Panther Valley head wrestling coach Kris Nalesnik runs out of adjectives when talking about Brenda Banks.

And who could blame him?

After all, there aren’t enough words to describe someone who has won two state gold medals during their first two years of wrestling.

When traditional terms for greatness like unreal, unbelievable or incredible are exhausted, he turns to analogies.

Asked what the odds are of an athlete reaching the pinnacle of their sport from the very beginning, Nalesnik said, “It’s like getting struck by lightning.”

Actually, the odds of being hit during someone’s lifetime is one in 15,300 while the odds of being struck in a single year is one in a million.

Nalesnik may just be right.

“Once in a coach’s lifetime you might get a wrestler that can do something close to this, if you’re lucky,” he said. “Most coaches never get this. To come right out here her first year ... to have her go out there and do that, it just doesn’t happen.

“She’s just unbelievable. I could go on and on talking about her all day, singing her praises. I’d love to do it, but at some point you’re almost at a loss for words. You don’t know what else to say to describe what she’s capable of.”

As a freshman a year ago, Banks won the 215-pound PV spot on the boys team during wrestle-offs but decided - along with her coach - to continue the learning process at the junior high level during her first year in the sport. When the regular season ended, she quickly made her mark in the girls postseason winning gold at regionals before claiming a non-PIAA state crown. She then traveled to Fargo, North Dakota and placed fourth at nationals.

That sudden success not only earned her tons of exposure, but it also set her up to have a stellar season during the 2023-24 campaign - the first year that girls wrestling was recognized as a PIAA sport.

Needless to say, she didn’t disappoint.

Banks not only grabbed another first place at the state level in the 235-pound weight class, winning districts and regionals along the way, but she did it by posting a 29-0 record - including 21 pins.

That effort made her the obvious choice for the Times News/Lehigh Valley Health Network Girls Wrestler of the Year.

“I was going into the season hoping to go undefeated,” said the sophomore. “Competing at the national level (last year), I felt like coming back to PA after wrestling girls from all over the country that I should definitely be a lot more skilled, so my biggest goal was to go undefeated, and I was able to achieve that.”

The perfect season didn’t come by accident. Instead of resting on her laurels - knowing she had already made it to the top of the state level - Banks worked even harder to get better.

“I definitely think that my technique is what improved the most over the past year,” said Banks. “In the beginning, I was winning but it was more strength-based rather than skill-based because I was only a year into it, so I knew enough to get by, but not as much as I probably should have at the time. So, from last year to this year, I definitely perfected a lot more of my technique and was able to execute and perform more on a (higher) level.”

“She improved her wrestling IQ, she understood situational wrestling a little more,” added Nalesnik. “Last year, it was more a matter of go out there and physically dominate and this year it was a little more cerebral ... She knows what to do to win matches. It’s not just a matter of go out there and physically beat people.”

So, can the two-time state champ get even better?

“It’s one of those things where you’ve just got to keep sharpening everything,” said her coach. “There’s not a lot she needs to improve on at this point, maybe conditioning. But even that, she’s fine. In the matches she wrestled the full six minutes, she was never gassed.

“I’m going to teach her moves, different variations of moves and she’ll pick them up in a practice or two and then she’ll start fine tuning them and put them in her arsenal. It’s what she does.”

Ironically, what she’s doing is something her mother never wanted her to do.

“My mom doesn’t like rough sports and ... wrestling, I really had to convince her to do that. She’s extremely proud of me now. She supports me 100% in everything I do, but she still has her fear moments, like during the Oklahoma duels for nationals last year when I sprained my ankle.”

Banks is not only hoping to go to nationals again this summer, but she’s after another medal this time - the same kind she won in Hershey back in March.

“My next goal would be to place first at Fargo,” said Banks. “I think that would be an incredible feat. I just want to be able to do better in the coming years. I don’t want to slow down or drop in placement. I think there’s always so much more to learn in every sport, especially wrestling.”

If Banks wins at nationals, her coach knows it wouldn’t change her one bit.

“She’s probably one of the most humble people you’ll ever meet,” said Nalesnik. “She gets mad at me all the time for talking about how good she is ... There are so few people in this world that can get along with anybody, and Brenda is one of them. She’s just a blast to be around.

“On the mat, she’s always in control. At the state tournament while watching every match she wrestled, my heart was in my throat. She was calm the entire time. She didn’t look nervous. All she wanted to do was go out there and wrestle.”