Athens Advances Six To Quarterfinals; Leads 58-Team Field After Day 1 At Coal Cracker Invite
By: Tim Birney / January 17, 2026
JIM THORPE, Pa. - Athens advanced six girls in the quarterfinals, and has five more alive in wrestlebacks after Friday action here at Coal Cracker Invite at Jim Thorpe High School.
Athens leads the 58-team field after Day 1 with 79 points, just ahead of Upper Dauphin's 78 points, and Hughesville's 77.5 points. Northern York was fourth with 73.5 points, and Lehighton was fifth with 69.
Senior Hanna Rathbun and Leah Nason, juniors Joyce Clink and Abigail Wagner, and freshmen Skylynn Payne and Evelyn Cummings all advanced to Saturday morning's quarterfinals, while sophomores Memphis Paul, Hailey Brinkley, Alyssa Rinebold, and Abigail Ahern, and freshman Chelsey Renninger are alive in the consolation bracket.Clink was 3-0 in the 126-pound bracket with three first-period falls. She scored pins in 56, 66, and 41 seconds.
Read more about the Lady Wildcat's first day at the Coal Cracker Invite on Valley Sports Report.
About the Author
Tim Birney
Tim Birney is the founder / owner of River Road Media Group. He was born and raised in the Valley, graduating from Waverly High School in 1984.
Birney earned an Associate's Degree in Journalism from SUNY Morrisville in 1986 and a Bachelor's Degree in Journalism / Public Relations from Utica College of Syracuse University in 1988. He began his newspaper career at The Daily Review in Towanda in 1989, before moving on to The Evening Times in 1995. He spent more than 10 years at the Times, the last four as Managing Editor.
River Road Media Group includes five sites in "The Sports Reports" family that cover 24 school districts in five counties: Valley Sports Report (launched Aug. 10, 2009), Tioga County (NY) Sports Report (Aug. 13, 2018), and Northern Tier Sports Report (Aug. 31, 2020); Northern Tier West Sports Report (March 15, 2021) Southern Tier Sports Report (Aug. 16, 2021).
