Ponca City has had one of the state’s top wrestling programs for many years. The Wildcats have won eight state team championships and have had countless individual state champions. To boot Ponca City has won four Dual State championships.

But those accomplishments involved only boy wrestlers. Starting Thursday night, the wrestling program at Po-Hi will being a new chapter with a girls’ wrestling team as well. The Po-Hi girls team will travel to Edmond North for a dual there on Thursday.

Coach Karissa Muhammad was hired during the summer to get a girls program going here. She is excited about the prospects of her first team.

“My girls are really strong willed and strong minded,” she said. “We are really good for a team of first-year wrestlers. I think we’ll do well.”

Wrestling for girls is not a new concept, with programs operating at the club level in Oklahoma. Muhammad is an experienced wrestler in her own right, competing under scholarship at Missouri Baptist in St. Louis. A few high schools in Oklahoma have had girl wrestling programs for several years. Two years ago the Oklahoma Secondary School Activities Association formally sanctioned girls wrestling as a competition under its supervision.

Muhammad notes that she expects her team to do well against Edmond North Thursday.

Some of the top members of the Ponca City team include Camilla Bohon, Tootie Bales and Adisyn Ivers. Bohon is likely to wrestle at 100 pounds, Bales at 115 and Ivers at 145.

A number of the Lady Cat wrestlers have come over from the softball team, which had breakout year this fall.

Muhammad is familiar with the Ponca City area, with ties to Newkirk and Pawhuska. She has experience starting programs from scratch, having done the same at Moore and Norman.

“I have been collaborating with other coaches at Ponca City and I have been advising girls to try something new. I think the girls like my realness and they like my bluntness,” she said.

The Ponca City team involves 35 girls on its roster so far, which includes varsity, junior varsity and junior high athletes.

“I am asking Ponca City to come out and support us. We have already received amazing support. The field house was really packed for our Red-Blue exhibition. We would like to see that support continued,” she said, The first home duals will be Jan. 5. Broken Arrow and Del City will be the opposition.

PONCA CITY GIRLS WRESTLING 2022-2023 Schedule Dec. 1-- at Edmond North Dec. 8 -- at Yukon Dec. 9-10 -- 89er City Showdown, Lexington Dec. 13 -- at Will Rogers Dec. 16-17 -- Kansas City Stampede Jan. 3 -- at Pawhuska Jan. 5-- Broken Arrow, Del City at Ponca City Jan. 6-7 -- Inola Tournament Jan 12-- Little Axe, Mustang at Little Axe Jan. 14-- Wichita West Tournament Jan. 24-- Broken Arrow at Ponca City Jan. 28-- 4X4 Dual Tournament, Ponca City Jan. 31 -- at Bixby Feb . 13-14 -- Regional Feb. 24-25 -- State