On Wednesday afternoon, the wrestling squad clipped Rye Country day, 36-36, based on tiebreaker protocols to stay undefeated in PSAA play.

The Bears earned forfeits at 113 lbs, 126 lbs, 132 lbs, and 285 lbs while Carter Brett (138 lbs/2:53) and Eze Barrah (195 lbs/2:21) earned pins. The Wildcats pinned five Bears and benefited from a forfeit at 182 lbs. This resulted in a 36-36 draw.

When the final score of a match results in a tie, a series of tiebreakers are examined until a winner can be determined. Prior to this year, if the two teams’ total number of pins, wins, and forfeits also resulted in a tie, the team that benefited from fewer forfeits in their point total was declared the winner. Thus, had this match occurred last year, Rye would have won the tiebreaker with five pins + one forfeit, besting the Bears’ two pins + four forfeits.

However, an unintended consequence of this rule was an incentive for teams to forfeit more bouts in a close match, taking away the opportunity for the other squad to earn a pin while also saddling them with a forfeit. Enter rule 9-2f from the NFHS ahead of this season. The amendment states that if each squad has the same total number of winning bouts, “the team giving up the least number of forfeits” should be declared the winner. The Bears sent only one forfeit to the mat, filling up every other weight class, and thus were given the edge.

The Bears are back in action on Thursday in a tri-meet against Martin Luther and North Shore Hebrew Academy.

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