Montague’s Emma Pendell earns final CatchMark Player of the Week accolade (Feb. 28-March 5)

Emma Pendell finished her wrestling season for the Montague with a bang.

The Montague sophomore became the first Wildcats wrestler to win a state title since Bill Priese in 1989. Pendell’s accomplishment was highlighted in the eyes of voters as she brings home her second CatchMark Player of the Week fan poll for Feb. 18-March 5.

Pendell accumulated 62% of the total vote, which was enough to pull away from Whitehall’s Ira Jenkins (20.4%), Whitehall’s Karli VanDuinen (11%) and Mason County Central’s Andrew Quinn (6.6%).

In the individual wrestling state finals at Ford Field, Pendell defeated East Jackson senior Isabel Worthing, 2-1 in a tiebreaker, in a hard-fought 140-pound match.

Pendell finished the season with a 17-6 record and is Montague’s first girls wrestling state champion in history.