Dec. 16, 2006: The Salt Lake Tribune

Prep Wrestling: New Limit May Bring More Kids to Mat
by Jay Drew

In a demanding and physically challenging sport such as wrestling, high school coaches are continually trying to drum up interest in their school's hallways and classrooms to get more athletes on the mats.

Sure, there are powerhouses like Viewmont, Wasatch and Millard that never seem to go wanting. But for many teams throughout Utah, it is a struggle to fill all 14 weight divisions with quality wrestlers, especially at the varsity level.

That's why most of the state's coaches seem happy with this year's rule change that increases the limit in the heavyweight division from 275 to 285 pounds, even if the change has the potential to create a bigger disparity for competitors.

"It is all about allowing kids to participate. The more the better," new Brighton coach Wade Brown said. "I think most [coaches] like it."

The change brings high schools in line with college wrestling programs, where 285 has been the limit for many years.

The division below heavyweight still has 215 pound limit, so the change means there could now be a 70-pound gap among the big boys. But at heavyweight, winning is often more about technique and quickness than sheer size, coaches say.

As an example, they point to Lone Peak's Sterling Coons, who won the Class 5-A heavyweight title last season despite weighing just 225 pounds. He routinely beat wrestlers in the 250-275 range, thanks to superior conditioning and technique.

Also, coaches say, athletes who weighed between 216-230 pounds for football can get under 215 fairly easily, so the gap is more like 55 pounds.

Then again, that wasn't the case at the Layton Invitational a few weeks ago, when Viewmont sent a wrestler barely above 215 pounds, Jesse Farnsworth, into a match against Fremont's JC Oram, who was right around 285.

"That weight division is an interesting animal," Viewmont coach Bart Thompson said. "It brings more kids into wrestling, so [the rule change] is a good thing, but you are going to see even more [mismatches] than you see now."

However, not all coaches favor the change. West Jordan's Larry Jaramillo said he was "surprised" that the change was implemented so quickly and has "serious doubts" it will draw heavier boys into the sport.

"Either a kid is motivated to lose the weight to get to 275, or he's not," Jaramillo said. "In our school, I don't see it making a difference [in participation]. Now, it is a pretty big spread of weight. They should have distributed it a little better" by moving the 215 division limit up a bit.

The rule change was one of 14 approved by the National Federation of State High School Associations for wrestling this season. This is the first increase in weight limits since 1987.

"Wrestlers are bigger than they were 19 years ago," said Jerry Diehl, an NFHS assistant director and wrestling rules committee liaison.

Thompson said before 1987, there was no weight limit in the heavyweight division, and it was known as the "unlimited" division.

"Now, that was a lot of disparity," he said. "You would have 350-pound kids against 220-pound kids."

Jerry Bovee, UHSAA assistant director, said Utah generally stays in compliance with the national organization's directives to stay in good graces with the NFHS.

"I haven't heard any complaints about it," Bovee said. "A lot of coaches don't like the new body fat testing rules [implemented last year], but that's a topic for another time."

Other rule changes in wrestling this year are fairly minor.

Overtimes will now be up to one minute longer. If neither wrestler scores after the first sudden-death overtime, there will be two 30-second tiebreaker periods and, if the score is still tied, a third 30-second tiebreaker will follow in which the first wrestler to score wins.

If nobody scores, the more offensive wrestler will be declared the winner.

Utah coaches like the overtime change because it makes correctly calling the coin flip — which determines who starts on top — less important.