Takedown Report

High School News (2021) – # 4

TDR Editor’s Notes ; For some articles the name of the state is added inside (parenthesis). For some states there is more than one article yet they are gripped together under the same topic number.
E-mail us at the Editor’s office at martinkfleming@gmail.com
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1 } – (Illinois) Voices of stalled season | Carbondale’s Luke Daly making best of lost wrestling season
CARBONDALE — Luke Daly wanted his senior wrestling season more than anything. The COVID-19 pandemic had other plans. Standing at 6-feet tall and 180 pounds, Daly’s goal entering high school was to win a state championship. His goal was within reach last season, but the only wrestler standing in the way was Marian Central Catholic’s Dylan Connell — a three-time state champion.
Daly’s loss to Connell in the semifinals left a chip on his shoulder. A chip that he was eager to shake until his wrestling season was pushed to the summer as a ‘higher risk’ sport according to IHSA guidelines. But a pandemic isn’t going to get in the way of Daly’s goals. Instead, he’s appreciating the little things, like spending more time with his family and preparing for college. “If there’s been one positive with this pandemic then at least it’s brought my family and I closer together,” Daly said. … rest of story at _{^{https://thesouthern.com/sports/voices-of-stalled-season-carbondales-luke-daly-making-best-of-lost-wrestling-season/article_63b2abb6-33af-5bd3-9634-8ed7ff789259.html?mc_cid=4a4f0e7778&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b}}

2 } – (Penna.) Tom Elling on wrestling: Wrestling is back in the area
Wrestling is back! At least for a while and with several modifications. While I don’t have the abbreviated schedules for the area teams, I will bring those you as the season unfolds. You have probably read or heard that the number of pre-competitions have been reduced for this season only.
District 6 wrestling chair Phil Riccio of Altoona released the tentative plans for the District 6 individual tournament on Monday.
Riccio — after consultation with several of the district coaches — laid out the following schedule:
Class AA Four Sectionals held on Feb. 16. The top 2 advance to districts and will wrestle for a true second. … rest of story at _{^{https://www.lockhaven.com/sports/local-sports/2021/01/tom-elling-on-wrestling-wrestling-is-back-in-the-area/?mc_cid=4a4f0e7778&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b}}
And Eric Knopsnyder | COVID-19 pandemic alters wrestling’s postseason look
Most local schools only have a few competitions under their belts, but the wrestling postseason is beginning to take shape – maybe not in terms of which teams or individuals will be the top seeds – but at least in how it will be conducted. As with nearly everything during the pandemic, it’s subject to change at a moment’s notice, but dates and locations have been confirmed for District 6 events. As per the district wrestling website, four Class 2A sectional tournaments will be held on Tuesday, Feb. 16, with the top two in each section advancing to that Saturday’s District 6 event in Altoona. The sectional events will include a “true second-place match,” which means that the third-place finisher will get a chance to face the runner-up after the finals if the second-place finisher did not already beat the bronze medalist. … rest of story at _{^{https://www.tribdem.com/coronavirus/eric-knopsnyder-covid-19-pandemic-alters-wrestlings-postseason-look/article_407d2c1a-5ec9-11eb-8a34-13d8616e4aa0.html?mc_cid=4ec9be6c16&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b}}
And HIGH SCHOOL NATIONAL RECRUITING SHOWCASE – PENNSYLVANIA QUALIFIER SET FOR STATE COLLEGE ON MARCH 12-14
USA Wrestling has announced the first of its eight High School National Recruiting Showcase Qualifiers.
The USA Wrestling High School National Recruiting Showcase – Pennsylvania Qualifier will be held at C3 Sports in State College, Pa., March 12-14.
This event, and the entire High School National Recruiting Showcase series, is open only to boys and girls athletes who qualify for the USA Wrestling Junior age division. Wrestlers must have been born September 1, 2001 or after, plus must be enrolled in grades 9-12. Athletes from any state may enter any of the eight qualifiers.
The qualifier events will feature top High School boys’ and girls’ wrestlers from around the country. For the boys (contested in folkstyle) and girls (contested in freestyle), the top five place winners in each weight class in the eight qualifiers will earn a spot in the High School National Recruiting Showcase (which will be held during the weekend of March 26-28 at a location to be announced shortly). … rest of the story at _{^{https://www.teamusa.org/USA-Wrestling/Features/2021/January/21/High-School-Recruiting-Showcase-Pennsylvania-Qualifier?mc_cid=5a9932a916&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b}}

3 } – State (Ohio) wrestling tournament pulled from OSU’s Schottenstein Center
COLUMBUS – The 2021 state high school wrestling tournament will not be held at The Ohio State University’s Schottenstein Center. In an email to high school wrestling coaches around the state, Tyler Brooks, Director of Officiating and Sport Management for the Ohio High School Athletic Association, told coaches that the state tournament will not be conducted at the Schottenstein Center for two primary reasons. “Spectator attendance restrictions and cost,” Brooks said in the email.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, spectators at high school sporting events have been extremely limited during the 2020-21 high school sports season and with the state wrestling tournament normally being one of the biggest draws for spectators, the decision has been made to remove the tournament from OSU’s Schottenstein
… rest of story at _{^{https://www.mansfieldnewsjournal.com/story/sports/2021/01/07/state-wrestling-tournament-pulled-osus-schottenstein-center/6586973002/?mc_cid=a7ee94d0b8&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b}}
And OHSAA working to determine state venues for basketball, wrestling and hockey
COLUMBUS, Ohio — The Ohio High School Athletic Association said Thursday afternoon it is working to determine state tournament venues for boys and girls basketball, wrestling and ice hockey in March. The OHSAA board of directors met Thursday morning to receive an update from OHSAA staff regarding the winter sports tournaments during the COVID-19 pandemic. … story at _{^{https://www.wcpo.com/sports/high-school-sports/ohsaa-working-to-determine-state-venues-for-basketball-wrestling-and-hockey?mc_cid=985ebae38c&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b}}

4 } – Developing slowly and correctly can lead to long-term success in wrestling (Youth)
As wrestlers continue to develop a system for long-term athletic development, there is still a philosophical battle over how much is too much. When is the best time to start competing? How often should a young wrestler compete in any given year? Does it matter how many matches you win at the age of seven? 
Many of the best youth coaches will say that you can’t predict future success when a wrestler is in grade school. Every person — regardless of sport — develops differently. This can complicate development if parents and coaches want success too early, too often. 
Every wrestler has his or her own formula that can work — and there will always be an exception to standard protocol — but there are fundamentals and best practices that can be followed for best results.
Jed Smith and Peter Smolianov — authors of the book “Fringe Methodologies in High Performance and Health” — are advocating that young wrestlers develop slowly and correctly. That can mean forgoing immediate success for higher-level success as an adult.  They are suggesting a basic level of knowledge before moving to another level. This isn’t unlike a belt system that is used in martial arts. Focusing too much on results at a young age can be problematic if you aren’t proficient at a skill. 
For example, an eight-year-old might win matches because he is better developed and stronger, but that does not mean he knows how to execute a technique properly. Competitions can get in the way of development if there are pressures to win all the time. … rest of story at _{^{https://www.trackwrestling.com/PortalPost.jsp?TIM=1610944673708&twSessionId=srohqbmpvb&postId=973541135&mc_cid=c35ed28379&mc_eid=%5B2ef7cbca4b%5D}}

5 } – (Iowa) SEP vs. WSR: A Rare, Regular-Season Rematch of State Duals
This weekend brings the next installment in what has been a battle for the top of the IAHSAA wrestling podium in Wells Fargo Arena for the past two years.  Southeast Polk and Waverly-Shell Rock face off in a rare regular season dual at Dubuque Hempstead on Saturday live on IAwrestle’s Rokfin., thanks in large part to the novel coronavirus pandemic that has shaken up each teams’ regular competition schedule.  “Polk was supposed to be at the Cheesehead, and we were supposed to be at the Clash and [Dubuque Hempstead coach] Brett [Haas] kind of noticed that and said, ‘Hey, let’s get together and wrestle.’” WSR head coach Eric Whitcome said. “It was something that the three of us really wanted to do anyway at some point, being able to bring our teams together, and so we’re fortunate for that.” In large part, this weekend for all three teams serves as a measuring stick for where they are now and how far they have to go until they take the mats in Des Moines from February 18-20.  It provides WSR and SEP a unique advantage, too, to get a practice run at a possible dual team finals matchup when the season comes down to the wire. 
… rest of story at _{^{https://iawrestle.com/2021/01/08/sep-vs-wsr-a-rare-regular-season-rematch-of-state-duals/?mc_cid=c6c3fe425c&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b}}

6 } – Helton Twins working their way to becoming the best on the mat
(Council Bluffs, IA.) – Everything you’ve heard about twins … about sibling rivalry, about not being able to tell identical twins apart, that they are telepathic, and a hundred other distinctions, are often conjectures.
Take the Helton twins, wrestlers at Council Bluffs-St. Albert.  Yea, they kind of look alike, and yea, people have a difficult time telling them apart. But before we go further, you need to know that the twins are really triplets.  Yep, that’s right.  Rounding out the third of the threesome is their sister, Anna.
But wait, there’s more. The twin brothers have four older sisters” Celine 22, Ellie 21, Grace 19, and Clare 17.  So, the boys are outnumbered in the Helton family.
Now, on to wrestling.
John, jr., wrestles at 132, David at 145.  Both are sophomores.  The twin sons of John, sr., and Ann Helton, however, wrestle differently from one another. In practice, they occasionally wrestle each other, but for the most part, the two try to avoid partnering up.  The latter because (Guess?) they know each other’s moves too well. … rest of story at _{^{https://www.thepredicament.com/2021/01/helton-twins-working-their-way-to-becoming-the-best-on-the-mat/?mc_cid=c6c3fe425c&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b}}

7 } – Colorado High School Wrestling Season 2021
Let’s look at what certainly is not a normal high school wrestling season in Colorado. With covid19 pandemic in its 10th month of control in Colorado and USA, high schools around the state have changed their normal in school learning and have put student-athletes on the back burner. Students are learning from home with little contact with teachers, friends and other classmates. Masks must be worn at all times and limited number of people are to gather in one location.
So, how does this effect high school wrestling in Colorado. To start off the wrestling season is shorten in length and the number of matches cut down to 20. Teams can only have 20 total competitions – duals, tri or quad meets with no more than 25 competitors in a gym or practice area at one time per CHSAA.  There will be no individual tournament in the regular season, but postseason tournaments (regional and state will have a limited number of wrestlers – no big all classification at the Pepsi Center). But worse of all some school districts and county health departments have shut down wrestling for the season even thru Colorado State Health and CHSAA have approved the sport.
It all started in the fall of 2020 when Mapleton School District shut down all sports for the year, leaving student-athletes from Skyview (Academy High School) out in the cold and no place to really call home. Then this week on Tuesday Jan 5,2021 Boulder County Health Dept. along with Boulder Valley School District and St Vrain School District did not approve wrestling to have a season. … rest of story at _{^{http://www.insidecoloradowrestling.com/index.php/16-high-school/1859-colorado-high-school-wrestling-season-2021?mc_cid=ee9459dd97&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b}}

8 } – The Al and Josh Show Podcast – High School Wrestling Is Back
Al and Josh talk about the latest MSHSL guidelines and rules for the upcoming high school season including spectators, weigh-ins, skin-checks, handshakes vs fist-bumps, weight allowance, and minimum weigh-ins. Also discussed are team rankings in all three classes. … rest of story at _{^{https://theguillotine.com/2021/01/the-al-and-josh-show-podcast-high-school-wrestling-is-back/?mc_cid=7d0bae3ce9&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b}}

9} – Connecticut’s DPH still thinks wrestling is too risky during a pandemic
In early November, Connecticut’s Department of Public Health (DPH) didn’t recommend that wrestling be allowed in the state this winter to help stop the spread of the contagious COVID-19 virus. Eight weeks later, DPH has not changed their stance.
In a letter to the Connecticut Interscholastic Athletic Conference (CIAC) last week, DPH said they do not recommend any activities in wrestling be allowed this winter season. Small group conditioning and non-contact skill building activities would be allowed but that could be challenging since wrestling is a contact sport
Wrestling is classified as high risk by the state and the National Federation of State High School Association (NFHS). Sports classified as moderate risk sports – such as basketball, ice hockey, gymnastics and indoor track – will be allowed with modifications, which would include all participants, coaches and officials wearing a mask. The CIAC’s Board of Control is scheduled to make a decision Thursday on winter sports based on the Department of Health’s guidance and recommendations from the governor’s office. … rest of story at _{^{https://ctwrestling.com/2021/01/connecticuts-dph-still-thinks-wrestling-is-too-risky-during-a-pandemic/3732/?mc_cid=7d0bae3ce9&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b}}
And Before it even began, the wrestling season is over
For high school wrestlers around Connecticut, it was a day of disappointment. The 2020-21 season that never began is over. The Connecticut Interscholastic Athletic Conference’s (CIAC) Board of Control released their winter sports plan for high school athletics during the COVID-19 pandemic and it did not include wrestling. Wrestlers had hoped to compete during an alternative season, a 10-week block of time from February 22 through April 16. But wrestling and other sports classified as high risk, such as football, can’t even consider practicing until the winter season ends on March 28 thanks to an executive order from Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont in November. The CIAC doesn’t want to encroach on the spring sports, which was eliminated entirely last spring when the coronavirus began sweeping across the nation in March. There will be no wrestling or football competition at the high school this year in Connecticut. … rest of story at _{^{https://ctwrestling.com/2021/01/before-it-even-began-the-wrestling-season-is-over/3742/?mc_cid=985ebae38c&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b}}

10 } – AIA (Arizona) Executive Board meeting Tuesday: Will there be a winter sports re-vote?
Four days after the Arizona Interscholastic Association’s Executive Board voted 5-4 to cancel winter sports, that group will meet again on Tuesday. Since the vote to cancel because of surging COVID-19 infections that placed Arizona No. 1 in the nation, there has been a big backlash from the Arizona high school basketball, soccer and wrestling communities against the decision. On Sunday, the AIA placed on its calendar a special Executive Board meeting for 10:30 a.m. Tuesday. … rest of story at _{^{https://www.azcentral.com/story/sports/high-school/2021/01/10/aia-executive-board-meeting-tuesday-there-re-vote/6617601002/?mc_cid=01186bea70&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b}}
And – Pain of pandemic replaces sports memories for athletes
I broke news for the first time on Friday. Not as a sportswriter. I’ve been lucky enough to have good sources over the years to get out in front of the news and be the first to land a story about this or that. It can be a great feeling of accomplishment and reiterate that this is what you are supposed to be doing. It comes in the form of a tweet or link to a story. Sometimes the news isn’t great and can be hurtful to some but that was a result I never really saw in person.
That wasn’t the case today. I broke news as a teacher for the first time to a couple of athletes – a wrestler and a girls basketball player – in my class that the winter sports season was canceled. It wasn’t embedded in a tweet or in a 500-word story underneath my byline.
It was right in front of me. Their minds were working as soon as the words left my mouth. … rest of story at _{^{https://arizonavarsity.rivals.com/news/pain-of-pandemic-replaces-memorable-sports-memories?mc_cid=ee9459dd97&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b}}

11 } – (Minnesota) Rough-and-tumble Reid Ballantyne seeks to achieve wrestling rarity
The Stillwater senior, whose brawling style has brought 158 victories and injuries along the way, is seeking to become the seventh Minnesota wrestler to win five individual state titles. When he was about 10 years old, an age when many wrestlers are just getting started and finding their way around a mat, Reid Ballantyne had had enough. Ballantyne had the experienced normal youth wrestling ups and downs — some promising victories mixed with a few emotionally crushing losses. The latter, Ballantyne thought, were just too much to endure. So he made up his mind that he would never again be willing to allow an opponent an advantage. Losing never sat well. Giving up so much as a single point was a personal insult.
“It was never the wins that drove him, it was always the losses,” said the Stillwater senior’s father, Steve. “They were getting tougher for him to deal with every year. That’s when he became bulletproof.” Said Ballantyne, simply, “To me, every point counts. I hate getting scored on.” With his final season at Stillwater set to begin as winter sports competitions resume … rest of story at _{^{https://www.mnwrestlinghub.com/news_article/show/1140447?mc_cid=7d0bae3ce9&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b}}

12 } – (Tennessee) TSSAA secures new venues for state wrestling championships
With the unavailability of the Williamson County Ag Expo Center next month, the TSSAA has selected alternative venues for the upcoming state wrestling championships. The TSSAA Dual Wrestling State Championships will remain in Williamson County and will take place on Saturday, Feb. 6. Nolensville High School, Centennial High School, Independence High School and Mill Creek Middle School will serve as hosts for the tournaments. Eight schools will compete in Division I Class AAA while four schools will compete for a championship in Division I Class A-AA, Division II and the Girls Dual Meet Invitational.
The TSSAA Wrestling State Championships will be returning to Chattanooga after a twelve-year absence on Feb. 18-20. The Chattanooga Convention Center will host this year’s competition. Division I Class A-AA will take place on Thursday, Feb. 18. Division II and Girls will compete on Friday, Feb. 19, and Division I Class AAA will compete on Saturday, Feb. 20. A complete tournament schedule for both events will be published at TSSAAsports.com as soon as details for both events are finalized. … rest of story at_{^{https://www.mainstreetpreps.com/county/cheatham/tssaa-secures-new-venues-for-state-wrestling-championships/article_4d019c32-545b-11eb-bf95-db608c5e99ba.html?mc_cid=7d0bae3ce9&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b}}

February 1, 2021 - Posted by The TakeDown Report | Uncategorized