(dramatic music) - [Lexi] I wrestled all boys up until last year and I was basically the only girl.

I just felt like I fit in, and I wanted to prove something like, oh, girls can do this too.

(referee's whistle blows) (dramatic music) There have been parents that have said stuff, and that girls just shouldn't be wrestling.

(dramatic music) (crowds cheering) - I started with PIAA in '99, and we've only seen three total sports added since I started, girls wrestling being one of those.

- [Referee] Five seconds, five seconds.

We have 183 schools now sponsoring girls' wrestling.

The girls are competitive, they're fantastic athletes.

There is a desire to win.

(wrestlers hitting door) - [Coach] Last home match.

- That's what really stood out to me, was that there was a desire to represent your school and win a state championship representing your school.

(dramatic music) - The school was a little unsure about hiring a full staff in case the numbers fall, over the next couple of years.

They didn't wanna have to pay for that position.

So I kind of got thrown into doing the boys and the girls at the same time.

And that's why I had my dad.

- Push, pull, snap!

He asked me to help out.

I thought it'd be just a one year thing, because it's been so long since I coached.

All right, we should hammer this team, okay?

Go out and give it everything you got, all right?

We were at an away match, I believe it was up in Towanda or Athens.

On the way home on the bus ride, I was sitting caddy corner across from Lexi, and she lost her match.

In the entire hour and 10 minute ride home, all I seen was her just rewinding the video of her match.

Just over, and over, and over, and over again.

It just blew my mind.

And from that point on, that's what got me hooked.

- I've been on the boys team since I was little.

There's been guys that I've gone against, that are built like 40-year-old men, like they're big.

- The last two years she was on the boys team, and she's starting on the boys team at 107.

- I think boys fight awkward, but I don't really care.

As long as they're not touching me weird.

(chuckling) I was around boys, I'm the only girl in our family, so I was a rough kid, you know what I mean?

- [Ed] If it wasn't for her, I truly believe Western Wayne wouldn't have had a girls wrestling team this year.

- In my video, literally, you can see me just keep putting my little flyaway back.

- That's why I braid this.

- [Josh] At our first practice, she showed up in the hallway.

And she came up and introduced herself, and said she wanted to wrestle.

- There you go, keep snapping.

- [Josh] And then I looked down, and she had really long nails on.

- He did tell me, I do remember about the nails.

He was like, "You can't wear those nails."

And I said, I said, "Okay", and I clipped them right down.

- [Josh] She was like, "All right, fine."

Came in the room and practiced.

- Even my teachers at school, I tell them I wrestle and they totally are like, "I'm sorry, but you just don't look like that type."

But I get it, I mean, I definitely don't.

- [Josh] Body lock, body lock, body lock, go with it!

- [Mia] With wrestling, you're going full hundred all the time.

That's what I love though, I love the fast pace.

And I'm just a naturally aggressive person.

(crowds cheering and applauding) (crowd member whistling) - One time, right when I got back from Basic, I had to cut 10 pounds in two weeks.

(laughing) Yeah, I had to cut, I was at 150 and I had to drop to 140.

(crowd clapping and cheering) - [Josh] Obviously Sarah's a great wrestler.

- [Crowd] Sarah, Sarah, Sarah!

- Real strong and physical.

- [Crowd Member] Good job.

(crowd cheering) (referee's whistle blows) - I just moved to Western Wayne last March, but I went to Paw Patch my whole life.

And like they have a ton of like younger girls, so I would always like hype them up, and like try and get them to come out more.

I'm proud of you, you're doing amazing.

You're doing it next year, right?

- Yeah.

- You better.

- I'm still.

- I'm gonna pull up to your house and make you go.

Yo, I will wrap you up, put you in my car and take you to practice.

(girls in background laughing) Just one day, I am hoping we get as many girl seniors as we have guys though, it won't be for a while, but it's one of my wishes I guess.

- [Locker room speaker] I like your haircut.

- Thank you, are you guys ready?

- Yeah.

- For what?

- First year, you guys did phenomenal this year.

Individually, at our individual tournaments, you guys dominated.

For a small team, I think the lowest we placed was second at Bethlehem Catholic.

The other tournaments, we were winning.

You made a real good name for our school.

We made a good name for the school.

Hopefully in the years to come, it'll attract more girls to come out.

I'm really proud of you guys, I really am.

I know I yell a lot, but I'm really proud of you guys, all right.

But the top goal is to win gold at states.

(deep dramatic music) (crowds talking distantly) - I feel like I always need to pee right before a match.

- That's nerves.

(crowd clapping) (referee's whistle blows) - I've been waiting years for this, just to be up where the boys are, especially.

- Yeah you know, you're ranked number three in the state, so what are you gonna do right now to prepare for tomorrow?

- Rest.

Being at states and it's your senior year, that's your last time you could ever wrestle.

Like I feel like you just, you have to win.

You have to do what you have to do.

And as I stepped out onto the mat the night before, and it was just so big, and like the stadium came in around you, and it was just, you were so little.

Everything was just- - Get out there and go.

- Overwhelming.

I think I had like an anxiety attack, and I usually never get like that.

I don't know what got to me.

I think I was just under so much pressure.

(crowd members speaking) - Lexi.

- It's heartbreaking, all in a span of three days, you get to see the ups and downs of this sport.

It's just the emotional ride.

(dramatic music) Sarah, goes out and pins a girl in a minute.

Then she goes out and wrestles for five minutes and loses, and her season's over.

They know that that's it, it's over.

They're never going to wrestle again.

(crowd clapping) (referee's whistle blows) For two girls in a first year program at a small school like this, to be able to make the states, and compete down there, is huge for our program, for our community.

All these younger girls now are growing up, idolizing Sarah and Lexi.

- Just what coach Josh said, I'm extremely proud of this group of girls.

You set a path for the girls wrestling since you were four or five years old, and it's come to this.

And you're the reason this is the way that Western Wayne is what it is right now.

All my boys wrestled, and I had a daughter when she was younger, I tried to get to wrestle.

But back then, there was no girls wrestling.

Now I have a granddaughter, a young granddaughter.

So to see what these girls are paving the way for something that my granddaughter can do.

So enjoy all these moments, it's great moments.

You've made history this year.

Enjoy it, 'cause your name will go down in history.

Five years from now, your names will still be tied to this wrestling program.

- [Josh] For years to come, young girls are gonna walk into their own wrestling room, and they're gonna see the names of Lexi and Sarah and they're going to know that they're the ones who paved the way for them to be there.

- I want people to look at me and be like, "Oh, she did it, I could do it too."

Alright guys, together on three.

- [All] One, two, three, together!

- [Lexi] I want them to work to be better than me.

I wanted to prove girls can do this too.

- Good job.

- Some people, no, don't tell the boys that.

They need to hear that.

(intriguing music) - I wanna hug.

- I wanna hug.

- Did you like that ankle pick?

- You're good at it.

(coaches laughing) (upbeat music)