PIAA will consider moving from 14 to 13 weight classes

Some big changes could be coming to some of the bigger weight classes in the PIAA for the 2020-21 wrestling season.

The PIAA wrestling steering committee crafted a proposal earlier this week to reduce the number of weight classes from 14 to 13 while leaving all of the weights from 106-160 pounds intact.

In the new set of weight classes outlined in the proposal, the 170-pound weight class would be bumped up to 172 pounds, the 182-pound weight class would be increased to 189 and the 220-pound weight class would be lowered to 215, while the 195-pound weight class would be scrapped.

The proposal, which also will create a natural tiebreaker for dual meets with an odd number of weight classes, will be considered by the PIAA board of directors for final approval May 20.

Canon-McMillan athletic director Frank Vulcano, who also serves as the chairman of the WPIAL wrestling committee and represented the WPIAL at the annual committee meeting, said the proposed changes were a year in the making.

“It all started last year at our committee meeting when we proposed going to 12 [weight classes] and hoping the [National Federation of State High Schools] would do something this year,” Vulcano said. “The federation came out [Tuesday] with their new rules changes for next year, and there was no movement in the weightclass changes.

“Our PIAA wrestling steering committee meeting was moved to [Wednesday]. It just so happened that way. And that topic came back up. They didn’t do anything. What are we going to do?”

One of the driving forces behind the call for a reduction in weight classes is to cut down on the amount of forfeits taking place in dual meets, particularly in the lowest and highest weight classes.

“That’s one of the main reasons,” Vulcano said. “We’ve had studies the last number of years on forfeits in wrestling, and it’s increased a lot over the last 5, 10 years. We thought this was a good way to start building the sport and eliminate the forfeits.”

Vulcano said none of the four members of the PIAA board of directors who sat in on the Zoom meeting expressed any concerns, giving him plenty of confidence that the proposed changes will go through.

Although the proposal calls for some of the higher weight classes to be shifted or sacrificed, Vulcano said it was important to avoid eliminating the 106-pound weight class, which the committee believes is integral to the sport.

“Most of the thought process was, wrestling is for guys of all sizes,” Vulcano said. “And the reality is, most of the heavier weights are kids that coaches try to get out as juniors or seniors to fill out a weight class.

“They might be football players or just athletes in general.

“Are they truly the wrestler type? Versus the 106-pounder, who most of the time is a true wrestler.”