Takedown Report

Upon further review: Nebraska high school wrestling on the cutting edge with new review provision

High school boys and girls wrestling will look a little different during the championship round in February. That’s because coaches will have the chance to challenge calls, under an experimental rule approved by the Nebraska School Activities Association Board of Directors on Wednesday.
NSAA wrestling director Ron Higdon said Nebraska will be the first state to use video review for high school wrestling. “Right now, it’s only going to be allowed in the championship finals matches, which in boys, will be four mats going on at the same time, one for each class (Classes A through D),” Higdon said. “And for girls, it will be two mats going on at the same time, with A and B.”
Scoring decisions, timing issues, technical violations and out-of-bounds calls will be eligible for review. “There’s a whole list of parameters that we outlined of what can be reviewed and what can’t,” Higdon said. “And basically, almost everything can be reviewed, with the exception of a small list.”
The exceptions include judgment calls or decisions unable to be clearly determined with video. “Falls (a pin), near fall, stalling, which is a judgment call,” Higdon said of what’s excluded. “Unnecessary roughness or unsportsmanlike conduct, which is also just a judgment call. And then starting position, because many times the camera will not catch an improper starting position.”
Coaches will get at least one challenge per match and can challenge additional calls if they are successful. They will have about five to seven seconds to signal for a review on a particular call, then officials will look for a natural stop in action to pause and analyze the ruling. “The wording that we have is the referee will stop the match as soon as practical, ensuring that no significant action is occurring at the time the match is halted,” Higdon said.
Personnel costs will remain the same, Higdon said. Two referees and one NSAA rules official per match will sit mat-side, next to a monitor ready to review a call. … more at … https://nebraskapublicmedia.org/en/news/news-articles/upon-further-review-nebraska-high-school-wrestling-on-the-cutting-edge-with-new-review-provision/

November 8, 2025 - Posted by The TakeDown Report | Uncategorized | sports, wrestling