Thanks to the record-setting snowfall sweeping across Washington this month, regional wrestling tournaments have been cancelled statewide, making this year’s Mat Classic XXXI at the Tacoma Dome a crowded playing field.
The Washington Interscholastic Activities Association (WIAA) cancelled regionals early this month due to inclement weather, forcing state tournament officials to alter the format of Mat Classic XXXI. Wrestlers in each weight class will be competing in 32-man brackets, double the traditional 16 competitors per weight class of past years.
Cheney head coach Jason Connor expressed some apprehension at the change in format, but said he and his coaching staff “feel our guys have pretty fair chances.”
“We are obviously happy we qualified seven of our guys for the state tournament,” Connor said in an email. “Our guys need to block out the chaos of the event and focus on competing one match at a time.”
Mat Classic XXXI is currently scheduled to begin Feb. 14 with weigh-ins, followed by first-day matches on Feb. 15 and placing and championship matches on Feb. 16.
Cheney’s wrestlers placed well at districts so will likely get a favorable placement in the state brackets. Connor said his wrestlers are looking forward to the Friday split schedule and having some time to rest in the evening before competing on Saturday.
“People have been talking about a 32-person straight to state format for as long as I can remember,” Connor said. “This experiment will be interesting given the lack of planning for it, but we are keeping open minds.”
WIAA Executive Director Mike Colbrese said this type of format has never happened before “because we’ve not had these kinds of weather issues before,” but was confident that the state tournament would go well despite the last-minute changes.
“We’ve got great people who understand the sport and the logistics of it and they know what to do,” Colbrese said. “It’s done and ready to go.”
Colbrese recommended any students or parents curious about the state tournament go to the organization’s website at http://www.wiaa.com and keep in contact with their local coach and athletic director.
Shannen Talbot can be reached at shannen@cheneyfreepress.com.
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