Girls flag football, middle school girls wrestling pitched for Burrell School District

Girls in the Burrell School District could have two additional athletic opportunities if plans are approved by the school board on Tuesday.

The school directors will consider adding high school girls flag football as a sport this spring and a middle school girls wrestling team this winter.

The PIAA adopted girls flag football as a sanctioned sport in September.

There are about 50 local high schools fielding girls flag football teams this spring, according to Brian Ferra, Burrell’s athletic director.

He said 18 Burrell girls have expressed interest in participating. If approved, games would take place Sundays and Wednesdays.

“It provides more opportunities for our girls here,” Ferra said. “It’s a growing sport.”

The Pittsburgh Steelers would provide Burrell with a roughly $3,000 grant to get started, said Superintendent Shannon Wagner.

If approved, Burrell would join a league with Gateway, Plum, Penn Hills, Greensburg Salem, Jeannette, Latrobe, McKeesport, Woodland Hills and Propel-Braddock Hills.

If the board gives its approval, Ferra said, Burrell’s team would play its first game at the end of March.

Board President Rick Kaczor said he’s “all for it.”

“If girls want to do it,” he said, “why not let them do it?”

The board also will consider adding girls wrestling at the middle school level.

“It’s one of the fastest growing sports in the country right now,” Wagner said.

The PIAA sponsored girls wrestling as a sport in May 2023. Burrell started its high school girls team that school year.

Ferra said girls wrestling has been successful and that implementing it at the middle school would continue to grow the program.

He said four Burrell girls currently compete at the middle school level.

“By providing a girls team, we will allow those girls to wrestle other girls teams in the area,” he said.