As of 2025, 3.5 million girls participated in high school sports, with Utah seeing a 19.6% increase from 2019. In recent years, female contact sports have exploded in popularity, quickly becoming some of the most sought after sports to play. Girls wrestling is quickly becoming the fastest growing sport in the state, with other contact sports like rugby and tackle football similarly seeing a similar massive upward trend. Herriman is no outlier in this surge of athletes, with our girls wrestling team having grown from as few as 10 girls only four years ago to more than 40 girls on the team today. And if one brutal sport wasn’t enough, dozens of the girls play more than one, with a good chunk of the rugby and football team being made up of wrestlers. But what could possibly be the reason behind this sudden interest in sports that many girls are very apprehensive to even consider playing for?
It’s no exaggeration that contact sports are some of the most physically brutal sports out there. With rugby and football, a player is running down a 120 to 150 yard field, all while tackling girls at full speed and force. With wrestling, a player is trying to physically overpower and pin down a girl their size or several times bigger within a short time frame. So why has Herriman seen such an influx in membership? Many would attribute it to the team culture and coaching. If you were to ask any student that has gone to our school for more than a month, chances are they have heard the phrase ‘Beautiful, Powerful, Fierce’, the motto for the girls wrestling team. The team works tirelessly to upkeep their personal ‘brand’ of being exceptional in all aspects of their lives on and off of the mat, living by those three words. “I plan on winning state this year,” stated dual wrestler and rugby player Sabrie Goeckeritz. “I love this team, and with them this year I believe I can do it.”
Coach Joshua Tibbs has worked tirelessly to uplift the girls of the team to the best they can possibly be, and the results of his teachings speak for themselves. Last year, the team had five state placers at their respective classes, and the team is expected to only have more as the season progresses. The girls rugby team also has a team culture of kindness and hard work, and these methods proved to work the best yet again with the team taking first at the state finals this year.
These sports help mold girls into their best selves in all aspects of life, teaching valuable lessons of perseverance, integrity, and building good characters. Lidia Anderson is captain of the wrestling team and is an all-state athlete, a perfect example of academic excellence while still placing highly at state. Katie Law was a Herriman graduate and NCWA 2025 National Champion, and continues to wrestle college level for Utah Tech University. To fully answer the question earlier posed, so many girls are taking up contact sports for the amazing opportunities it provides. Regardless of how many medals or trophies one can win, the experiences gained from playing Herriman’s contact sports are truly priceless.
