Takedown Report

High School News (2021) – # 5

TDR Editor’s Notes ; A look at how high school wrestlers, teams and state associations are adapting to the challenges of wrestling in the time of the pandemic. With continuing adherence to masking and medical measures to limit the spread of the disease and to a continuing increase in vaccinations we look forward to improvements in health and competition. E-mail us at the Editor’s office at martinkfleming@gmail.com
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1 } – High School Insider: How different states are dealing with the oddities of the prep wrestling season
INDIANA
In Indiana, the season got off to a normal start on Nov. 2, but it’s been anything but normal, said Danny Struck, head coach at Jeffersonville High School (Jeffersonville, IN). Jeffersonville is located directly across the Ohio River to the north of Louisville, Kentucky, and cross-state competition was just part of a normal schedule. But Kentucky just started its wrestling season on Dec. 14 and won’t start competing until January.  “For us, living on the border of another state has really changed our schedule,” Struck said. “The IHSAA (Indiana High School Athletic Association) has let us do a lot of things other states have not. But for a team in a location like us, it has been a challenge. We are traveling further than normal with our JV teams to get them matches, as we normally just went to Louisville, five minutes away. That has been the biggest change for us.” Struck and staff are learning to improvise. The team held its first match on Nov. 20, outdoors, on a mat on a tennis court. What was supposed to be a 25-team tournament with teams from five states (Indiana, Kentucky, Ohio, Missouri, and Tennessee) was cut back to local teams from Indiana only. But this led to the creation of what will be the first-ever Clark County Championships. … Info. on New York, Virginia and Texas with rest of story at _{^{https://www.trackwrestling.com/PortalPost.jsp?TIM=1608183632932&twSessionId=lszbyjjncw&postId=910198135&mc_cid=4edc48d477&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b}}

2 } – Too Good To Be True?
By Jeff Beshey
There’s a lot of cleaning and sanitizing going on these days – on wrestling mats, in locker rooms, in classrooms, in our homes, and everywhere else we might come into contact with harmful pathogens. What’s the best way to deal with these bugs? There are chemicals like chlorine bleach that work, but they take a relatively long time to be effective and using harmful chemicals to fight harmful pathogens just doesn’t seem like a great solution.
What if there was a technology that produces a safe, natural cleaning solution that is more powerful than chlorine bleach and works 3,000 times faster!? When I received an email telling me exactly that, I was a bit skeptical. … rest of story at _{^{https://theguillotine.com/2021/01/too-good-to-be-true/?mc_cid=0d6ab523a2&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b}}

3 } – (Virginia-Independent) VISAA decides not to hold state wrestling tournament
By TIM PEARRELL Richmond Times-Dispatch
The Virginia Independent Schools Athletic Association will not hold a state wrestling tournament, although schools have the option to hold an unsanctioned invitational, VISAA executive director Dick Kemper said. The VISAA announced in late November it planned to hold state championship tournaments for private schools in basketball, indoor track, and swimming and diving during the winter season, with schools having open invitations to participate instead of qualifying. The association indicated then it wouldn’t hold a state tournament for wrestling, but that decision was reviewed. Kemper said the VISAA executive committee decided Tuesday to cancel the wrestling tournament because COVID cases around the state have been rising, it’s considered a higher-risk sport by the National Federation of State High School Associations, and the committee didn’t think there would be enough teams. … rest of story at _{^{https://newsadvance.com/sports/high-school/article_81ca63da-3c1a-5e28-92e8-ba8d8f178023.html?mc_cid=36a2e0aa41&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b}}

4 } – (Alabama) AHSAA wrestling duals championship set
By Dennis Victory
The AHSAA wrestling duals championship is set.
Six teams will compete for three titles on Friday at Birmingham’s Bill Harris Arena.
Class 7A features a pair of former champions and a rematch of last year’s opponents with defending champion Thompson taking on 2017 title-winner Vestavia Hills at noon. Class 5A/6A pits defending champion Gardendale and Wetumpka at 3 p.m. and Cleburne County wrestles Ashville at 6 in Class 1A/4A. … rest of story at _{^{https://www.al.com/sports/2021/01/ahsaa-wrestling-duals-championship-set.html?mc_cid=5a9932a916&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b}}

5 } – (Pennsylvania) HS Wrestling: Cumberland Valley hands Boiling Springs its first loss of the season behind string of pins
Boiling Springs wrestling finally met its match Thursday night. The always-tough Cumberland Valley squad ground out a win 47-18 over the Bubblers, handing them their first loss of the season at Cumberland Valley High School. “We got out-wrestled tonight … that’s good for us,” Boiling Springs head coach Trevor Byers said. “I think at the end of the day it’s going to make us better. We’re young, I only have four seniors on the team, so I don’t think this hurst us at all. It’ll actually help us and make us grow.”
The Eagles built a quick lead from 120 pounds to 132, 13-0, before Kobin Karper’s pin at 138 gave the Bubblers (4-1) their first points. The momentum then shifted to Boiling Springs starting with Ean Wilson at 145, racking up three wins to flip the lead to the Bubblers 18-13.
… rest of story at _{^{https://cumberlink.com/sports/high-school/wrestling/hs-wrestling-cumberland-valley-hands-boiling-springs-its-first-loss-of-the-season-behind-string/article_c7d3316c-31ef-5683-b9ca-faa32416b312.html?mc_cid=5a9932a916&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b}}

6 } – Louisiana wrestling tournament led to COVID-19 outbreak, officials say
More than 20 people who attended a two-day high school wrestling tournament in Louisiana have reported testing positive for the coronavirus, according to local health officials.
The outbreak among athletes, staff and audience members comes after about 400 wrestlers participated in the 48th Louisiana Classic wrestling event last week at the Lamar-Dixon Expo Center, The Advocate reported.
The Louisiana Health Department is now asking everyone who attended to be tested and self-quarantine — but it’s not stopping some schools from moving forward with other athletic events.
The Louisiana High School Athletic Association said schools are being asked to take precautions, but said several wrestling matches will go on as scheduled, the Advocate said. … rest of story at _{^{https://nypost.com/2021/01/24/louisiana-wrestling-tournament-was-covid-superspreader-officials/?mc_cid=4ec9be6c16&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b}}

7 } – Pittsburgh Wrestling Classic Announces 2021 Date
January 25, 2021 – The Pittsburgh Wrestling Classic local organizing committee is excited to announce the 47th Annual competition to be held on Friday, April 2, 2021. The date has been changed due to the PIAA Team Championships being rescheduled to occur after the individual championships. 
Full Release
The Wrestling Classic – known as “The Rose Bowl of Wrestling” – is the most prestigious high school all-star wrestling meet in the United States because it attracts the very best high school seniors in the country. The preliminary meet pits the best wrestlers from Western Pennsylvania, or WPIAL, against the Maryland All-Stars. The feature match showcases the best-of-the-best high school wrestlers from across the United States challenging the reigning Pennsylvania state champs.  The committee will be finalizing other decisions in the weeks ahead based on circumstances, including the specific time of each dual meet competition and venue. Due to COIVD related restrictions, the venue and overall safety precautions, tickets are not currently on sale. More information on the time, venue and tickets sales, and the USA All-Star Team line-up will be announced as these details are finalized. 
FloWrestling will broadcast the Pittsburgh Wrestling Classic live for the 9th consecutive year. … rest of story at _{^{http://www.nwcaonline.com/pittsburgh-wrestling-classic-announces-2021-date/?mc_cid=4ec9be6c16&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b}}

8 } – Grappling with the idea: Is high school wrestling feasible during a pandemic?
After getting cleared for entrance, determined by the reading of an infrared thermometer, Mason Watkins slathers his hands and arms in a sanitizer liquid and makes his way into the gym. Parents, wearing masks, veer off to take their seats. There usually are no more than four other wrestlers present when Watkins arrives, each of them in his weight class.
Under the supervision of their coaches, the group is given individual workout instructions and maneuvers to practice before taking to the mats. Then, they’ll wrestle each other in round-robin sessions that can get competitive. There is continuous contact, the fierce grappling often occurring as both opponents perspire, gasp for deep breaths and come face to face. “I’m pretty confident about our safety,” Watkins said of his club wrestling practices. The Pawling High School star travels to New Jersey to train as his sport, which was deemed “high risk” at the scholastic level in New York, remains in limbo. … rest of story at _{^{https://www.lohud.com/story/sports/2021/01/25/new-york-high-school-wrestling-coaches-experts-make-case-for-against-during-covid/6694804002/?mc_cid=4ec9be6c16&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b}}

9} – Wrestling Preview with Tim Yount (Audio)
Colorado Preps had a chance to discuss the upcoming wrestling season with Tim Yount of On the Mat.  He will again provide coverage of high school wrestling in both the boys and girls divisions with weekly rankings. You can subscribe to his newsletter by emailing him at tim@onthematrankings.com.  We spoke with him about the upcoming season and ran through his top five teams in each classification. … rest of story and podcast at _{^{https://coloradopreps.com/wrestling-preview-with-tim-yount-audio/?mc_cid=4ec9be6c16&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b}}

10 } – Family ties: Wrestling captivates Billings West father, son, daughter
BILLINGS — Dividends are coming to fruition for Billings West wrestling coach Jeremy Hernandez. He said his Bears have seen a lot of progress in the past 10-12 years and that more than 50 wrestlers are out this season, a high mark for the Bears that includes a pair of state champs. One of the newest faces is also one of the most dominant: freshman Keyan Hernandez, a chip off the old block and, according to dad, even more tenacious. “He’s a Tazmanian Devil. He’s a lot tougher than I am,” Jeremy Hernandez told MTN Sports. “He has a gas tank, he just goes and goes and goes. He’s pretty technical and when he’s got to get funky, he’ll do some pretty crazy things. He’d have pinned me when I was a freshman.”
Keyan showcased that gas tank opening his high school career earlier this month with a pair of pins over opponents from Bozeman High and Bozeman Gallatin in the 103-pound weight class. And he hasn’t lost yet with a 6-0 record, including five pins and a technical fall. … rest of story at _{^{https://www.montanasports.com/high-school-sports/wrestling/family-ties-wrestling-captivates-father-son-daughter?mc_cid=4ec9be6c16&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b}}

11 } – Quarantines, opt-outs among the issues for wrestling teams adapting to COVID-19
Change, it is everywhere.
Like basketball, wrestling hasn’t been spared from COVID-19. Quarantines have shortened rosters and canceled matches, sometimes with little or no warning. Many teams have resorted to dual matches and dual tournaments, rather than larger invitationals. Athletes have opted out of competition due to safety concerns. Yet, programs have tried their best to stay the course. Established Muskingum Valley League programs like New Lexington, Sheridan and Tri-Valley continue to enjoy plenty of success — the Panthers just secured their 25th MVL title — even as their usually rugged tournament schedules have been limited compared to past seasons. And that didn’t come easy for coach David Ratliff’s squad. … rest of story at _{^{https://www.zanesvilletimesrecorder.com/story/sports/2021/01/26/high-school-wrestling-teams-adapting-covid-19-changes/4161737001/?mc_cid=348fe62197&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b}}

12 } – Making Sense of Wrestling’s Unwritten Rules
On Monday night, Major League Baseball and one of its endless list of unwritten rules were the talk of the sporting world when the San Diego Padres slaughtered the Texas Rangers. One of the games brightest young stars, Fernando Tatis Jr., was up to bat for San Diego in the eighth inning with the bases loaded and the Padres holding a seven-run lead. Tatis hit a grand slam after swinging on a 3-0 count, which angered the Rangers bench and considered a faux-pas by some baseball purists. The chatter carried into Tuesday and plenty of baseball players and writers weighed in on the situations, with many supporting the Padres superstar. 
All this discussion led me to wonder, what are some of wrestling’s “unwritten rules”. I turned to Twitter for some help and received a ton of great feedback. You touched on a variety of topics and brought up some issues that I would never have considered on my own. I’ve listed some of the tweets and given some real-life examples of these situations and/or my opinions on them. A few seem like no-brainers to me. Others have a lot of gray-area, like some of baseball’s unwritten rules. 
Editor’s Note: Before we begin, the talented Ryan Holmes of FloWrestling touched on this topic a few years ago, as well. Be sure to check out his article for more thoughts on the unwritten rules of wrestling. … rest of story at _{^{https://news.theopenmat.com/high-school-wrestling/making-sense-of-wrestlings-unwritten-rules/78738?mc_cid=27a5988c78&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b}}

February 10, 2021 - Posted by The TakeDown Report | Uncategorized