Faced with small rosters but growing interest in girls wrestling, the Queensbury Union Free School District will be part of a merged girls wrestling team with the Saratoga Springs City School District, the South Glens Falls Central School District and the Hudson Falls Central School District to form a united girls wrestling team.
The schools have been working together with head coach Jon Favata to find a team name to represent all four schools. Right now, the possible name of the team is “Northern Peaks,” and the colors are black and gray, similar to the colors of the Adirondack United girls hockey team.
“There’s no better way to collaborate with local schools to help grow a female sport, but we also want to make sure that we have representation from every school,” said John Martin, who will replace retiring Athletic Director Richard Keys.
Queensbury started its first girls wrestling team during the 2025-26 season with about 10 athletes and ended the season with seven. The merger of the four teams should help fill the 15 weight classes and continue the growth of the sport, Keys said.
“It will allow us the training partners that we need in the practice room, and it’ll allow us more girls to fill the various weight classes,” Keys said. “There’s nothing more frustrating in wrestling than to train all week, then not have a match because they don’t have somebody in that weight class. So when you schedule an opponent, you always try to schedule teams that have a full roster.”
The goal is to eventually have enough athletes to have a self-sustaining Queensbury team as well as enough teams in the Foothills Council to have a Foothills Council championship.
Queensbury will act as team host, and practices will take place at Queensbury Middle School. Organizers plan to schedule one match at each of the respective schools to showcase the program and generate interest in the sport.
“It’s one of the fastest growing sports in the country,” Keys said. “And I think now that Division 1 collegiate wrestling has bonafide girls teams, it’s taken off. There’s quite a bit of talent within the region, within Section 2, within the capital district where girls are having some opportunities to continue wrestling beyond high school.”