BY HAGEN COOK
When talking about high school sports, how many people mention girls’ wrestling? Not nearly enough. However, this is destined to change as the girl’s team at Syracuse High is proving why they deserve to be the talk of the town.
Girls’ wrestling accomplished a sanction by the Utah High School Activities Association (UHSAA) as an official high school sport in Utah in the 2020-21 season. Syracuse High adopted it immediately. This created an opportunity to try something new for some girls, while also providing the next step in other girls’ wrestling journeys. This disparity in experience may have been seen as an obstacle, but senior team captain, Sabrina Jensen, said, “I have loved wrestling with Syracuse and have made some of my strongest friendships from my team! I love how caring my team is and how they welcome everyone with smiles and open arms.” I saw Sabrina demonstrate this support during the team’s win against Fremont on January Fourth, where she was standing up and cheering on her team the whole time. While other teams might not be so inclusive of newcomers, Syracuse girls’ wrestling has created a welcoming environment for any girl interested, regardless of experience.
In its three years at Syracuse High, girls’ wrestling has been remarkable. There are already 18 girls (and counting) that are hopping on the mat; however, this is just the beginning of their growing success. Last season, 16 of those 18 wrestlers qualified for state. This spectacular achievement really shows Syracuse just how capable this overlooked bunch of wrestlers is. With that many excellent wrestlers on one team, the team is bound to excel, and that’s exactly what is happening at Syracuse High. Junior wrestler and team captain, Hope Barton, put it simply when asked about the previous season, saying, “The team did amazing last year and took home the region title.” They also placed fifth at state. That is a considerable accomplishment, especially considering all the high school teams in the state – but these wrestlers weren’t satisfied.
Regardless of their previous individual or team success, none of them have any plans to become complacent. This season, the team has set its expectations high. Junior wrestler, Lily Naylor, was a part of the team’s success last year, as well as qualifying for state on her own. Now, she’s looking forward to her and her team’s upcoming achievements this year, saying, “I would like to place at state, and I think my team will place at state.” The wrestlers have high hopes for this season and these expectations have been backed by their performance with them having one of the best records in their conference. Their coach is completely behind them in these expectations. Coach Brown has been the boy’s wrestling coach since Syracuse High School was opened 16 years ago. When girls’ wrestling became official, he was ready to coach. The coach describes his girls’ team as talented and tough, and he believes they can improve on their previous successes. He believes that Westlake High School, located in Saratoga Springs, will be their strongest competition. Coach Brown has complete faith that by staying healthy and keeping up the good work, his team can place in the top three teams of Utah.
As the 2022-23 season comes to a close this month, girls’ wrestling is still the most overlooked sport at Syracuse High. Hopefully, this will change. As Coach Brown says, “They deserve respect. Wrestling’s a hard sport for the guys let alone for the girls. It’s a combat sport but they get out there and battle.” I know I will be out there cheering them on. You should too because this girls’ team is proving why they deserve the respect of Syracuse.