These District 10 athletes, teams to compete in first season of PIAA girls wrestling

District 10 enters a new arena this year with the inaugural season of PIAA-sanctioned girls wrestling.

A four-year drive to get the sport sanctioned by the PIAA, initiated through an online petition by SanctionPA, culminated with its unanimous vote in May. A total of 187 schools were listed among the field of girls wrestling teams when the season was scheduled to start this weekend.

The Hickory Invitational Tournament is District 10’s most notable varsity event this weekend with the inaugural girls tournament on Sunday.

Northwestern's Sierra Chiesa was scheduled to be at the Hickory Tournament to start her junior season. She's not there for the girls portion of the tournament, however, as she was scheduled to compete with the rest of Northwestern’s boys Friday and Saturday.

Chiesa, who became the first female to wrestle at the PIAA tournament in the history of the event last season, will be wrestling for the boys team again this season.

The PIAA’s new rules permit Chiesa to compete with its boys program because Northwestern doesn’t have a girls team. However, the junior will no longer be permitted to compete in both its male and female postseasons next spring. She plans to resume wrestling in the boys postseason and claim a tournament medal that eluded her by one round this past spring.

Chiesa was humbled to the degree she helped nudge varsity girls wrestling within the state to the point it’s at this weekend.

“It’s great that there were other girls confident enough to wrestle in the boys division who will be more confident now,” she said. “This will help the sport grow even more.”

More: What to know about the inaugural season of PIAA girls wrestling for District 10 teams

District 10 lists eight schools among the state’s 187 that will field all-girls wrestling teams. They are, in alphabetical order:

Erie High

John Easter’s role as coach of the Royals will extend to it new girls program, at least for this season. They had two freshmen, Davaya Truman and DeOnna Chatfield, who were confirmed to compete going into this week.

However, Easter and athletic director Dale Mills expected more to officially join even into December.

“It’s so exciting to give these girls this opportunity,” Mills said. “Wrestling is all about grit and determination. To see a female want to participate in a male-dominated sport is pretty exciting.”

Fort LeBoeuf

Wrestling has long been a way of life at the Waterford school. So much so that 2022 graduate Andie Przybycien was a 2A section champ during her time in a Bison singlet.

Przybycien’s coach was Shane McChesney, who will be in charge of LeBoeuf’s boys and girls teams.

“We wanted to do (add girls wrestling) for multiple reasons,” he said. “One is because, well, we’re Fort LeBoeuf. We always want to try to be a forerunner for wrestling.

“Two, if there are girls on our boys team and there’s no girls team, it would take away from the boys’ (competitive) points. We didn’t want to have any type of controversy with that.”

Junior Abby Falk and freshman Kiai Miklovic are more than first-time wrestlers for LeBoeuf. Each are first-time wrestlers, period.

Although neither has any prior experience on the mat, the opportunity to add to the school’s history in the sport was enough to try it.

“The practices have been fun,” Falk said, “and there wasn’t a moment where I wanted to quit. It’s an amazing opportunity and I’m getting great coaching.”

Miklovic was on the fence about joining LeBoeuf’s boys wrestling team once she reached high school.

Such pensiveness evaporated months ago.

“I didn’t know how good I’d be on the boys team,” Miklovic said. “I thought I’d go out for a girls team if they started one this year. Knowing they would have one was the final kick.”

General McLane

No district coach was more vocal about the PIAA’s decision to sanction girls wrestling than Ryan Cook. The leader of the Lancers felt such a move should have happened long before this year.

Three wrestlers made up McLane’s roster as of Friday, but more are due to join.

Ashley Campbell is the undisputed leader of that trio, even though she never wrestled before last year. The junior who practiced with the boys, went 11-9 in the girls postseason.

Although Cook will supervise the McLane girls, he’s designated Lorraine Zacheral as their day-to-day coach.

“Lorraine is exactly what we need in a girls coach for GM,” Cook said. “She is hard-working and caring about each individual. I have the utmost confidence she’ll succeed.”

Hickory

No preseason roster among district teams rivaled the one for the Hornets. They listed 16 wrestlers, thanks in part to a co-op agreement with Mercer.

“We’re not done with those 16, I can guarantee you that,” Hickory boys coach Nick Clepper said. “We’ve had a bunch of girls come out the last three or four years in the elementary and junior high levels. It’ll be awesome to have a bunch of girls who know what they’re doing once they reach (the varsity) level.”

Clepper designated Eric Mount and James Phillips as co-coaches for Hickory’s girls. Phillips has seven seasons of experience with its youth girls program.

Reynolds

Raiders coach Casey Taylor was aware he was exaggerating. Even he knew there aren’t 100 girls who will someday wrestle at the varsity level

“But it was fun to hear them scream, ‘I’m wrestling! I’m wrestling,’ when I recently went over to the elementary school," he said. "The town and supporters of Reynolds wrestling are just so excited about this opportunity.

“There will be some challenges, but we’ll work through the kinks.”

Saegertown

Females from the Penncrest School District’s three high schools, Maplewood, Cambridge Springs and Saegertown, plus those from Meadville will comprise the 2023-24 Panthers.

They’ll be coached by Melissa Bartholomew, a 1994 Saegertown graduate. She was an assistant for the Crawford County Wrestling Club, which preceded the current program.

Bartholomew raved about what Chiesa’s accomplishments last season meant to some of returning wrestlers.

“They were in awe that she made it to the blood round (consolation third round) at states,” Bartholomew said. “I think that’s driving them to be even better this year. What she did competing against the boys was amazing.”

Seneca

It was Oct. 18, 2021, when Seneca became the district’s first school that committed to fielding a varsity girls wrestling team. The Wattsburg school was the 17th on SanctionPA’s petition list.

The Bobcats, with Jen Poklembo as coach, have four freshmen who will compete at the junior high level. That's permitted under current PIAA rules and regulations.

Seneca's staff also includes Fort LeBoeuf graduate Julian Gorring, a former state finalist who also competed for Appalachian State in college.

Sharpsville

Tim Findley will double up as coach of the Blue Devils' boys and girls teams.

Sharpsville's roster of 16 girls is young, with 142-pounder Riley Tighe listed as the lone senior.

Warren

Glenn Baldensperger, the veteran coach for the Dragons’ boys wrestling team, will hold that same role for their initial girls team.

Warren's roster lists seniors Kasey Kophazy and Katrina Stearns; sophomore Jenna Kophazy; and freshmen Alyssa Reichle and Emily Wiles.

More: Meet the Erie Times-News' Top 25 District 10 Wrestlers to Watch this winter

Contact Mike Copper at mcopper@timesnews.com. Follow him on X @ETNcopper.

This article originally appeared on Erie Times-News: District 10 fields nine teams in first season of PIAA girls wrestling