The 2024-25 NSAA Wrestling Manual makes note of six major rule changes implemented by the National Federation of State High School Federations (NFHS).
Three of those in particular will be evident as Nebraska high school matches are contested and scored this season. Most noteworthy, Blair boys coach Erich Warner said, will be the new inbounds rule, which makes it so wrestlers need just one point of contact to remain active within the boundary line.
“That'll change some things as far as kids just being aware of where they're at and not stopping,” the coach explained. “We've always focused on not stopping wrestling on the edge, but now it's even that much more important.”
Previously, wrestlers wouldn't be able to score points on the edge of the mat if they only had a single foot or other point of contact within the circle.
“If there's room, they'll let you wrestle with one toe inbounds,” Warner said about matches going forward. “That's going to be big.”
The other two most-noteworthy new rules involve match scoring this season. Takedowns are now worth three points instead of two, while nearfall — back — points now coincide with the amount of seconds a wrestler is put in danger of a pin. Two-second counts are still worth two points, while 3-counts are worth three points and 4-counts are worth four.
“We've got to be more aggressive on our feet,” BHS girls coach Terry Bellamy said. “We can't rely so much off of wrestling on the bottom because of those 3-point takedowns.”
Escapes still only count as one point, which means it'll be more difficult playing catch-up once taken down.
“One point doesn't seem like much, but it is,” Bellamy said, commenting on the change from 2-point takedowns to 3.
The only record the coach's second Blair girls team didn't break last year in its second season was the takedown record, so he'd really like the Bears to shoot for it this winter with so many more points on the line.
Warner, meanwhile, views both scoring changes as an advantage for his boys squad.
“We're generally a team that's good on our feet and we're also good on top,” he explained. “And those are the two places we can score more points now. So, we kind of expect to come at our matches the same way we did before.”
Both BHS teams will get their first taste of the new rules 5 p.m. Dec. 5 when they host home triangulars to begin the 2024-25 season.
