High school wrestling fans had to change the way they cheered at duals and tournaments this season.
TWOOOO became THREEEE because of a rule change to the sport, but area coaches, for the most part, liked the changes that happened before the season started.
“I do like them a lot,” Lynnville-Sully head wrestling coach Cayden Johnson said. “It makes the sport more enjoyable and more fun to watch. The scoring is up, and it brings a lot more technical falls to the mix. It gets them more ready for the college level, too.”
![Kylee Adams](https://www.newtondailynews.com/resizer/zYWs8mN7QxkPCLYrr7Wv9ITm48s=/1440x0/filters:format(jpg):quality(70)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/shawmedia/DKQICQCVZZB4NARSVSLKCL7NT4.jpg)
The high school changes do align closer with collegiate scoring. Takedowns are now worth three points, wrestlers can get four points for a near fall and the new out of bounds rule is clearer and easier for officials to make accurate calls.
But Newton head boys wrestling coach RJ Brown is one who is not a fan of the changes overall.
“It helps the good kids mostly,” Brown said. “Technical falls happen way more often now. I don’t think the new three-point takedown has much impact, and I don’t think the near fall change was needed at the high school level.
“There’s so many more turns than in college. I love the rule for college because turning someone is harder. You should be rewarded for that. Turns happen all the time in high school so you see scoreboards light up at this level. There’s a lot more points being scored and, ultimately, that’s the main reason they changed it.”
Technical falls are up. And the better wrestlers have typically benefited the most from the rule changes.
![Kaden Clark](https://www.newtondailynews.com/resizer/Ui713hv_jBTJU7lSXOT_PCiMnWE=/1440x0/filters:format(jpg):quality(70)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/shawmedia/YUXPWH4PKFDA7PGPSO7YPVIEXE.jpg)
For PCM wrestling, it has depended on the wrestler though. Kaden Clark, Tucker Wheeler and Kaliber Fry have been ranked at their weights throughout the season but only Wheeler and Fry have turned the rule changes into more technical falls.
Wheeler, who owns the school’s takedown record, has 36 wins this season. Twelve of those have been by pin, but he’s registered 17 technical falls and one major decision.
Fry’s 33 wins have included 14 pins, 13 technical falls and two major decisions. But Clark has turned his 44 wins into 33 pins, two technical falls and three major decisions.
PCM head wrestling coach Rusty Vos also said his wrestlers have had to adjust to the new rules when it comes to dual competition.
“We had to have a discussion with (Wheeler) at the beginning of the season in a dual,” Vos said. “He likes to get takedowns and is trying to best his own record. But in those duals we need pins not technical falls. We need those extra bonus points.”
![Kimball Elliott](https://www.newtondailynews.com/resizer/VAvcq-uB4R2FjEHAl5BL-KlJig8=/1440x0/filters:format(jpg):quality(70)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/shawmedia/SA73N5ROMNAZLKWL7V52HJ3BNE.jpg)
Vos also said the new rules have changed the way his coaching staff makes decisions during matches.
“It was a whole different mindset at that first tournament,” Vos said. “Coach Wheeler and I were thinking about it for a second because the strategy does change a bit.
“We would rather go neutral and win on our feet now instead of going to the down position because it’s three points instead of one or two.”
Brown’s top three wrestlers haven’t really benefited from the new rules when it comes to technical falls.
Kent Montgomery, a state qualifier last season and a Cardinal who had been ranked all season until the most recent set was released this week, has 36 wins and 18 pins. He does have a team-best six technical falls and one major decision.
![Jack Anderson](https://www.newtondailynews.com/resizer/9IG185gBazH9nl8NGcblZhySA0E=/1440x0/filters:format(jpg):quality(70)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/shawmedia/PWC7UKDK2NH6XPW7EHLSQGL3DY.jpg)
But Lane Rozendaal has registered 21 pins and only two technical falls this winter, while Nick Milburn has 16 pins, one technical fall and one major decision.
Lynnville-Sully currently has three ranked wrestlers. And the Hawk trio has won much more frequently by fall than technical fall.
Jett Kramer has 39 wins as a freshman and 29 of those came by fall with three being technical fall victories.
Twenty-eight of Kimball Elliott’s 35 wins were by fall and Matthew Mintle has registered 42 wins with 27 coming by fall, four by technical fall and one by major decision.
“The dynamics of wrestling have changed,” Baxter head boys wrestling coach Dwight Gliem said. “For the good. I’m all for it. You used to be able to get taken down, but if you got a reversal it was back to even. Now, we’re working harder on our feet than we ever have before because takedowns are more important.
“You’ll see a lot more tilts and a lot more, what I call, cheap back points. We’ve had more technical falls this year than we’ve had in the last five years.”
![Cason Fitch](https://www.newtondailynews.com/resizer/-waMXDlDh1BkEazxIxjDc_GlKKA=/1440x0/filters:format(jpg):quality(70)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/shawmedia/6WX7ZVGAIBDXJPCXTA73IOA3TE.jpg)
Baxter’s top wrestler has been Jack Anderson, who has 40 wins so far. Twenty-four of those have come by pin, but he does have seven technical falls.
Maddox Peters has compiled 17 pins and two technical falls as part of his 27 wins.
“I think you might get a different answer depending on who you ask because of their wrestling styles,” Colfax-Mingo head boys wrestling coach Stacey Rice said. “It hurts my heavyweight a little bit. He’s really good from the down position. It used to be if you gave up a takedown, you can tie it right away with a reversal on bottom. You have to manage the match a little bit different and focus on different things with the new scoring system. Cason (Fitch) and Caden (Sykes) are really good on their feet so they can pile up a lead really quick.”
Rice’s heavyweight is Teagan Dybevik. He’s been in and out of the lineup due to injuries and in and out of the rankings because of those injuries but 11 of his 17 wins have been by pin.
Cason Fitch has 35 wins, 21 pins, three technical falls and three major decisions.
![Johnelle Gliem](https://www.newtondailynews.com/resizer/vMDsfXmtxiSLbe4TxISF0Jm6muE=/1440x0/filters:format(jpg):quality(70)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/shawmedia/4UM4WOXKURDLXDPDEKIUUZ5XLY.jpg)
Caden Sykes has produced 34 wins, 11 pins, six technical falls and two major decisions in his first season as a Tigerhawk.
“I was a little nervous when we started the season with how it would go, but after so many matches, I like it,” Colfax-Mingo head girls wrestling coach Erin Hume said. “The three-point takedown rewarding the more aggressive wrestler works. It incentivizes trying to score on your feet and changes how you wrestle on top, too.”
Hume said the changes haven’t affected how his staff operates during matches. He prefers that his wrestlers go for the pin first and foremost.
Emma Cook, who just wrapped up a third-place finish at the girls state wrestling tournament, won 46 matches this winter and 30 came by pin.
Lily Webster, another top-four finisher at state last week, won 44 matches and half of those came by pin. She also produced two technical falls and one major decision.
![Emma Cook](https://www.newtondailynews.com/resizer/O_ooPfGnH16oMqXeOJwv0IU18KY=/1440x0/filters:format(jpg):quality(70)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/shawmedia/M2LIZIOQKNB6VNT23YVGPKQC7U.jpg)
Devan Chadwick, another senior for the Tigerhawks, won 43 matches in her final season and 29 came by fall. She also had one technical fall.
“I like it. It’s working well, but it will hurt you real quick or help you real quick,” Baxter head girls wrestling coach Randi Gliem said. “I think it’s forcing the girls to be more aggressive. There was so much dancing around last year. This year, it forces them to make a move.
“I think it will be a good thing, but it has taken some getting used to for all of us. The ones who have been doing this since they were little, it’s a big mind shift for them.”
The Bolts’ top two female wrestlers were Johnelle Gliem and Zoey Gliem. Most of their wins came by fall as Johnelle produced 21 wins and 18 pins. Twelve of Zoey Gliem’s 16 wins came by pin.
For the most part, area girls preferred the pin to technical falls.
![Johana Cerna](https://www.newtondailynews.com/resizer/Fab9u8eH0ZZNfbCg60zcVOmwm4o=/1440x0/filters:format(jpg):quality(70)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/shawmedia/6U7UZSH77RFB3B766JVUSDJODQ.jpg)
Newton senior Stella Cupples had 30 wins and 27 of those came by fall. Ashlyn Van Manen also registered 15 pins and 25 wins.
Kylee Adams is the one who has benefited the most to the new scoring. She won 25 matches and only 10 came by fall. She produced five major decisions and three technical falls.
The new scoring system also has allowed for wrestlers to never be out of a match. No lead is safe with a seven-point move.
Cook trailed in four of her six matches at the girls state wrestling tournament and rallied from a 7-0 hole in an elimination match.
“If you make it to state and you’re down by four in the third, we’re no longer out of it,” Dwight Gliem said. “You can score points quick.”
![Tucker Wheeler](https://www.newtondailynews.com/resizer/W7SGV_DkZLgYAWBJqn_4fj2I4fw=/1440x0/filters:format(jpg):quality(70)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/shawmedia/SZWE73JOIRGHTAH7FNRUSTIQDU.jpg)
The new out of bounds rule was changed to only one point of contact needs to be inbounds at all times. Wrestlers are still in bounds if a finger is still in bounds.
“I wish I would have had that when I was in high school,” said Johnson, who is a Lynnville-Sully alum, too. “That one is awesome. If there’s a toe or finger in bounds, you’re in bounds.”
While the new rule is beneficial for the wrestlers, it also helps the coaches and officials with a more clear-cut ruling. The judgment calls are now gone.
“I like the out of bounds rule,” Vos said. “It allows you to wrestle longer as long as you keep a body part inbounds. We are wrestling until the whistle is blown now. You have to keep wrestling.”