Homewood Flossmoor girls wrestling team emerges as a force to be reckoned with

FLOSSMOOR, Ill. - Homewood Flossmoor senior Jocelyn Williams is one of 27 members of the Vikings girls wrestling team and part of a group of girls who started wrestling when it became an official sport three years ago.

"I was a swimmer and a diver, so I was used to being in the water and I had one off-season. My mom was like just try it, so I tried it and became good at it," said Williams.

Head coach Scott Aronson coached boys wrestling for eight years before taking a break. During that time, he went to a girl's invitational, which sparked his interest in coaching girls.

"There was like a connecting, caring element to it. And they all seem to know they're out there doing something important for the first time," said Aronson.

Although it's only been around for three years, stats are showing it'll be around for a long time.

"In the 21-22 school year, we had just over 1,200 girls statewide, exactly 1,239 girls had their body fat assessed. Last school year, that number increased by 1,000 — 2,215 girls had their body fat assessed. And this year, we’re at just a little over 2,400," said Sam Knox, IHSA Assistant Executive Director. "From last year to this year, we have 114 more schools that have girls wrestling."

While Knox says some schools have one or two girls on their team, others like Homewood Flossmoor are proof of the popularity.

"Last year, I would not have anticipated 30. I had no idea. This year we have 30. I'm like, 'Oh, do we have uniforms for them all, headgear for them all? No clue. I'm going to take whatever I get," said Aronson.

Aronson's team has doubled in size since 2021. Girls like Williams and fellow senior Inioluwa Odumosuo signed up as sophomores looking to give something new a try. Three years later, they're gunning for state titles.

"When you think of girls, you think of cheerleading, dancing, or volleyball. When you hear girls wrestling, everyone's like what? Girls wrestle? And they're good? It's like surprising, and I'm glad because my whole goal before I graduate high school is to change the image. Not every girl is prissy and not every girl is like I don't want to do boyish things. I just want to change the image," said Odumosuo. 

"They're driven, they're tough as nails, they have the work ethic, they have the skillset," said Aronson. "This is their 3rd year wrestling — exceled faster than anyone's expectations. And they're feared by every other girl wrestler in the state at their weight."

And they are proof that girls are strong. 

"I feel like girls are stronger when it comes to wrestling because boys, mentally, no offense, are not as strong as females. We go through war, way more than males do. Our whole goal, especially here at HF, is to prove that we are better than the boys. We are. Just sayin'," said Williams.