Takedown Report

North Carolina HSAA participation rises in almost every sport, surpasses 200,000 total student-athletes

The number of athletes competing in the NCHSAA last school year was the third-highest in the association’s more than 100-year history.
For the first time since the 2017-2018 school year, the N.C. High School Athletic Association saw more than 200,000 student-athletes compete in sports last school year.
The NCHSAA released its participation data from the 2023-2024 school year on Monday morning, and it shows a significant amount of growth overall and in most sports year-over-year.
The data, which is reported to the NCHSAA by its member schools each year, shows 208,722 student-athletes competed last school year. That is up from 198,025 during the 2022-2023 school year, and is the highest figure since the 2013-2014 school year when 214,046 student-athletes were participating in high school sports in North Carolina. In fact, the number of athletes competing in the NCHSAA last school year was the third-highest in the association’s more than 100-year history.
Every single sport saw growth in participation last school year with one exception: baseball. Despite five additional schools offering the sport in the spring, there was a decline of 153 student-athletes playing baseball — down from 10,727 in 2023 to 10,574 in 2024. A total of 414 schools played baseball this spring. …
Boys soccer also saw a large increase in participation, adding 1,100 new players and five new schools in the fall. There are now 407 schools offering boys soccer and 12,916 athletes participating in the sport. Comparing numbers for wrestling year-over-year is not exactly comparing apples to apples. For the first time, the NCHSAA separated boys and girls wrestling participation data in the 2023-2024 school year as girls wrestling became a sanctioned sport.
However, in the 2022-2023 school year, the NCHSAA reported 9,988 athletes participating in wrestling across the state. This past winter, there were a total of 11,317 wrestlers participating — an increase of 1,329 wrestlers. According to the NCHSAA data, there were 9,885 boys wrestlers and 1,432 girls wrestlers. There were a total of 436 member schools in the NCHSAA during the 2023-2024 school year. Of all sports, boys basketball was played at more member schools than any other sport. There were 434 boys basketball teams in the NCHSAA. Volleyball was next with 432 schools fielding a team. …
Boys Wrestling: 9,885 participants, 342 schools
Data for wrestling was not separated between boys/girls in 2022-2023
Girls Wrestling: 1,432 participants, 248 schools
Data for wrestling was not separated between boys/girls in 2022-2023 … more at … https://www.highschoolot.com/story/nchsaa-participation-rises-in-almost-every-sport-surpasses-200-000-total-student-athletes/21535731/

July 24, 2024 Posted by The TakeDown Report | Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Fargo Men’s Freestyle division state highlights, with firsts, records and notable achievements

Fargo, North Dakota – We’re not sure who coined the phrase “records are meant to be broken,” but whoever it was could have been a wrestling fan or just a savant of the legendary Detroit Tigers’ Disco Demolition Night, which took place 45 years ago this week.
And not to sound like a broken record, but entry numbers in Fargo reached new positions on the charts in both age groups in men’s freestyle as the two tournaments came to a close on Wednesday. The final tally was 1,816 in the Junior division and 1,698 in 16U, which topped last year’s mark of 1,596 in Junior and 1,596 in 16U. Here are the hits from 2024.

Alabama: The lone All-American in men’s freestyle came in the form of 150-pounder Daishun Powe in the Junior division. Powe finished sixth and kept the Junior men’s freestyle All-American streak alive at three. Powe was a 6A state champion this past season at 165 pounds for Gardendale High School.

Arizona: With seven Junior men’s freestyle All-Americans, the state set a new record, surpassing its previous high mark of six set last year. Sergio Vega won the state’s 12^th championship in the division. The sixth-place finish in the team standings was also the highest in state history. Seven of the eight placewinners across both divisions were returning All-Americans – Junior 106-pounder Daniel Alire finished eighth to pick up his first Fargo medal.

California: The Golden State totaled 17 All-Americans across both age groups, finished third in Junior men’s freestyle and sixth in 16U. Both of the California champions were Juniors as Daniel Zepeda won his first Fargo title after finishing second last year and 215-pound champion Angelo Posada improved significantly from last season where he was eighth at 170 pounds. Zepeda and Moses Mendoza each won their fifth Fargo medals all-time.

Colorado: The state placed four wrestlers in men’s freestyle – two in each age group. 132-pounder Austin Collins finished seventh and earned his second Fargo medal. Collins, a 2A state champion from Wray, was a runner-up in Greco-Roman last year at 120 pounds.

Connecticut: Maximus Konopka and William Henckel both were runners-up in their respective age divisions. It was the second time in state history with two men’s freestyle finalists in the same year. Back in 2013, Zach Murillo (16U) and Angus Cowell (Junior) finished second. Konopka won a Class L state title, the Connecticut All-State championship and the New England championship this past season for Simsbury. Henckel was a National Prep champion at Blair Academy in New Jersey.

Florida: The Sunshine State picked up eight more medals across both age groups in 2024, which was two more than last year. The top placer in men’s freestyle was 132-pounder Jovani Solis, who finished fourth in 16U. Solis is already a two-time Florida 1A state champion, winning titles as a seventh and eighth grader at Somerset Academy. He went 63-0 this past season.

Georgia: Championships by Ariah Mills … more at … https://www.themat.com/news/2024/july/19/fargo-men-s-freestyle-division-state-highlights-with-firsts-records-and-notable-achievements

July 24, 2024 Posted by The TakeDown Report | Uncategorized | Leave a comment