While the high school wrestling season is still nearly a month away and plenty can happen between now and the PIAA tournament, one of the biggest days on the wrestling calendar is almost upon us - Nov. 17.
Doesn't ring a bell?
Well, it would if you lived in the Benton or Canon-McMillan school districts.
Those two wrestling heavyweights are about to find out how much punch they'll be packing this winter.
It's decision day for the PIAA regarding the recent transfers of Cody Wiercioch and Zain Retherford.
Wiercioch, who won a Class AA title at 152 pounds as a freshman before losing in the 160-pound final last year, transferred from Charleroi to Canon-McMillan.
Retherford, who knocked off defending champion Nick Roberts of North Star on his way to the 103-pound title in 2009, finished third a year ago at 112 last season. Both of his medals came while wearing a Line Mountain uniform.
But Retherford recently transferred to Benton, the tiny wrestling hotbed in Columbia County.
Like Wierioch, Retherford was declared ineligible by his home district earlier this year.
By early Thursday evening, they'll both find out if they can bolster powerhouse programs or have to sit out their entire junior seasons. How the PIAA rules will have a huge impact on both team and individual championships.
For a more in-depth look at their individual situations, check out Rod Frisco's site from last month.
The debate over transfers is a heated one. No one wants kids transferring schools every other year in an effort to find a better wrestling room. But, at the same time, if my hypothetical daughter wants to leave School A for School B because the latter has a better band and better positions her to get a scholarship, who's going to stand in her way?
I don't envy those charged with making these monumental decisions, ones that will alter the lives of both young men involved immeasurably.
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