FORT MILL – Sophomore Bella Hoffman seems to be a quiet and unassuming teen, but when she is near a wrestling mat, things are a different story.
Hoffman recently made history Jan. 25 by becoming the first female wrestler at Fort Mill High to win a state title as she captured the 120-pound title at the 2020 Carolina Invitational in Lexington. Hoffman has been wrestling for the varsity squad at Fort Mill for the past two seasons and is the only female on the varsity squad.
Having to go up against other wresters in her weight class – all males, has made Hoffman a better and stronger wrestler, said Fort Mill head coach Chris Brock.
“We have had a few girls try it and others are welcomed too, but they have to be able to cut it like most of the guys,” Brock said. “She goes step for step with these guys. Bella has been a bonus and asset to this program.”
Wrestling the guys prepared Hoffman for going into the Carolina Invitational at Lexington High, where she didn’t have any trouble in crushing the competition for a state title. Hoffman went 3-0 in the tournament and pinned every one of her opponents and in doing so winning Most Outstanding Wrestler for the entire tournament.
“The girl I wrestled in the finals beat me in the eighth grade,” Hoffman said. “I didn’t remember that or it would have made me nervous.”
Having to wrestle guys during practice and at other duals, has build Hoffman’s confidence up. She didn’t want to brag about how well, she did at the Carolina Invitational, but eventually made some confessions about things.
“Really it wasn’t that hard,” she said. “I was confident going into the tournament and felt comfortable.”
Hoffman started wrestling while living in Clover. She moved to Fort Mill and wrestled at Pleasant Knoll Middle School as an eighth grader. In the past, Hoffman was a cheerleader and looked at other sports, but said nothing was working out for her in those attempts.
“I can’t dribble a basketball,” she said. “I can’t hit a volleyball. I attempted softball and that wasn’t happening. I don’t like dirt that much apparently. I stepped on the mat and I fell in love with it.”
Hoffman wrestlers throughout the country and is being pursued by several colleges to wrestle in their programs, Brock said. Hoffman said she has been to several college camps and is very much interested in wrestling in college, but knows that she would be going against other females and not males. There are more than 30 colleges in the country that offer female wrestling including Presbyterian College in Clinton and Limestone College in Gaffney.
Mac Banks: mbanks@comporium.net, @MacBanksFM
