Takedown Report

High school wrestling coaches take wait-and-see approach with 3-point takedown

There was a major shakeup in college wrestling earlier this month when the value of a takedown was changed from two to three points in a move meant to encourage more aggressive offense.

Will that rule change make its way down to the high school level?

Local coaches don’t think such a change is imminent, but they are interested in seeing how the three-point takedown makes an impact on college mats.

“It’s tough to score in college,” Burrell coach Josh Shields said. “The new takedown rule might create more risk-reward action.”

In addition to the takedown change, the NCAA Playing Rules Oversight Panel also brought back the three-point nearfall to go along with the in-place two-point and four-point nearfalls.

The panel approved 13 of the 14 changes recommended in April by the college wrestling rules committee. The only change not approved was awarding a point for a minute of riding time only if a wrestler received nearfall points.

Franklin Regional coach Matt Lebe said he likes that the sport continues to evolve.

“I could possibly see the three-point takedown coming,” Lebe said. “We’ll see how things play out. I’m not sure the four-point nearfall will be included (in high school).”

Norwin coach Kyle Martin and Penn-Trafford coach Travis McKillop said they are all for promoting offense in the sport.

While they doubt the college changes will hit the high school level soon, they do like some of the new National Federation of State High School Associations changes on the way next season.

The biggest high school rule change will allow a wrestler to compete six times in a day, up from the previous limit of five, as long as it’s no more than 10 times over two days.

The mandatory rest period between matches was shortened from 45 minutes to 30 minutes. Also, if a wrestler takes a medical forfeit because he or she is injured or becomes ill during a tournament, subsequent losses would not be added to his or her record as long as the tournament director approves.

“I don’t agree with the medical forfeits, especially for seeding purposes,” McKillop said. “I do like cutting down the wait time. Thirty minutes is plenty of time to recover. Kids are training better.” … rest of story at … Tribhssn.triblive.com/high-school-wrestling-coaches-takes-wait-and-see-approach-with-3-point-takedown

June 28, 2023 - Posted by The TakeDown Report | Uncategorized