THE FRONT ROW WITH JASON ELLIOTT: Wrestling paths now clear, like it or not

Coaches knew at the start of the winter sports season that things were going to be constantly changing from day to day and week to week.

This week, wrestling coaches in the area received a little more clarity when it comes to how the state tournaments will be contested.

EARLIER THIS week, the Idaho High School Activities Association announced the state wrestling tournaments will still be held at the Ford Idaho Center in Nampa, with the 5A and 4A tournaments Friday, Feb. 26 and the 3A and 2A tournaments on Saturday, Feb. 27.

Originally, all four tournaments were scheduled to be two-day tournaments, on Feb. 26 and 27.

"You could run into some problems," Coeur d'Alene coach Jeff Moffat said. "They're going to have to waive some rules. You can only wrestle five matches in a day, and if you lose your first match, you'll have to wrestle six matches to get back to third-place. So I don't know what they're going to do there."

Most other years, the first two rounds in each classification are held on Friday, with semifinals on Saturday morning, followed by finals later in the day.

“You might have to forfeit that 45-minute rest time as well,” said Moffat, who coached Coeur d'Alene to state 5A titles in 2010 and 2011. “I know they’re saying it’s about fans, but I don’t really know.”

The IHSAA's plans for fans at state are still to be determined.

In November, tournament organizers were toying with the idea of holding each individual tournament at a different high school in the Boise area.

“I was surprised when they came out with this plan,” Moffat said. “That was not a proposal that I’d heard earlier in the year. I’d heard something about having a three-day tournament, moving it to different high schools and things like that. But I hadn’t heard anything about a one-day tournament. It kind of caught me off guard.”

“I’ve had both feelings on it,” Lake City coach Corey Owen said. “The idea that there’s some kids that are going to have to wrestle six matches in a day to decide a state tournament seems like a stretch, like a challenge to some kids. Matthew (Whitcomb) has trained so hard and has a tough kid in his weight class from Meridian (Kaleb Smith, who beat Whitcomb in the semifinals at the Rollie Lane Invitational earlier this month). If that kid has to wrestle three times before facing Matthew, then Matt’s not going to have a problem wrestling four times in a day.”

For other wrestlers, meanwhile?

“It’s going to benefit those that have trained hard and wrestled a bunch of matches in a row,” Owen said. “We’re going to have to pick it up in the wrestling room to simulate that. We’re going to have to have guys ready to wrestle six matches in a day. I think if it gets all the kids there and the parents there, it’s probably the best option.”

Area high schools have adjusted when it comes to their state qualifying tournaments on Feb. 20. 5A will be at Lake City High, 3A at Bonners Ferry and 2A at St. Maries. The 4A tournament is Feb. 19 at Lakeland.

WHILE PREPS continue to battle through the final weeks of the regular season, North Idaho College was scheduled to start its wrestling season this weekend at the Apodaca Duals in Powell, Wyo.

That didn’t quite happen.

NIC pulled out of the tournament earlier this week, citing safety concerns due to COVID-19. School officials are working on a new schedule to meet the needs and safety of the student athletes, according to NIC coach Mike Sebaaly.

When — and if — the NJCAA Tournament arrives April 21-22 in Council Bluffs, Iowa, the NJCAA has adjusted what nationals will look like when the time comes.

Earlier this month, the NJCAA suspended district tournaments to qualify for nationals for this year only.

Teams will be limited to one wrestler per weight class (10 total) for nationals, and must be entered by April 12.

SURE, THIS might not be the best option in some's opinion, but at this point, it's going to have to work.

They've come way too far to turn back now.

Jason Elliott is a sports writer for The Press. He can be reached by telephone at (208) 664-8176, Ext. 2020 or via email at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @JECdAPress.