The Vian Lady Wolverines have only four varsity wrestlers out this season, but one is a state qualifier for each of the last three years in Avery Richey.

“She’s not too bad,” Vian girls coach Garett Willis said. “She was a state champion as a sophomore (in 2022). Last year, she was a qualifier, but she was kind of banged up and sick. It just wasn’t our day, so she didn’t place as the returning state champion last year. Hopefully, she can get back on top of the podium this year. She’s a three-time state qualifier.”

The line-up will have Aubrey Gant at 115 pounds, Carissa Prock at 125, Carmen Rautenburg at 130 and Richey at 135.

“If we come out and wrestle like we’re supposed to, we have a shot,” Willis said about his quartet of female wrestlers. “It’s our day any given day, but we have to do it every day. They absolutely have the ability. The opportunity is there (for them to make state).”

Willis is hoping as the fairly new sport begins to take hold that the Vian girls wrestling program will begin to take off.

“Girls wrestling is still so new around here, it’s going to take the first two or three to get out there,” he said. “Hopefully, our high school girls are those role models that junior high kids look up to, and they say, ‘I want to go try.’ We’ve got some in the youth (Vian Wrestling Club) coming up who will really help next year when they are in junior high. Hopefully, we can get more kids out. That’s our plan there. We had zero wrestlers last year, and we have three girls. Hopefully, they all will stick it out and see some success this year that will keep them out. The future appears to be bright.”