Canton’s Reese Titus puts Nonnewaug’s Aiden Cooper on his back during the Warrior Invitational last January.
There are several changes for scholastic wrestling fans to be aware of as the new Connecticut high school wrestling season begins on Wednesday, Dec. 13.
Connecticut and all six New England states will be moving to the new National Federation of High School (NFHS) weight classes with changes coming in seven upper weight classes.
Competition this year will be at 106, 113, 120, 126, 132, 138, 144, 150, 157, 165, 175, 190, 215 and 285 pounds. The weight classes that were modified from last year are 145, 152, 160, 170, 182, 195 and 220.
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Any conference tournament matches held before Feb. 8 will count in a wrestler’s season record along with dual meet or tournament matches against competitors from New England and New York state schools.
Conference tournaments conducted after Feb. 8 don’t count for a wrestler’s CIAC seeding record. The only conference meet set before Feb. 8 is the Central Connecticut Conference meet in Glastonbury.
Prep school matches and bouts against teammate don’t count for tournament seeding.
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In March, there will be an individual tournament for girls held at the New England tournament in Providence, similar to what the CIAC does in Connecticut at the State Open.
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To help the sport grow, coaches are permitted to send up to four elite level wrestlers to elite tournaments twice. A wrestler can attend an elite level tournament while the remainder of his team participates in a dual meet or mulit-team event at the same time.
Xavier, Danbury and Simsbury are sending wrestlers to The Beast of the East tournament in Newark, Delaware on Dec. 15-16. Xavier will be competing at The Clash national duals tournament in Wisconsin in early January.
Still, state wrestlers attending elite events must abide by the same weekly, seasonal and multi-event limitations that all Connecticut wrestlers must meet.
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A wrestler can now compete in up to six matches in a single day, excluding forfeits, according to the National Federation of High Schools.
Previously, wrestlers were limited to five matches. This was usually an issue during tournaments on Saturday when a wrestler lost early in a tournament and then made a run in the consolation round. Competitors will be able to compete only 30 minutes of rest between matches, down from 45 minutes a year ago.
A medical forfeit is when an opponent fails to appear for a match due to an injury or illness that occurs during the tournament, according to NFHS regulations. The determination will be made by the tournament director. A medical forfeit will not count against a wrestler’s record, according to NFHS regulations.
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There are five new co-operative programs in place for the 2023-24 season. Naugatuck and Watertown have joined Pomperaug and will compete in Class LL. Harding/Bassick/Bridgeport Central are one team, also in Class LL.
Gilbert will be hosting a new co-op with Torrington and compete in Class L along with Bloomfield, who has a new co-op partner Weaver.
In Class M, Portland welcomes Cromwell as a new co-op partner.
Previous co-op programs returning include New Haven (Wilbur Cross and Hillhouse), East Lyme/Norwich Tech, Derby/Holy Cross/Oxford, Brookfield/Shepaug, Griswold/Wheeler; Lyman Memorial/Windham Tech, Suffield/Windsor Locks and Terryville/Thomaston.
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Defending champions
New England: 1. Ponaganset RI 143, 2. St. John’s Prep-Danvers MA 82, 3. Coventry RI 75, 4. Xavier 68
State Open: Xavier 175½, New Fairfield 121½, Newtown 120
Class LL: Trumbull 181, East Hartford 177½, Danbury 172½
Class L: Xavier 293½, New Milford 269, Simsbury 211
Class M: Avon 196½, RHAM 196, Foran 187
Class S: Killingly 213½, New Fairfield 202½, Windham 188
