The dual-team wrestling playoffs are unlike any other N.C. High School Athletic Association sport in a few ways. First, it’s the only one where the back-to-back rounds are hosted by one of the four participating schools — and this happens twice — and secondly, it’s the only one where the host of two of its rounds is determined by distance.

I have reported on some third round games that lead up to regional championships. In general, the crowd is smaller if the hosting team is not one of the top two teams remaining in the third round.

The atmosphere drastically decreases if the host school is eliminated after the third round.

You may be curious as to why the host school is not the top seed, as is typically the case in other bracketed sports. Is the NCHSAA behaving irrationally?

It should be noted that seeded playoffs in wrestling are a relatively recent concept. The first instance of non-predetermined brackets for wrestling playoffs was in 2017, when the brackets were based primarily on win-loss percentage.

It wasn’t until last year when the NCHSAA started using RankWrestlers to seed. (I can’t sing RankWrestlers’ praises enough. No algorithm is perfect, but theirs is good enough to feel comfortable using for seeding, as evidenced by Saturday’s finals featuring all 1-seeds except one.)

The NCHSAA’s decision to host the third round is not a result of coaches being rejected in previous years. It has been a regular practice for the majority of its existence.

The next step should be a logical extension based on the effectiveness of RankWrestlers, the benefits of seeding, and the unfortunately low attendance at regional finals that have been disappointing.

The N.C. Wrestling Coaches Association has successfully introduced girls wrestling as a new sport within its organization.

The NCWCA is suggested to put forth a proposal to the NCHSAA board of directors requesting that the team with the highest seed hosts these rounds.

It’s a natural outgrowth following the success story that seeding has been. It also opens up doors for powerhouses to finally host the latter rounds of the playoffs — think Laney in Wilmington or Robbinsville — that, as of now, have no chance based on where they’re located.

This would also bring wrestling in line with other sports, where the highest ranked teams have the advantage of playing at home in the later stages.

While it may result in increased travel, wrestling fans and parents are known to be extremely devoted to the sport, making the journey without hesitation.

Upon their arrival, they deserve to be greeted with a vibrant atmosphere, as this sport deserves.

Source: highschoolot.com