Greensburg Salem creates girls wrestling club

The girls competing on Greensburg Salem’s boys wrestling team will be able to compete on a roster of their own this year following a vote by the school board Wednesday.

The school board voted unanimously to create a girls wrestling club, with the hope that the program will grow into a team in the coming years.

Up to this point, girls like senior wrestler Sadie Sarver have largely competed against boys — only facing off against other girls during post-season championships.

Sarver has been wrestling since she was in eighth grade. She visited University of Pittsburgh’s Johnston campus and Frostburg State University in Maryland on Wednesday to tour the colleges, both of which have girls wrestling programs.

“I think it’s a really great sport,” Sarver said. “It teaches a lot of determination, a lot of will, and it takes a lot to get the mental mindset to wrestle.”

Her father, Doug Sarver, is confident she could earn a college scholarship for wrestling.

“(Sadie) has been wrestling the boys for the last two years and she’s done quite well I feel, but it’s tough sometimes,” he said. “It’s not an even match at every time, because boys obviously become more muscular than girls.”

Doug Sarver added that having a separate girls club would make it easier for the athletes to build up their records throughout the season before competing against other girls in the championship matches.

Girls wrestling on the rise

Girls wrestling is widely considered the fastest growing high school sports. In the past two years, girls wrestling has grown by the largest percentage of mainstream high school sports — including football, basketball, baseball, hockey and soccer for boys and girls, according to the National Wrestling Coaches Association.

The PIAA hosted its first season for girls wrestling in 2023-24.

Greensburg Salem coach Randy Parsley believes the districts’ female students will only become more interested in wrestling with the new club available to them.

“If there’s no opportunity, they don’t even think about it. Parents don’t even think about it,” said Parsley, who has coached in the district for more than four decades. “If parents see our girls are having success, going to college, getting a free education out of it, then I think it’s well worth letting our girls compete.”

New club gives ‘fair opportunity’ to female athletes

Parent Jacob Zeoli said having a girls club will welcome those who would not feel comfortable competing against boys.

“It’s not going to discourage my daughter from wrestling. Selah, she’s going to wrestle regardless if you vote yes or no, because that’s how she is,” Zeoli said of his daughter, who competed in the 12U division this spring.

“Zoey (Zeoli), it’ll discourage her because she’s a sophomore, never wrestled before, so it’s a little bit awkward as a mature woman like she is,” he said. “She doesn’t want to wrestle with the boys. She wants to wrestle girls.”

Youth wrestling coach Billy Smith recalled his time as a student at Greensburg Salem, where he and many of his classmates signed a petition to create a girls soccer team.

“(The woman) who eventually became my wife got to play on that soccer team and, full circle, I had four daughters and a son. All four daughters got to play on that soccer team,” Smith said. “We are asking for the opportunity for these young ladies to go and wrestle against someone who is on their level, their gender and give them a fair opportunity.”