Led by next generation of Letters family, Shaler girls wrestling team eager to hit mat

By: Josh Rizzo
Sunday, November 17, 2024 | 11:01 AM

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Shaler girls wrestling coach Robert Taylor remembers when he found out there would be a program for the first time this season.

The Titans coach was in a classroom when Lilly Conner burst in.

“I remember it vividly,” Taylor said. “Lilly Conner came in and said, ‘Coach, are we going to have a girls’ wrestling team? I said, ‘I guess.’ Not even two weeks later, we were in the wrestling room.”

The Titans quickly mobilized to get to work. Turnout has been solid, and Shaler is gearing up to be part of the fast-growing girls wrestling scene. The PIAA sanctioned the sport as an emerging sport in 2021.

Shaler will host its first home dual match Dec. 6 against Kiski Area.

For the first time last winter, the PIAA held a girls state championship tournament.

Shaler has 14 wrestlers out for the varsity team this year. The Titans also have 10 junior high school girls competing. Taylor hopes that the interest at the high school level will also draw interest at the younger levels.

“For right now, we are sanctioned for the high school,” Taylor said. “Hopefully, if everything goes well, we will be fully funded for the junior high girls as well.”

While many of the girls on this year’s team will be newcomers to the sport, the Titans do have a few girls with some experience. Shaler freshman Blythe Letters has stood out to Taylor so far.

Letters has a strong wrestling pedigree. Letters’ dad, Troy, graduated from Shaler in 2001 and compiled a 115-9 record as a wrestler at Lehigh.

Troy, who was a three-time All-American in college, was the NCAA Division I runner-up in 2003 and broke through in 2004 to win the championship.

“She’s been in club programs for many years,” Taylor said. “She’s been a big help. All of the other girls are first-year wrestlers. She’s been good at helping the girls in her weight class and assisting the other girls as well.“

The early returns for the Shaler program have been good. Taylor said the team received compliments on their conduct during the preseason Butler Open. He knows the process of getting them ready for competition will have bumps along the way.

“We want to get them to understand the sport and have fun doing it,” Taylor said. “You are going to have good moments and bad moments. We want them to keep their heads up. We’ll look at the tape and improve. We keep telling them it’s not how we start, it’s how we end.”

Taylor said the group he has shown they are dedicated to putting the time in to improve. That is reflected in their demeanor.

“With wrestling, you have to have an aggressive posture or it’s not for you,” Taylor said. “They have to have that drive to get better. They are open to what we are teaching them.”

Tags: Shaler