Northern Bedford girls program continues to grow

 

Jared Mellott, left, discusses a drill during Monday's girls wrestling practice at Northern Bedford.

   The back of one shirt at a recent girls wrestling practice at Northern Bedford County High School read "Don't be fooled by the ponytail."

   These days, there's no fooling around about one of the fastest growing sports in the country. Girls wrestling continues to fly high, and it's thriving locally at Northern Bedford.

   According to the National Wrestling Coaches Association (NWCA) website, there were well over 16,000 girls wrestling in American high schools in 2018, compared to about only 800 in 1994.

   Girls from across Bedford County and even as far away as West Virginia have attended practices this season at Northern Bedford. 

   This isn't the first year for the program, as it was started a few years ago by the Fouse family. Currently, it is run by former Northern Bedford standout Jared Mellott, who won 101 bouts and was a two-time regional qualifier. One of his main assistants is Shane Suter, who was a district champion with the Black Panthers. Both Mellott and Suter have daughters that are wrestling in the program.

   The girls practice during the week and will also compete in tournaments. This past weekend, they took part in the Christmas Tree Capital Round Robin at IUP's Kovalchick Center, where eight girls finished fourth or higher in their respective weight classes. 

   There were over 25 girls at practice on Monday night, and local wrestling fans can expect more and more female names to show up in box scores alongside their boys counterparts. 

             Girls work on wrestling drills during their practice at Northern Bedford earlier this week.

   One of the products of Northern Bedford's program, Jordyn Fouse, is a starter on the Panthers' junior high team. She won on Tuesday by riding out her opponent in the ultimate tiebreaker, and received as much of an ovation in the Northern Bedford gym as some of the varsity wrestlers did for their efforts later on in the night.

   Fouse also finished fifth against the boys at 101 pounds in Saturday's Bearcat Classic.

   Around the nation in recent years, a number of states have sanctioned an official high school state championship event in girls wrestling. Pennsylvania, long regarded as one of the top states for boys wrestling, does not have an official girls state championship as of yet. 

   But the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association (PIAA), which presides over state championships in all sports, continues to face mounting pressure from the outside to join with bordering states Maryland, New Jersey, and more than a dozen others around the country in holding an official state event for the female contingent.

   While that is the eventual hope, opportunities elsewhere for girls who wrestle are becoming more available. Over 60 colleges sponsor varsity women's programs, while women's wrestling became a recognized Olympic sport in 2004.

   Another local opportunity recently opened as well, with Chestnut Ridge varsity coach Josh Deputy teaming with Young Guns leader Jody Strittmatter to form the The Orchard Girls Wrestling Club. Practices for that club will be based out of Deputy's The Compound Ridge near his home in New Paris.