It's all in the family for this female grappler

Jordan wrestler refuses to back down from a match, whether it's on the mat or in her own home

Erica Lyons didn't take herself seriously at first. Neither did her teammates. Her mother definitely didn't like the idea.

Erica and three of her friends were interested in wrestling while attending Githens Middle School. Only she and another girl tried out for the team. Erica ended up competing in 12 matches.

Now a freshman at Jordan High School, it only made sense for Erica to continue wrestling.

Her older brother does it. So did her father. Even her two younger brothers picked up the sport. She currently wrestles for Jordan in the 103-pound weight class.

"I heard about her pinning other boys at [middle school] wrestling matches," said older brother Eric, who also wrestles for Jordan. "I saw one of her matches; it was exciting to see such a good performance. So I've supported her since."

Female wrestlers are not such a rarity in the state. About 25 girls participate on high school wrestling teams across the state each year, said Rick Strunk, associate executive director for the North Carolina High School Athletic Association.

"She's probably the hardest worker on the team," Davanzo said. "I don't know if that's because she has something to prove or that she's a hard worker."

For Erica, it's both.

"Especially being a girl on the team, people expect less out of me," she said. "They think that I won't do too well. When people find out that there's a girl on the team, there's a lot of talk of coming to the matches to see me wrestle. I feel like I have to do well."

Her male teammates don't seem to mind a girl being on an squad.

"It's awkward at first but once you get used to it, it doesn't really matter," said senior Jack Coman, who wrestles in the same weight class as Erica.

So far, she has posted an 0-2 record. She was pinned in the second period in her first high school match against Southern High School. Against Chapel Hill on Wednesday, Erica was pinned in the third period.

Her inspiration stems from her younger brother, Quinton, who became excited about the sport after watching some practices with her. Erica also heard about a girl who once wrestled for Githens and thought she could be better than her female predecessor.

But doing so wasn't as easy as it seemed. She discovered that the sport is just as much mental as it is physical. There was also some self-imposed pressure. But some of that burden went away after she won her first match -- against a boy.

"I felt really good and proud of myself," she said. "That made me want to continue practicing and working harder."

Kimberly Lyons was afraid her oldest daughter and second-oldest child would turn into a tomboy. Or that boys would improperly touch her during matches. She suggested that Erica take up dance or cheerleading, instead, but she said is not surprised that Erica has stuck with the sport.

"For her to go against the other gender, I value that because she's stronger than I thought she was," Kimberly said. "I stand behind her."

The sport is also used to settle disputes inside of the Lyons household.

"She gives [her brothers] a hard time because when they're arguing, the first thing Erica is ready to do is to wrestle with them," Kimberly said.

According to Erica's younger brother, Brenton Lyons, Erica usually loses those matches, but he still admires her effort.

"If she can do it, I might as well go out and do it," said Brenton, 13.

For Quinton Lyons, another younger brother, having older siblings that wrestle provides excellent learning opportunities.

"Moves they don't teach us in middle school, we can learn from them," the 14-year-old said. Both he and Brenton attend Githens.

But Kimberly Lyons may have to draw the line with Erica one day. Her daughter wants to try another physical sport.

"I'm hoping by that time she wakes up and decides she doesn't want to become a boxer," she said.