Takedown Report

High School News (2021) – # 2

TDR Editor’s Notes ; With high school wrestling in North Carolina being postponed until the late spring we look to what is happening in other states. In Minnesota the schools are starting competition while it has been cancelled or postponed in New England and elsewhere. Will keep updating this as the changes develop.
E-mail us at the Editor’s office at martinkfleming@gmail.com
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1 } – Ethan Kyle is back in the saddle again at Stillwater High School
Ethan Kyle left his position as Wyoming assistant to become the head coach at Stillwater High School. Kyle returns to a place he once called home. … rest of podcast and story at _{^{https://www.trackwrestling.com/PortalPlayer.jsp?TIM=1607659624654&twSessionId=xmxldkruwf&videoId=896257135&mc_cid=d179f0f753&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b}}

2 } – Delbarton, Bergen Catholic to meet in outdoor wrestling match
The Delbarton-Bergen Catholic rivalry will add a new chapter in the spring.  The high-powered wrestling programs are scheduled to meet April 10 — outdoors, at Bergen Catholic’s Jack McGovern Field. The new turf, named in honor of the Crusaders’ athletic director who died from pancreatic cancer last fall, was dedicated on Oct. 17. Morris Hills will host sister school Morris Knolls at Gifford Field on the same day, according to Scarlet Knights athletic director Rob Haraka.  They are believed to be the first outdoor high school wrestling matches scheduled in New Jersey. “I don’t think there’s any down side to it,” … rest of story at ^{_{https://www.dailyrecord.com/story/sports/high-school/wrestling/2020/12/11/nj-wrestling-delbarton-bergen-catholic-meet-outdoor-match/3895844001/?mc_cid=afaeddd782&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b}}

3 } – Cedar Rapids Xavier wrestler Christian Stanek displays tough style with increasing success
CEDAR RAPIDS — Christian Stanek exudes toughness. Cedar Rapids Xavier’s hard-nosed and relentless two-time state wrestling medalist has found success with a bit of an edge. By the time the holiday break comes, he’ll show more effects of that approach. “If you look at him now, he’s pretty,” Xavier Coach Ryan Chambers said with a laugh. “His face is pretty. You see him in two weeks and he won’t be so pretty, because he leads with his head. He’s just so tough. “He’s real tenacious. He wants to set a lot of records here and part of doing that is being tough.”
Class 3A’s fourth-ranked 145-pounder improved to 6-0 this season, including his fifth pin, and earned one of four victories for the Saints in a 54-21 loss to Dubuque Hempstead in a Mississippi Valley Conference wrestling dual Thursday night at Ron Thillen Gymnasium. This season has opened with dominance, which was evident in his 2:21 fall  … rest of story at _{^{https://www.thegazette.com/subject/sports/iowa-prep-sports/wrestling/cedar-rapids-xavier-wrestler-christian-stanek-displays-tough-style-with-increasing-success-20201210?mc_cid=afaeddd782&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b}}

4 } – It’s our wrestling Field of Dreams.
In the middle of a cornfield in Beresford, South Dakota, @LegendsOfGold provides one of the most unique opportunities for young wrestlers across the country. … rest of story at _{^{https://twitter.com/MidcoSN/status/1338544287068327938?mc_cid=2646a1a5c8&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b}}

5 } – Five high school wrestling dynasties you should know about
There is nothing like winning a prep championship for yourself or for your school. Below are five high school wrestling dynasties you should know about as the season progresses. 
Blair Academy (Blairstown, New Jersey)
Although the Buccaneers placed second at the 2020 National Prep Championships, Blair Academy has secured a special place in wrestling history. The Buccaneers won their first prep title in 1974 and added 39 more in the intervening years for a total of 40. Add in eight Blair wrestlers who went on to win 14 NCAA Division I titles, 68 All-American finishes, and Bobby Weaver’s 1984 Olympic gold medal — and you have a high school wrestling dynasty. 
St. Edward (Lakewood, Ohio)
How does 38 combined traditional and state championships sound? Pretty good if you wrestled for St. Edward High School. Jim Heffernan (Iowa), Ryan Bertin (Michigan), and Dean Heil (Oklahoma State) became NCAA champions with an additional 33 Division I All-Americans honors … rest of story at _{^{https://www.trackwrestling.com/PortalPost.jsp?TIM=1608524184096&twSessionId=uwbpbtudbb&postId=915112135&mc_cid=ed5fd11129&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b}}

6 } – Pandemic leads to restrictions for Wisconsin prep wrestlers
LORENCE, Wis. — The COVID-19 pandemic has brought several changes to Wisconsin high school wrestling. The Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association has restricted wrestling teams to one dual meet every six to seven days. There will be no tournaments or multi-team meets this season. The Florence-Niagara Northwoods Storm wrestling team has entered into a COVID-19 co-op with the Crivitz wrestling team. As of now, the postseason tournament is scheduled for Jan 30. Because of the one dual meet per week rule, the WIAA has granted a one-year COVID-19 co-op for dual meets only. “With us only having a couple healthy wrestlers and only able to wrestle in dual format events, this seemed to be a good opportunity for all,” said Florence athletic director Kris Johnson. Ed Kelley returns as the Storm’s head coach. If the WIAA postseason is still on by the end of the season, the schools will go back to their pre COVID-19 co-op division for postseason competition. Returning to this year’s Storm roster are sophomore Caitlyn Kelley, a sectional qualifier last season, and sophomore Andar Olson. Joining them are sophomore Leonard Hannah and freshman Isaiah Fennessy. … rest of story at _{^{https://www.ironmountaindailynews.com/sports/local-sports/2020/12/pandemic-leads-to-restrictions-for-wisconsin-prep-wrestlers/?mc_cid=ed5fd11129&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b}}

7 } – ‘I think as a community we should expect more’
Justin Bronson, who has coached and taught at Righetti High School for about 10 years, is hoping to make progress on an issue he’s seen in the Santa Maria Valley. But his work isn’t just beginning. Bronson has long been working to provide more athletic opportunities for those middle school students in the area.
Part I: Where are the junior high sports in the Santa Maria Valley? Justin Bronson campaigns for more opportunities
Recently, Bronson developed a youth wrestling program that consisted of a partnership between high school coaches who would offer their services to local junior highs for a league that was free of charge for students. Still, there was resistance from area school districts to help get the program off the ground. Bronson eventually had to work outside the school districts to get the league off the ground. … rest of story at _{^{https://santamariatimes.com/sports/high-school/part-ii-i-think-as-a-community-we-should-expect-more/article_5e6a4e49-7466-5d28-adb9-d16b4f60b2b1.html?mc_cid=ed5fd11129&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b}}

8 } – SPECIAL REPORT: Wrestling with the pandemic
IOWA’S NEWS NOW — More than three decades and 500 dual wins into his career as a high school head wrestling coach (the majority of those years spent at Williamsburg High School), Grant Eckenrod knows how to adjust to change. That doesn’t mean there wasn’t some anxiety about the unknown entering a season amid the COVID-19 pandemic. “Going into the first week of practice, I was a little bit nervous,” Eckenrod says during a mid-week practice in December. “Usually, you’re excited. You’re ready to get the season going. But I was a little bit nervous. Just didn’t want to make a bad decision or do something wrong that may get a kid sick or a coach sick.” “It’s not gonna be perfect,” he says of preparing extra protections against the virus for his team, “but it can be done if you just take every precaution you can, try to do the right things, and hopefully it works out for you.” … rest of story at _{^{https://cbs2iowa.com/news/local/special-report-wrestling-with-the-pandemic?mc_cid=4edc48d477&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b}}

9} – Wrestling amid a pandemic has made it a challenge for Vikings on mats
High school wrestlers normally compete 50 or more times during a season with the goal to finish at the state meet. Nothing is normal in 2020. Tennessee High is like everyone else, trying to find matches that haven’t been affected by positive tests or contact tracing related to COVID-19. “Just scrambling, just trying to find anything we possibly can to fill in,” said Tennessee High wrestling coach Tim Marshall, whose Vikings have wrestled in just two meets since the season began, including this past weekend in Elizabethton. “The problem is everybody is in the same situation. Two of the schools that were supposed to be in the tournament this weekend had to cancel because of exposure. “We had one of them scheduled for a dual and that is out too. It is just a constant thing that you have to be willing to roll with the changes as they come. We are going to go from typically a wrestler getting 50 to 55 matches down to 20 or maybe 25 if we are lucky.” … rest of story at https://heraldcourier.com/townnews/sport/prep-wrestling-wrestling-amid-a-pandemic-has-made-it-a-challenge-for-vikings-on-mats/article_cd70aff6-4598-11eb-97d3-9774482d37e3.html?mc_cid=fecb1aa0c2&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b

10 } – Popolizio planning ‘Journeymen New York State Championships’ wrestling event … in Pennsylvania
Journeymen Wrestling Club owner and operator Frank Popolizio is in the process of putting together an April tournament for high school-level New York wrestlers that will be held in Pennsylvania, which currently has its high school and club sports on pause. Popolizio’s prep for the Journeymen New York State Championships is taking place while COVID-19 cases are on the rise both nationally and internationally, and also while COVID-19 vaccinations are starting to take place. “We were able to host an event in November that met all the requirements and protocols,” Popolizio said of the Journeymen Adidas Fall Classic that ran Nov. 21-22 at Spooky Nook Sports in Manheim, Pennsylvania. “This event is four months away. [By April], I am pretty sure we’ll be back to pre-surge numbers.” Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf’s executive order on Dec. 10 contains a section dedicated to varsity athletics: “Section 8: Interscholastic athletics, intrascholastic athletics, and intrastate and interstate sports leagues and tournaments are suspended for all sports.” The governor’s order is effective through Jan. 4, 2021. Currently, college and professional athletic events there can be held without spectators. Pennsylvania also has its own travel ordinance in effect from Dec. 17, which mandates that travelers entering … rest of story at _{^{https://dailygazette.com/2020/12/22/popolizio-planning-journeymen-new-york-state-championships-wrestling-event-in-pennsylvania/?mc_cid=f9e49e1788&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b}}

11 } – Minnesota High school wrestling gets the green light to begin competitions on Jan. 14
BROOKLYN CENTER, Minn. — Winter sports contests and competitions under sponsorship of the Minnesota State High School League may resume beginning Thursday, Jan. 14, 2021, after updated information within COVID-19 Youth and Adult Sports was announced today by the Minnesota Department of Health. Included in the announcement was the release of a new document COVID-19 Sports Practice Guidance for Youth and Adults.   This new guidance and information is an important step as the League continues forward with a winter season model approved by the Board of Directors. This flexible model will be adapted to include the start of practice on Jan. 4 and the start of competitions on Jan. 14. The League continues to work with member schools to provide leadership and support to ensure the safest possible return to sports and activities.  “These experiences are so important to students and they have been anxiously waiting to get these winter seasons started,” MSHSL Executive Director Erich Martens said. “By implementing these safety protocols recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics and required by the Minnesota Department of Health, we have the best chance … rest of story at _{^{https://theguillotine.com/2020/12/high-school-wrestling-gets-the-green-light-to-begin-competitions-on-jan-14/?mc_cid=c19dc39a02&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b}}

12 } – CIAC delays start of winter season, including wrestling, until mid-January
The Connecticut Interscholastic Athletic Conference’s (CIAC) Board of Control voted Tuesday to postpone the start of the scholastic winter sports season until Tuesday, January 19, 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. That is the first date that practices could held. With sports requiring 10 days of practices, competition could possibly begin in the first week of February. Glenn Lungarini, executive director of the CIAC, all sports are currently scheduled to start, including wrestling, which is currently classified as a high-risk sport by the Connecticut Department of Health. A decision on wrestling would be made in January. The Department of Health issued guidelines last week that doesn’t recommend any wrestling matches or practices be allowed this winter in Connecticut. Wrestling is classified as a high-risk sport by the state. COVID-19 infection rates have been on the rise in Connecticut and around the country. Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont reported Tuesday that 1,702 state residents tested positive for the virus with a 5.16 positivity rate. … rest of story at _{^{https://ctwrestling.com/2020/11/ciac-delays-start-of-winter-sports-season-including-wrestling-until-mid-january/3545/?mc_cid=97ab69a0c8&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b}}

January 16, 2021 - Posted by The TakeDown Report | Uncategorized