The Quaker Valley Wrestling Association appears to have a solid game plan.

And QVWA has a prototype to follow off its own successful experience.

“We are thrilled to be starting the youth team for girls this year,” president Jason Richey said. “In 2012, we started a boys youth team. It was the first time Quaker Valley had wrestling.

“We got those young kids valuable experience and then when we had enough (wrestlers), we started the high school and middle school teams. We plan to take this same bottom-up approach with the girls.”

In seven years, QV has won six consecutive section championships, advanced to the WPIAL final four another six straight years and won one WPIAL title (2022).

“We have also sent numerous kids to the state championships and many off to college to wrestle,” Richey said, “including one girl who wrestled for our boys team.

“My hope is that we will have a QV girls middle school and high school team in the near future as we get the participation up.”

QVWA girls youth coach Jason Simmons naturally shares in Richey’s thought process.

“Over the past few years, the youth wrestling program at Quaker Valley has had some very good girl wrestlers,” Simmons said. “It was a major push for QVWA to establish a girls-only program that would follow the blueprint that has made the boys program a perennial contender at the high school level.

“That approach is to build interest at the youth level with the intention of those young wrestlers continuing with the sport through middle school and high school.”

One of the early season goals for QVWA was to recruit “around” 15 girls. It’s a number Simmons supports.

“With girls wrestling becoming a sanctioned sport under the PIAA, it was the perfect time to establish the girls program,” Simmons said. “To be able to establish the program, we needed the wrestlers. The goal was to have around 15-16 girls between grades K to 8.

“It truly was a grass-roots effort. We created flyers, posted on social media and sent out information through the school’s weekly email. A few of the girls even created presentations for their classmates on the benefits of wrestling. Those efforts, as well as Girls Only Try it Nights, generated enough buzz to have 15-16 girls sign up with only three girls returning from last year.”

Two youngsters in kindergarten, Ember Watson and Marly Meyers, registered for the program, as did first-grader Maci Lyons.

Five in second grade signed up: Abby Hillman, a returning state qualifier, Aliyah Labasik, Finley Mudd, Jordyn Adams and Parker Turner.

Other wrestlers include third-graders Ariana Skaros and Reese Brown, fifth-graders Breslyn Simmons and Nanette Taylor, and Morgan Ralston, who is in sixth grade and a returning state qualifier.

Breslyn Simmons is the coach’s daughter.

“This is her first year of wrestling,” said her dad. “She got into it because her 7-year-old twin brothers Maurice and Von are in their second year (of wrestling) and she loved watching them.”

Rounding out the inaugural 2023-24 roster are two girls in middle school, Cordy Grabiak and Beatrix Miller.

“We have a great age range for our first year,” Simmons said. “Much like the boys program, we expect great results. It is not a stretch to think we will have multiple state qualifiers this year.”

Simmons is in his first year of coaching wrestling. He played basketball at Pitt-Johnstown and has coached football and girls basketball in the past.

It appears the community supports adding a girls youth program to the already successful QVWA this year.

“QVWA is very fortunate to have two former collegiate wrestlers (Wheeling grad Keegan Forsythe and Pitt grad Cole Nye) leading our practices,” Simmons said. “All of our parent volunteer coaches jump in and help with the girls any chance they can. I can’t express how much it is appreciated that the parent volunteers of our youth boys will come over and help with the girls practice.

“That’s how successful programs are built.”

Copyright ©2025— Trib Total Media, LLC (TribLIVE.com)