Local wrestler has bright future

YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA, KSWT, KECY) - If she wanted to wrestle, she had to wrestle the boys.

And so she did.

“I couldn’t be sloppy,” Mary Jane Barley, or ‘MJ’, said. “I had to catch their mistakes.”

The 17-year-old is a junior at San Pasqual High School’s girls' wrestling team.

This is the second year girls had their own league in Arizona. Going from wrestling boys to girls has been an adjustment, but MJ is shining.

On Saturday, December 14, Kofa High School hosted the first-ever girls-only wrestling tournament.

MJ placed third, but she’s not satisfied. She has big goals for this season.

“I really want to make it to state,” MJ said with a big grin. “I also want to get better and I want to push myself more.”

She made it to state last year but was eliminated after the first round. Quite impressive for someone who only started three years ago.

MJ’s not just dedicated to the mat, she wants a career where she can help people.

“On the reservation, a lot of people are dealing with alcohol and drugs and I want to help them get away from that path,” MJ said.

With that in mind, she’s interested in studying psychology or forensic sciences in college.