Boyertown Area SD to create middle‑school girls wrestling schedule as participation rises

At a district board meeting, Boyertown Area SD Athletic Director Nick Paladino said the district will create a separate middle‑school girls wrestling schedule so girls no longer must be rostered on boys' teams.

Paladino, who said the program began in 2022, gave current participation numbers: "This year, we have 8 senior high females, and we have 7 females at east and 4 females at West." He said middle‑school girls previously practiced and competed while rostered with boys but that growing numbers now justify a distinct schedule.

The nut of Paladino's pitch was competitive opportunity. He told the board that when girls were folded into boys' rosters they often "wouldn't get any match due to the high numbers" at tournaments; a separate schedule, he said, will provide more "mat time" and lead to three or four matches at tournaments rather than none. Paladino said the move is intended to support program retention and a clearer progression for athletes moving from youth leagues into middle and high school.

Paladino described logistics for the new middle‑school model: East and West students will shuttle to the high school for separate afternoon practices in the wrestling room with the varsity girls' coaches; coaches will attend middle‑school duels and then return for evening high‑school practices. On transportation he said the district typically will use vans driven by coaches for small rosters rather than full buses.

Coaching capacity was addressed: Paladino said current coaches can handle the district's present numbers, noting the district "almost started this model a little bit last year" and will reassess if participation continues to climb. He added that PIAA rules treat ninth grade as junior high in some cases, meaning freshmen participation at middle levels must follow PIAA guidance.

Paladino said the district sent an informational letter to families and will report back in the spring after the winter season to update the board and identify any personnel or resource needs. "We're gonna invite Mister Paladino back sometime later in the spring after the winter season's over," the board said, asking for a follow‑up on enrollment and supervision requirements.

The discussion closed with board members noting state‑wide growth in girls wrestling and the potential for local program expansion; no formal board action was required at the meeting.