For the past four years, Valley Central High School’s female wrestlers have had to wrestle with the boys’ team.

Starting this year, they will have a team of their own.

About 10 girls laced up their wrestling shoes for the first time on Nov. 18 for the Valley Central girls’ wrestling team’s inaugural season.

“I think it’s really exciting as a new step with our school, growing both athletically and like a team,” team captain Arica Pearson-Leary said. “I just feel like it’s going to bring more pride to our school.”

The team is led by its two captains, both of which have Section 9 championships under their belts. Pearson-Leary won the Section 9 girls’ championship at 152 pounds in 2023 with a win over Liberty’s Zoe Kip, while Schmidt picked up a Section 9 championship last season hen she pinned Saugerties’ Joelle Luke to take home the 107-pound championship.

The team is coached by Jennifer Kinsley, who said she never imagined she’d be coaching wrestling in addition to other sports she coaches. She’s also an assistant coach on the varsity girls’ lacrosse team.

But having been around wrestling her entire life, she said she’s up for the challenge.

Her daughter, Rilee Kinsley also is on the team. While Pearson-Leary and Schmidt are the only two wrestlers to win sectional girls’ championships, Kinsley finished third last season at the Section 9 championship meet.

Last season, the girls’ sectionals were held at the same time and place as the boys’ sectional Division II championships. This year, for the first time, they’ll get their own day on the mat, as their sectionals are scheduled for Monday, Feb. 17 at Port Jervis High School.

The boys’ tournaments are over the three previous days.

“It’s really exciting,” Schmidt said. “It’s really great to see that we’re having our stuff now. I can go to tournaments and it’s a girls’ tournament. It’s just more to look forward to.”

Pearson-Leary and Schmidt have had the most success with Rilee Kinsley right behind them.

After that, most of the team is new. That’s where their experience and leadership comes in.

“It’s not going to be perfect,” Schmidt said. You’re never going to be perfect at it. It’s something you just have to grow with. It’s more about having fun and just keeping with it. It’s tough, but if you love it, then it’s going to be fun.”

They’ve both seen tremendous growth in the girls’ ranks over the years. When Person-Leary started four years ago, there were only a few girls wrestling. Last year, it became an emergent sport and there were few Section 9 schools with programs.

Now, there are 10 teams, including the Vikings.

Rumblings about the Vikings forming a team started at the end of the last winter season. The Vikings had five girls and found new girls that were interested in the sport.
The team was officially approved over the summer.

“I was excited,” Schmidt said. “Because it was new I was a little bit nervous, but now that it’s happened, I’m really excited and I think it’s going to really take off in the next couple years.”