Metro

The Big Grapple launches HS girls wrestling

They’ve got a league of their own.

The city Department of Education has launched its first-ever high-school wrestling league for girls — with 16 public-school teams set to grapple, cradle and pin their opponents starting next week.

The move, a partnership between the Public Schools Athletic League and the nonprofit Manhattan group Beat the Streets, was sparked by an increasing number of girls joining high-school boys’ teams.

“I get emotional and I’m really competitive, so it’s better not wrestling the boys. And it’s cool to be around other girls with the same passion,” said 17-year-old Nikkiann Mitchell, a captain who wrestled on the Canarsie HS boys’ team last fall.

One goal of the league is to get the teens scholarships to compete at the college, national or international level. The league has 15 high-school squads and a citywide team that combines girls from different schools — with about 18 members per team.

He said the girls are being taught international freestyle wrestling, so their skills can propel them to competitions worldwide.

And even though wrestling is likely to be axed from the 2020 Summer Olympics, proponents say the sports has great benefits.

“It [wrestling] humbles you. It also gives you that overwhelming sense if you get out there and try, you can achieve anything. It’s great for girls to have that opportunity too,” said David Cannizzo, a coach with Beat the Streets.

“I always liked wrestling as a kid, and I saw guys wrestling and I thought, let me get out of my comfort zone and see if I can wrestle,” said Jennifer Juarez, a 10th-grader at Robert Wagner Secondary School in Queens who is on the citywide squad.