TAYLOR MADE: INTERESTING DEVELOPMENTS ON THE MATS & HARDWOODS (2020-02-26)
There's a glitch in this year's state wrestling championships — which I can only sum up as a Catch 22 to the revamped seeding system and a double standard established by the New York State Public High School Athletic Association.
Following years of scrutiny for only seeding the top eight wrestlers in each weight class, NYSPHSAA is now seeding every wrestler. You would think this would satisfy the thousands of wrestling faithful around the state who have been demanding this change, but instead it has created animosity.
No exceptions were made in seeding, so Section IV wrestlers will face each other three times in the first round. That includes one battle between teammates as Tioga's Donavan Smith and Mason Welch will square off right off the bat at 120 pounds.
I know several people at Tioga who are upset with the situation — and rightfully so. However, in my opinion, this is a state championship event and there should be no favoritism shown.
One person suggested they move Welch, the 11th seed, up or down a spot to avoid an early clash with his teammate. First of all, you can't bump him up as that is unfair to the wrestler currently occupying the 10th seed. If you drop him down a spot, you're being unfair to Welch. Maybe he would rather drop a spot and take his chances against the fifth seed rather than face Smith.
Had they dropped Welch one spot, he would have moved to the top half of the bracket with a potential semifinal against three-time defending state champion Anthony Noto — should both wrestlers advance through Friday's action unscathed.
Tioga fans also need to remember they are among the staunchest critics of NYSPHSAA's geographical seeding format for the football tournament — and with good reason. If NYSPHSAA would actually seed the playoffs, the Tigers most likely would have enjoyed several trips to the Carrier Dome instead of bowing out in the semis several times.
Of course, NYSPHSAA needs to take notice of what's going on with its postseason formats and avoid the double standard. It's time the organization starts looking at seeding other postseason events like football, basketball, baseball, etc.
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HOOP-MANIA
Two weeks ago, I watched (slightly stunned) as Owego's Kaci Donovan scored 13 points in 99 seconds. In that very short amount of time, she matched my career total, which took me two years of youth basketball to accomplish. And now you know why I became a wrestler.
Last Friday, Newark Valley (20-0) displayed its dominance with a 72-16 thrashing of Whitney Point in the IAC Large School championship game.
Those performances serve as a prelude to what could be a truly interesting clash next week. If everything goes according to plan, the second-seeded Indians (currently 12-6)will host three seed Newark Valley in a Section IV Class B semifinal Wednesday.
An Owego-Newark Valley battle would pit the only unbeaten team in Section IV against a team who will come in riding a 10-game win streak.
At one point in the season, the Indians were only 3-6 and a trip to the postseason was not a sure thing. One of those wins came in the season opener against Friday's opponent Chenango Forks, 70-40. This Friday brings a special night to OFA as the girls play Forks at 5:30 p.m. and the boys take on CF at 7:15 p.m. in a doubleheader.
NV (20-0) and seeded third, but can't afford to look ahead as they will have their hands full Saturday night against IAC South Large School rival Waverly. Led by Sidney Tomasso, the No. 6 Wolverines (15-4) have given NV two of its tougher battles this season.
Newark Valley is good enough to compete in STAC, but it's highly unlikely the Cardinals would be unbeaten, considering the vast difference in the level of competition between the STAC and the IAC.
On a side note, Tioga County's three Class B girls basketball teams are a combined 47-10 this season.
