What they're saying: North Jersey coaches, wrestlers react to major rule changes

On Thursday, the National Federation of State High School Associations wrestling rules committee officially announced several major changes to high school wrestling rules .

The changes include takedowns being worth three points (instead of two) and wrestlers only needing to maintain one point of contact with the mat to continue wrestling, both bringing the high school rules in line with college rules.

Here's what coaches and wrestlers across North Jersey had to say about the changes.

Ramsey coach Anthony Petrock

"I like the changes the sport is making towards rewarding scoring in the offensive position and while in neutral. It’s been a long time coming that you can be dominant on your feet and be rewarded for it where as in the past you could take someone down two times and let them out two times and then get taken down once and somehow you’re tied at 4-4."

"I like the changes in rules but it will definitely change how some kids wrestle. I think you will see far more tilts and less pinning combos with the points being granted for the back points once you hit the elite levels like down at states. Evenly matched wrestlers are hard to pin but if you can tilt them and get four points, it makes all the difference in the match."

Elmwood Park girls coach and boys assistant Dennis Murri

"I was skeptical of the rule changes when colleges instituted them. My fear was that wrestlers would build up a quick lead and ride it out to the end of the match, but I was fortunate enough to volunteer coach on the college club level last season and found that wasn’t the case. The matches were exciting, high scoring and action-packed."

"I’m a little concerned about the new out-of-bounds rules, as many high school mats do not have excessive space on the edges. I am concerned that athletes will wrestle and land hard on a gym floor or a score table."

Wayne Valley coach Todd Schroeder

"I like the change. It’s going to emphasize more action on your feet and scoring opportunities on the mat."

Delbarton junior and two-time state champ Alessio Perentin

“When the three-point takedown rule was introduced on the college level, I was hoping it would eventually carry over to the high school level. For a wrestler like me, who works on scoring as many points as possible, getting an extra point for a takedown is a game-changer. This not only benefits me but fits into our team’s style of wrestling.”

“As for the out-of-bounds rule, I can’t tell you how many times I’ve been on the edge where I needed extra room. This gives us more space, especially considering every inch counts."

Garfield coach Aaron Khan

"I love the fact that they did the three-point takedown in college. Now, I love the fact that it was approved today in high school because we want to prepare the kids for college. We want to get the kids to that level. I love the one-point in. That's awesome because I think you should wrestle the whole mat. But with the four-point near fall and three-point takedown in high school, I think what you're going to see is a big gap between the good kids and the newer kids. You're going to see a lot more tech falls in the first period and a lot more high-scoring matches and matches turning around real quick."

"I think if they're going to make it as close to college as possible, just make it the college rules. Bring in riding time. Have a sit-down with your officials and talk about what stalling is and what riding is. If you're going to do it, do it the whole way. Don't just take things here or there."

Pascack Valley coach Gary Beyer

"I like the three-point takedown. It offers up a lot of great opportunities, especially for the aggressive wrestlers who push action. It’s good for wrestlers and good for fans."

"We’re always heavily focused on takedowns and pushing the action so, if anything, we’ll look to encourage even greater activity on their feet, especially early in the match to help build a solid lead early on."

"It also means that even if you’re behind late in the match, the three points keep you in the hunt. So further reminder to our wrestlers to wrestle hard from start to finish because it ain’t over 'til it’s over."

"As for the near fall and out-of-bounds rule changes, I love those as well. They encourage aggressive wrestling and reward the wrestlers who are in shape and pushing the action, which is what our sport is all about. Again, good for the wrestlers and good for the fans."

Pascack Hills coach Dave Bucco

"I am neutral on it. The positive is it's going to help our best wrestlers transition and acclimate to college wrestling a little easier. On the other hand, the gap between the best kids and everyone else has never been further apart and these rule changes will heighten that gap even more. It's almost like every single dual meet bout is bonus points one way or another, even without these rule changes. So we will see even more lopsided results like first period techs."

"A lot of a wrestler’s offense these days come from neutral anyway and letting a wrestler escape and taking them down again, so it won’t change our practices. When it comes to game planning for a match, I guess I’d probably assume a kid who I’m looking to get minored is going to get majored now, and a kid who we are hoping to get majored will probably be getting teched."

Don Bosco coach Jim Azzolina

"I like the movement to college rules. I’m scared it’s going to really penalize the lower-level programs that may not excel in the neutral position, though. I figured this was coming after the college adaptation, though. I think the public schools will have a harder time with the adjustment than most of the privates do. The kids that are wrestling on the national circuit (private or public) will be used to it, though, because most offseason tournaments operate under college rules, so maybe it won’t be too bad."

"With my guys, I won’t have to change much. We spend a lot of time focusing on the neutral position and look to push the pace on our feet. The rule change will most likely benefit us quite a bit."

High Point coach John Gardner

“We see a lot of takedowns, so we’re going to see a lot more points scored in a match. It’s going to change scoring and strategy. That’s all obvious."

"The new out-of-bounds rule is the most significant change in my opinion. It makes everything clear, and coaches and wrestlers will know where they stand. It was well-received on the college level, and it was just a matter of time before it reached high school.”

Delbarton coach Bryan Stoll

About the three-point takedown: “You can build a big lead pretty quickly. It’s a little tricky in a sense because it devalues the stall and escape points. But strategically and technically, there’s things we’ll need to figure out. Anytime you have the opportunity to put more points on the board, the more exciting the match.”

“We’re really excited about the out-of-bounds rule. Anytime you can expand the line, it’s positive. It’s as easy as it gets and it follows college rules. It all makes it easy to coach.”

This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: What they're saying: North Jersey coaches, wrestlers react to major rule changes