NFHS announces rule changes for 2024-2025 high school season

[GregPickel]

Highlights, per a news release:

Beginning with the 2024-25 season, high school wrestlers will be inbounds with only one point of contact of either wrestler inside or on the boundary line.

Points awarded for a Near-Fall have been revised in high school wrestling. Overall, the changes simplify the points awarded based on how long the wrestler is held in near-fall criteria. The change in Rule 5-11-3 is as follows:

Two points will be awarded when near-fall criteria are held for two seconds, three points for three seconds, four points for four seconds and five points if the defensive wrestler is injured, indicates an injury or bleeding occurs after the four-point near-fall has been earned. These changes will affect other rules including individual match scoring in Rule 9.

Beginning next season, wrestlers will be awarded three match points instead of two when securing a takedown.

Full release:

https://www.nfhs.org/articles/participants-now-inbounds-with-one-point-of-contact-in-high-school-wrestling/

 

[Tom McAndrew]

smh. There had been some rumblings in the ref community that 3-point TDs were under consideration, as well as changes to NF points. I was hoping they wouldn't make such changes, but it is what it is.

 

[GregPickel]

 

[Tom McAndrew]

I should note that I like the 1-point in contact to be considered inbounds. The NFHS has been tinkering with this for the past several years, and we (refs, in instruction sessions) have spent a great deal of time going over the out-of-bounds changes, and how to properly call these things. And while 99% of the time we get it right, there are always coaches or fans arguing for us to call it like they see things called in college.

 

[GregPickel]

I should note that I like the 1-point in contact to be considered inbounds. The NFHS has been tinkering with this for the past several years, and we (refs, in instruction sessions) have spent a great deal of time going over the out-of-bounds changes, and how to properly call these things. And while 99% of the time we get it right, there are always coaches or fans arguing for us to call it like they see things called in college.

Tom, based on your expertise, is this net positive for wrestlers, officials, and fans, a net negative, or somewhere in between?

 

[Tom McAndrew]

Tom, based on your expertise, is this net positive for wrestlers, officials, and fans, a net negative, or somewhere in between?

@GregPickel -- I wanted to take some time to reflect on your question, and also to discuss it with some refs.

My concern, and the issue I've heard raised by several refs, is that these changes are going to make it more difficult (read as less fun, more disheartening, etc.) for wrestlers that are not elite, especially when they are facing good wrestlers.

In the current scoring, if someone is taken down, and put in near fall a good bit of time, that's 5 points for the opponent. That's a lot of points, but it's not a major, and it's not close to a tech fall. With the new scoring, that would be 7 points, which is really close to a major, and almost half-way to a TF. The better wrestlers are schooled at when they can't get a pin with a particular move, to release it, switch to a different move, and attain more NF points. In the old system, that would be 2 + 3 + 3 for 8 points, whereas in the new system it would be 3 + 4 + 4 for 11 points.

I like the changes to the edge, as it will make it easier for refs, and also allow for more NF points and possibly more pins. But again, it's the better wrestlers that will be benefiting from this.

The changes give a premium to TDs and to NF points, which from a spectator standpoint is probably not a bad thing (I think; not sure). But there's something to be said for the current system where an esc is half the value of a TD, where a reversal is the same value as a TD, and NF is capped at 3 points (unless the top wrestler releases the hold, and switches to a different hold). Defensive wrestlers and scramblers are generally at a disadvantage, but the current system enables them to manage the match, and stay competitive until the end, where they can hope for a late tactical move to gain the victory. Now they're more likely going to need a lot of luck and some haymakers to get a win.

So to specifically answer your question:

1. for wrestlers -- it's a mixed bag. The better wrestlers will benefit from the change, and the better teams will be even more dominant. The less advanced wrestlers might enjoy the changes when facing similar opponents (hard to say), but will dislike the changes when facing tough competition

2. for officials -- we just enforce the rules as written. They'll be some confusion with the points for TDs and for NF, as many of us have years/decades of habits to change. The college refs I've spoken to indicated that the change in college for TDs wasn't hard for them to get used to you, and many of them ref both college and HS, so they had to differentiate between the two when awarding TD points. The boundary change will be very good for refs. The NF change is probably a mixed bag. Currently it's 2 points if held for 2 sec, and 3 points if held for 5 sec. That seems simple enough, but we get a lot of complaints as it is when we give a swipe, and another swipe (interrupted), and don't award any NF points as it wasn't a continuous 2 sec, and also complaints when we give 4 (or even start the 5th) swipes, but only award 2 points (criteria not held for 5 continuous seconds). Now there are 3 options (2, 3, or 4 points) to award for NF, so we'll probably get even more complaints no matter what we do.

3. for fans -- this is the toughest one for me to evaluate, as we (as refs) do our best to tune them out, and in HS matches they are usually some distance from the mat. Youth matches (which usually adopt the same rules used for HS) is where we hear the fans the most, as they are frequently sitting right on the edge of the mat. I'm really not sure how fans will react to the changes

 

[GregPickel]

@GregPickel -- I wanted to take some time to reflect on your question, and also to discuss it with some refs.

My concern, and the issue I've heard raised by several refs, is that these changes are going to make it more difficult (read as less fun, more disheartening, etc.) for wrestlers that are not elite, especially when they are facing good wrestlers.

In the current scoring, if someone is taken down, and put in near fall a good bit of time, that's 5 points for the opponent. That's a lot of points, but it's not a major, and it's not close to a tech fall. With the new scoring, that would be 7 points, which is really close to a major, and almost half-way to a TF. The better wrestlers are schooled at when they can't get a pin with a particular move, to release it, switch to a different move, and attain more NF points. In the old system, that would be 2 + 3 + 3 for 8 points, whereas in the new system it would be 3 + 4 + 4 for 11 points.

I like the changes to the edge, as it will make it easier for refs, and also allow for more NF points and possibly more pins. But again, it's the better wrestlers that will be benefiting from this.

The changes give a premium to TDs and to NF points, which from a spectator standpoint is probably not a bad thing (I think; not sure). But there's something to be said for the current system where an esc is half the value of a TD, where a reversal is the same value as a TD, and NF is capped at 3 points (unless the top wrestler releases the hold, and switches to a different hold). Defensive wrestlers and scramblers are generally at a disadvantage, but the current system enables them to manage the match, and stay competitive until the end, where they can hope for a late tactical move to gain the victory. Now they're more likely going to need a lot of luck and some haymakers to get a win.

So to specifically answer your question:

1. for wrestlers -- it's a mixed bag. The better wrestlers will benefit from the change, and the better teams will be even more dominant. The less advanced wrestlers might enjoy the changes when facing similar opponents (hard to say), but will dislike the changes when facing tough competition

2. for officials -- we just enforce the rules as written. They'll be some confusion with the points for TDs and for NF, as many of us have years/decades of habits to change. The college refs I've spoken to indicated that the change in college for TDs wasn't hard for them to get used to you, and many of them ref both college and HS, so they had to differentiate between the two when awarding TD points. The boundary change will be very good for refs. The NF change is probably a mixed bag. Currently it's 2 points if held for 2 sec, and 3 points if held for 5 sec. That seems simple enough, but we get a lot of complaints as it is when we give a swipe, and another swipe (interrupted), and don't award any NF points as it wasn't a continuous 2 sec, and also complaints when we give 4 (or even start the 5th) swipes, but only award 2 points (criteria not held for 5 continuous seconds). Now there are 3 options (2, 3, or 4 points) to award for NF, so we'll probably get even more complaints no matter what we do.

3. for fans -- this is the toughest one for me to evaluate, as we (as refs) do our best to tune them out, and in HS matches they are usually some distance from the mat. Youth matches (which usually adopt the same rules used for HS) is where we hear the fans the most, as they are frequently sitting right on the edge of the mat. I'm really not sure how fans will react to the changes

Thanks for the insight, Tom, really appreciate it!