As a two-time District 5-6-9 Tournament champion and three-time finalist, Northern Bedford junior Emily Dennis is very familiar with what to expect at the girls Central Regional Tournament.

Dennis hasn’t been able to take home a medal from a tournament filled with successful wrestlers. So Dennis is focused is getting out of Milton High School with a top four finish at 130 pounds and a berth in next week’s PIAA Championships in Hershey.

“I am looking forward very much to regionals,” she said after winning a district title on Saturday. “My teammate (Kaylee Ebersole) got injured, so I’m really locking down on this year to make it up and be the state qualifier for her.”

Dennis went 2-2 at the regional as a freshman and 1-2 last season.

“She’s had some good matches and some battles there,” Northern Bedford coach Zach Clark said. “She’s really been working. I know she wants to make that next step. She wants to get that trip to Hershey.

“Emily kind of already knows what to expect as we get to that regional tournament. One thing that does help that also is we travel to a lot of tournaments. In a lot of those tournaments, we’re getting to see some of the competition we’ll see here at the regional level.

“In my opinion, getting to the bigger tournaments makes these tournaments not feel so big. It allows them to feel like a normal tournament.”

While Dennis is looking for her first state tournament appearance, Bellwood-Antis senior Juliette Cuevas wants to repeat what she did two years ago. She took third at the district tournament in 2024, but she won a regional title at 100 pounds.

Cuevas is coming off a second-place finish at the district tournament in her first postseason since coming back.

“I’m excited for regionals,” she said. “One hundred is stacked this year. It’s not like the first year I wrestled. Those girls were good, but these girls are coming in and dominating.”

“I believe a lot of the girls in her weight class are underclassmen, and this may be their first trip to regionals,” Bellwood-Antis coach Josh Hewitt said. “They might have the nerves and butterflies. She’s been here and done it. That’s definitely a big help when it comes to postseason wrestling.”

A total of 10 girls from the Mirror coverage qualified for the Central Regional Tournament, including a six-girl contingent from Northern Bedford.

In addition to Dennis, the Lady Black Panthers will have district runner-up Rachel Clouse (106), third-placer Myha Dixon (118), while fourth-placer Emilee Beach (235) and fifth-placers Yasmin Miller (112) and Kyanna Hall (124).

“I’m excited to be able to take six girls to the regional tournament,” Clark said. “I’m excited to try to get them prepared mentally and physically to compete to the best of their abilities and see what happens.”

Penn Cambria had two regional qualifiers in fourth-placer Bethany Watt (136) and fifth-placer Lara Farabaugh (130). Hollidaysburg’s fourth-placer Carina Parks (130) will also aim for the medals stand.

The tournament begins at 9 a.m. on Saturday with the preliminaries and quarterfinals. Those rounds will be followed by the semifinals and consolation quarterfinals. The consolation semifinals and fifth-place bouts will end the first session.

The second session is scheduled for 4:30 p.m., beginning with the third-place bouts. The parade of champions is scheduled for 6:15 p.m., and the championship finals will follow at 6:30.

Wrestlers from District 2 and District 4 will compete with the qualifiers from the District 5-6-9 Tournament to make up some deep weight classes.

“Ever since the PIAA sanctioned the tournaments, the girls continue to get better each year,” Clark said. “Honestly, I think that’s great that the state is beginning to get so strong in the sport. We’re seeing that in the folkstyle side of things as well as the freestyle side.”

The unranked Dennis (22-9) is seeded third at 130 for the regional tournament. Northern Bradford’s Anaiah Kolesar (34-1), ranked second by PA Power Wrestling, is the top seed, while Hazleton’s Shaniece Brown (33-5) is the second seed.

Cuevas, seeded sixth, is in an interesting spot at 100 pounds. If she wins her first two bouts, she’ll likely face Williamsport’s second-seeded Malaina Comfort, who Cuevas is 1-1 against this season. Cuevas pinned Comfort in 52 seconds the first time and lost to her, 12-4, the second time.

Curwensville’s unbeaten district champ McKenzie Astorino, who beat Cuevas, 3-0, in the district finals, is the top seed.

“She has the skills and ability,” Hewitt said, “and the girls she lost to were close matches. We really haven’t talked about her goals, but I’m sure (winning a title) is her goal. I expect her to be right there.”

Clouse (25-4), a freshman, is seeded fifth and will need two wins to get to the semifinals, where she’ll likely face Montgomery’s top-seeded and fourth-ranked Jenna Houseknecht (36-4).

“Rachel is a go-getter,” Clark said. “We worked a lot in the practice room on different techniques. She’s never out of a match. Whenever she puts her mind to something she’s going to work to get it. She doesn’t really panic. I think she could have a very, very good regional tournament.”