Honesdale hosts inaugural girls wrestling Open House at high school

HONESDALE — The past few years, interest and participation in girls wrestling has skyrocketed across the Commonwealth.

That popularity sparked a grassroots movement to legitimize the sport in the eyes of state officials. It culminated in May when the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association (PIAA) officially sanctioned girls high school wrestling.

On the local scene, Honesdale, Western Wayne and Wallenpaupack Area have been at the forefront of this historic drive. All three districts were among the first 100 to offer girls wrestling as a varsity sport.

Now that the dream is realized, the real work of growing their programs has begun.

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Honesdale hit the ground running this summer, offering a three-day open house for any interested girl in grades four through twelve. The inaugural event was held at the high school and organized by longtime head coach Ryan Chulada.

“If you are a female athlete, girls wrestling is an exciting new opportunity,” he said. “We have one of the stronger girls programs here at Honesdale and we’re in a great position to grow it at the district and state levels as well.”

Carroll leads the way

Chris Carroll has been a fixture on the local grappling scene for more than 30 years.

A member of Honesdale’s Class of 1986, Carroll enjoyed a solid mat career before heading off to study at both Keystone College and East Stroudsburg University.

After completing his degree, Carroll returned home and immediately began building an impressive coaching resume. In fact, he at one point he was named District 2 Class AA Coach of the Year while at the helm for Western Wayne.

Carroll’s latest challenge began just last winter when he was named head coach of Honesdale’s fledgling girls wrestling program. It’s an appointment he whole-heartedly embraced right from the start.

“The school district is willing to do everything they can to help our young program become one of the best in the state,” Coach Carroll said. “We also have a great group of parents that are more than happy to help out in any capacity.”

That type of dedication and commitment has led to growing interest among local student-athletes. In fact, more than a dozen enthusiastic young ladies turned out for Honesdale’s first-ever Open House.

The clinic took place at the Hornets' varsity wrestling room across a three day period, July 31 - August 2.

“We gave a very introductory presentation covering the basics of the sport,” Coach Carroll said. “I was very pleased with the turnout that we had for our Open House.”

Carroll and Chulada both lent their vast experience and expertise to the clinic. They received plenty of help from current wrestlers and alumni who also volunteered their time.

Longtime program supporters Dave and Stacey Olver offered their assistance as well.

The future is bright

Honesdale coaches, athletes and fans are understandably excited about what lies ahead for the girls varsity wrestling team.

Last year’s squad made impressive inroads on so many levels. A total of six grapplers earned their first varsity letters: Madison Breidenstein, Jaidyn Mikulak, Roz Mikulak, Saige Olver, Jillian Penn and Sydney Roberts.

In addition, the Red & Black piled up eight district medals and advanced six girls to regionals. Even more impressively, Jaidyn Mikulak, Olver and Penn each qualified for states as well.

Nearly every girl on the Honesdale roster will be back for the 2023-24 season, the very first year of official PIAA competition.

“I am incredibly excited to see what opportunities this will open for girls across the state,” Coach Carroll said of the upcoming campaign.

“Having this happen can only mean positive things for the sport. It will give girls everywhere … of all shapes and sizes, and all different backgrounds … incredible opportunities to do things that they might never have thought possible.”

Coach Chulada concurs. The veteran skipper summed things up nicely with a bit of perspective on the rising popularity of this newly sanctioned sport.

“If you are a female athlete, girls wrestling is an exciting new opportunity,” he said. “There are tons of opportunities at the collegiate level for scholarships that many girls are getting to take advantage of as well.”

This article originally appeared on Tri-County Independent: First-ever girls wrestling Open House is a hit at Honesdale High