A great move by D11

    It was recently announced that District 11 (Lehigh Valley) is making significant changes to its team wrestling structure. I know a lot of my readers here follow the statewide wrestling scene so this is for you.
   Here is the breakdown for District 11-AA, where the champion and runner-up advance to the PIAA Team Duals in Hershey.

• Field expanded from 10 to 12 teams
• Teams seeded by power rating, not by committee
• Tournament will be double-elimination starting with the quarterfinals
• Championship round loser will meet Consolation bracket winner in "the ultimate qualifier"

   I love this change, and I emphasize the third and fourth points mentioned above in my opinion. Double-elimination means more wrestling between the better teams, and who doesn't want more of that?

   Secondly, and more importantly, this ultimate qualifier as D11 is dubbing it certainly ramps up the excitement. And it also should eliminate a good bit if not all of the arguing over seeding issues. Take Class AA for example, where nobody has wanted to be the fourth or fifth seed in the draw over the past few years. Advance to the semifinals and what's your reward?: Top-seeded Bethlehem Catholic, which has run roughshod over the state's best in recent times. 

   Now, in this format, you could lose the semifinal, or quarterfinal for that matter, but still come back with two or three wins to be the district's second representative. And from a motivational standpoint, say you lose a close match in the semi, but get another crack at them in the consolation if they would lose the title match. 

   Obviously, this kind of setup wouldn't apply for District 5, where only the champion moves on to the Giant Center. But how about District 6-AA, which seems to have its share of contentious seeding scenarios on almost a yearly basis?

   Over the years, I've seen plenty of times where the second best team in a district loses earlier than the final, because of where they are seeded. District 11 is doing its part to make sure it gets its two best squads to Hershey. They hit a home run with this decision.