Wrestling isn’t just a guy thing anymore in Pennsylvania.

There are now 85 high schools in the Keystone State with sanctioned girls wrestling programs. When that number reaches 100, the PIAA will sanction girls wrestling as an official high school sport.

“That day is coming sooner rather than later,” Seneca Valley coach Kevin Wildrick said. “We were the 58th school in the state to add a girls team and that was only a few months ago. It seems two or three girls teams are getting started every couple of weeks.”

Seneca Valley is the first and only high school wrestling program in Butler County to form a girls team. The Raiders have 18 girls wrestling in grades 9-12 this season. Another eight are competing at the junior high level, 12 others in the youth program.

Six girls are also listed on the Raiders’ boys roster, including senior Madison Cardinal, SV’s starting 107-pounder.

“Some of these girls are doing double-duty between the girls and boys teams right now,” Wildrick said. “Once the girls schedule kicks in, that will be much harder to do.”

Knoch has four girls — junior Hannah Klemm, sophomores Miranda LaJevic and Amelia Crosby, freshman Braylee Ireland — in its starting lineup. Slippery Rock has senior Lexi Doerflinger, off to a 6-0 start at 107 pounds, wrestling for the boys varsity team.

“Lexi was second in the women’s state tournament last year,” Slippery Rock coach Denton Zeronas said. “She didn’t come out for our team her freshman or sophomore year, but decided to join us last season.

“She’s an outstanding wrestler, very dedicated to the sport. I think there would be many more like her if the girls knew they could wrestle against other girls in high school. I’m excited about this movement. It’s all about growing the sport.”

Wildrick agreed.

“With the martial arts movement in recent years, athletes of both genders have become interested in the cross-over to sports with similar skills, including wrestling,” he said. “But as the girls get older, wrestling against guys starts to feel awkward and difficult for a lot of them. They leave the sport as a result.

“There has to be a girls wrestling program in place to draw them in, to keep them going. Having the opportunity to wrestle other girls in high school would keep a lot more of them in the sport.”

Slippery Rock has five to 10 girls wrestling in its youth program. Butler has a significant number as well and has two on its varsity roster: Ana Malovich, a junior 114-pounder who has been involved in wrestling since elementary school, and sophomore Kaitlynn Plopi, whose older brother Aiden is a senior on the Golden Tornado team.

“Aiden told me Kaitlynn was coming out for the team this year and I think that’s great,” Butler coach Scott Stoner said. “Opportunities are out there for female wrestlers. They shouldn’t be denied the sport.

“I want to see us form a girls team. It’s going to happen in a year or so. It has to be structured properly. I’d like the teams to practice together, though the girls would have their own (match) schedule. One of our current assistants would likely become head coach and we would properly staff it.”

Butler hosted its annual Doc Phillips junior varsity tournament over the weekend. The 22-school tournament featured 50 female wrestlers and a female division for the first time.

Connellsville, Canon-McMillan and Hempfield all had 12 to 14 female wrestlers competing.

“The girls battled every bit as hard as the guys,” Stoner said. “Momentum would take them off the mat and they’d hit the gym floor hard at times. The girls would bounce right up and get back to the center of the mat to resume the match.

“I was impressed. They were into it. The physicality didn’t bother them in the least. They want to compete.”

First-year Knoch coach JD Orris described the girls on his team as “some of the hardest workers on the mat. They take criticism well. They’re willing to learn.”

Orris said there are four more girls are the Knights’ junior high team.

“The numbers are growing locally and throughout the state,” Orris said.

Wildrick isn’t surprised by the growth of female wrestling across the Commonwealth.

“A lot of other states in the country have had high school (girls) programs in place for a while now,” the SV coach said. “Pennsylvania has been behind in that regard, but we’re catching up.

“I’ve always felt that if girls see an opportunity to compete in wrestling in high school, that they would come. Well ... they’re coming.”