Seth Duckworth
COVID has dramatically pushed back the start of the Texas high school wrestling season but on January 21st the UIL published their most recent update to the 2021 wrestling calendar.
Here is the current schedule for all schools:
February 8th 1st day for minimum weight certification
March 1st 1st day for duals, triangular and quadrangular meets.
March 27th Last day for all weight certifications
April 10th District Certification Deadline
April 16th & 17th Regional Meets
April 23rd & 24th State Meet
Deadlines for filing entry forms to appropriate director:
District: 5 days prior to district meet
Regionals: Immediately following district meet. Please review regional director’s specified deadline.
State: Regional results will be sent to the state office by the regional director. The school does not send an entry form or fees to the UIL office.
Schools must also follow the following guidelines:
• Only Dual, Triangular & Quadrangular meets will be allowed prior to the District, Regional, and State Tournaments.
• Two-pound growth allowance granted for entire season. Per NFHS rule 4-4-4, a 2lb growth allowance may be added to each weight class any time after the date of the certification.
• No student representing a member school shall participate in more than one contest (dual, triangular or quadrangular) per school week.
Junior High is only allowed to compete in dual meets only starting on March 1st at a maximum of six meets.
These are the specific guidelines for each “Meet”:
• Single duals, triangular, or quadrangular only.
• A Varsity and JV from the same school counts as two (2) teams.
• Plan and communicate effectively with teams and officials in preparation for weigh-ins and following all procedures and protocols.
• Mats must be sanitized at the start of each dual match and at the conclusion of the event.
• Conduct weigh-in by team rather than shoulder-to-shoulder by weight.
• Conduct weigh-ins with multiple, certified scales.
• Conduct weigh-ins in a larger area such as gym, wrestling room, etc.
• Careful consideration should be given to athlete seating for wrestlers not actively engaged in a match as it relates to social distancing and face coverings. Spread out chairs, where possible. Designate bleacher space to help with social distancing.
• Verify that all contestants on your team are in good health and showing no symptoms of illness.
• No team handshakes after meets. Acknowledge opponents from across the mat(s).
One of the biggest changes comes with their postseason tournament policy:
• Change in Qualifying Structure: Top 2 individuals from each weight class advance from District to Regionals & Regionals to State.
• District and Regional Tournament will have potential for wrestle backs to advance a true 2nd place qualifier.
• Regionals and State will utilize 8-person bracket, place to 4th.
The full release is below.
https://www.uiltexas.org/files/athletics/2020-21_Wrestling_Calendar__Update-Final.pdf
The state’s best program, the Allen Eagles, released their schedule earlier this week.
A petition has been started asking the UIL to not restrict placers to 2 in the district, regional and state competition. They would like the UIL to honor the tradition of 4 placers and an alternate in each weight class to advance to the next round of competition.  Â
https://www.change.org/p/university-interscholastic-league-uil-new-uil-wrestling-guidelines
