

She’d go on to turn Walker briefly for four more points in the first before carrying that momentum into the second. An immediate takedown would set the tone for a stanza that saw her land three. And even when Walker got some offense established with a reversal, she reversed it right back to keep control.

Ultimately, no further points were scored in the third, but 15 points was plenty when it was all said and done. When asked what was different between their previous matchup and the one on Thursday, Wagner discussed the offensive work she put in throughout the week leading up to states.

“The only thing was that all week, me and my coaches worked on my double leg, taking them out of their element and getting my hands on my opponent right off the whistle,” said Wagner. “Me losing to her earlier in the season really didn’t affect my mindset. I was ready to go out there, beat her and show how much I’ve improved.”

With one demon out the way, Wagner has a chance at another right out the gate on Friday.

Her quarterfinal opponent – Palisades’s Bryce Snyder – was the only girl to beat her at states last season, the top seed in the 170-pound bracket. Like her mindset heading into Thursday’s match, added nerves aren’t a factor for the senior heading into Friday’s quarterfinal.

CHRIS MANNING/For The Express Central Mountain’s Kendall Wagner competes at the PIAA girls wrestling championships in Hershey at the Giant Center on Thursday at 170 pounds.

“I’m just going to try to keep my head clear and not let anything affect it,” said Wagner on her mindset heading into Friday. “I’ve always seen myself as calm, cool, collected. I like to stay calm, put nothing in my head before matches and just let myself wrestle.”

LEARNING EXPERIENCE

Apart from Wagner, Bellefonte sophomore Bailee Scott also competed at the Giant Center on Thursday. Her PIAA debut ultimately didn’t go the way she wanted it to, as she closed it out 0-2 and struggled with nerves. But she gave it her all and put together a solid performance.

After falling by pin against No. 2 Camilla Hathaway (Mount Lebanon), Scott surrendered a takedown late in the first period against No. 10 Kori Elle McMillion (Warwick) but responded by putting together the best stanza of her run. Out of top, the Bellefonte sophomore was able to turn McMillion for four back points, almost working a pin before riding out the rest of the period.

Ultimately, two surrendered takedowns with under a minute remaining, coupled with being banged up throughout a tense bout, would halt Scott’s chances. But even through tremendous pain and facing a four-point deficit, the Red Raider battled until the final whistle.

CHRIS MANNING/For The Express Bellefonte’s Bailee Scott competes at the PIAA girls wrestling championships in Hershey at the Giant Center on Thursday at 155 pounds.

“My first match was physically hard, and my second match was mentally hard because I was up by one, had a minute to stall and before I knew it, I was down three, said Scott. “I’m not good under pressure like this. With the huge stands, it’s just so much stress on top of the other stress.”

Even with the abruptness of its conclusion, Scott enjoyed the run and took a lot out of it. She’ll be looking to get back to the Giant Center as a junior next season, and she feels good about building on what’s been a successful postseason.

“Hopefully the boys pull through so that we can stay another two days because our hotel has a hot tub, and it’s actually really fun,” laughed Scott. “It was a fun experience to be here as a sophomore. I can take from what I did today and have two more years.”

CHRIS MANNING/For The Express Bellefonte’s Bailee Scott competes at the PIAA girls wrestling championships in Hershey at the Giant Center on Thursday at 155 pounds.

CHRIS MANNING/For The Express Bellefonte’s Bailee Scott competes at the PIAA girls wrestling championships in Hershey at the Giant Center on Thursday at 155 pounds.