PA Wrestling Buzz
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It is the middle of January already. The 2 pound allowance will be implemented next week and as always many of the State’s top wrestlers will be making the drop. With the new weight classes this season it should be interesting to see where some wrestlers may end up in the post-season. Speaking of the post-season, the PIAA recently shafted the top two wrestlers in each weight class this season. If you haven’t already heard, this season the PIAA moved to change the way in which the final day (Saturday) of the State Tournament will be scheduled.
The State finals will now be wrestled in concurrence with the 3rd, 5th, and 7th place matches. There will be no spotlight on the top two wrestlers, the crowd will have to pick and choose what matches to watch, and both the fans and wrestlers are missing out. PIAA officials claim time issues and school budgets play a role in the changes and note that other states run their finals the same way. Pennsylvania Wrestling is not like other states. The PA State finals, both AA and AAA, are special moments for wresters who have the attention of the entire GIANT Center. Not to mention the wrestlers in the 3rd, 5th, and 7th place bouts won’t get much attention with the finals running at the same time. These wrestlers will have worked hard to earn a medal and deserve better. The PIAA took the easy road on this issue and instead of revamping the State Championships to fit their standards and at the same time keeping fans happy, they simply belittled the finals. I agree the late nights on Saturday are a problem but I just feel there are better alternatives to solving the issue without merging all the medal round matches.
What to Watch This Weekend:
1: The Escape The Rock Tournament enters it’s 7th season and continues to contain a field that ranks the tournament as one of the toughest across the State. The tournament begins on Friday at 10:30 and continues on Saturday with the semi-finals slated to begin at 11:15 and the finals at 5:00. Check out The PAPowerRankings Home Page for a list of participants.
2: The Central Dauphin duals will draw some attention as CD goes for the all-time record for most consecutive dual meet victories on Saturday. Wrestling begins at 9:00 and teams competing include Abington Heights, Central Bucks East, Central Dauphin, Middletown Area, Mifflin County and St. Anthony’s (NY).
3: The 59th Annual Westmoreland County Coaches Association Tournament will feature many top teams including Kiski Area, Hempfield Area, Greater Latrobe, Franklin Regional, and Penn-Trafford. This event has history and excitement.[/fusion_builder_column][/fusion_builder_row][/fusion_builder_container]