Growing up in New Jersey, Ariel Stallworth’s athleticism was noticeable, although she didn’t initially notice it.

It took the help of a teacher to jump-start her current wrestling career at Catasauqua.

“I started wrestling because my gym teacher in New Jersey saw I was athletic and asked what sports I played,” recalled Stallworth, who is a junior. “When I said ‘none,’ he suggested I try wrestling. At first, I wasn’t interested, but then my security guard also encouraged me.

“My parents thought I was joking, but I started going to practices and taking it seriously. In New Jersey, we had a girls’ team, and I was part of the first girls’ team in Perth Amboy.”

When she arrived in Catasauqua in May 2023, Stallworth decided to join the boys’ wrestling team. She went 1-2 in her first season, and bumped her record to 6-3 last season, placing fourth at the girls’ district meet.

In the school’s inaugural girls’ wrestling season this year, Stallworth has been an integral part of their team, playing the role of a leader. She has an overall 12-3 record with eight falls.

Stallworth has cherished the moments along the ride.

“I used to joke with my teammates that I’d be happy if I won just one match during regionals since there were no districts in New Jersey,” stated Stallworth. “When I got fourth place, I wasn’t satisfied because I felt I could do better. But I had to move, so I couldn’t do offseason wrestling.

“When I joined the boys’ wrestling team, I had forgotten everything and had to relearn it all, but I still ended up getting fourth in districts. I joked with the coaches about starting a girls’ wrestling team, and they said if I got seven girls to sign up, they would try to make it happen.

“So, at every wrestling match, I talked to every girl there about wrestling. If they were interested, they signed up on my paper and put down their weight.”

Her undying enthusiasm and drive has paid dividends for the team. He sister, Arianna, a sophomore, has joined the venture.

“When I had 19 girls signed up, I showed my coaches, and they started working on it,” stressed Stallworth. “They did a survey asking if girls would join a wrestling team, and enough said yes. Next thing I knew, I was showing girls different moves, and we were all cheering each other on and getting better. We ended up with 14 girls on our team. My sister ended up joining the wrestling team and she is picking up on it.”

Head coach Mike Rusnock has appreciated the elder Stallworth’s leadership role.

“She is responsible for recruiting and encouraging a lot of these girls to wrestle,” beamed Rusnock. “She is very vocal, and I deemed her a JV coach at the Palmerton tournament.”

Stallworth has seen a noticeable improvement. The team recently placed fourth at the Panther Brawl in Strath Haven. Stallworth (142) and senior Alicia Avila (142) both were runners-up, Arianna Stallworth (118) was third, and freshman Ashlie Giron (155) and junior Esmeralda Serrano (170) both were fourth.

“I try to boost the morale of the girls’ team and bring us closer together,” boasted Stallworth. “I feel like an older sister who keeps pushing them, even when they think they can’t go further.

“I believe the girls on this team will go far if they keep pushing themselves. We’re getting better with every practice, and our coaches are helping us by teaching new things or going over the fundamentals again and again.”