Fairbury girls wrestling team excited for first season

FAIRBURY, NE — There’s some new faces hitting the mat at Fairbury High School this year.

The Nebraska School Activities Association created girls wrestling as an emerging sport over the summer. Jeffs head coach Derek Garfield says he’s had girl wrestlers before but they’ve always had to wrestle against boys.

“We’re excited that they get to have their own classification of wrestling, get to compete against other girls from other towns,” Garfield said. “We got seven young ladies who decided to take the plunge into the wrestling thing and we’re excited about it.”

None of the girls wrestled for the high school team last year and some took the mat in front of the public for the first time at Tuesday night’s wrestle-offs.  Sophomore Makena Schramm might be the most experienced of the bunch. She won a state title at the youth level a few years ago.

“I’m really excited,” Schramm said. “I’ve been wrestling for a while and I’m really glad it passed when I was still in high school so I can be a part of it and help make history in Nebraska.”

Schramm says it’s more fun competing against girls than boys.

“They’re just built different than girls. They’re a little more muscular,” Schramm said. “It makes it a lot more fair in my mind. I feel a lot more comfortable wrestling a girl than a guy.”

Garfield says the girls grapplers have fit right in at practice. The expectations and goals are the same for both groups.

“I will say this until the day I die, wrestling is one of the toughest sports on the planet,” Garfield said. “These seven girls, they’re tough as nails because they’re doing exactly what the boys are doing and we’re really excited about it.”

Girls wrestling is just an emerging sport so the NSAA doesn't sanction a state tournament. Instead, the Nebraska Scholastic Wrestling Coaches Association will offer a state tournament for the second straight season.

The emerging classification lasts for three years before the NSAA has to vote to make it sanctioned.