FROM STAFF REPORTS

The Alabama High School Athletic Association announced in a release Feb. 11 that it will moved the start of the state wrestling championships back a day, from Feb. 13 to Feb. 14.

Due to the inclement weather impacting the northern part of Alabama, the 59^th annual AHSAA State Wrestling Championships have been re-scheduled to begin Friday morning at Huntsville’s Von Braun Center, AHSAA Executive Director Steve Savarese wrote in the release.

The release stated that Class 6A preliminary matches, originally scheduled to begin at 1 p.m. Feb. 13, will start at 10 a.m. Feb. 14 with weigh-in from 8-9:30 a.m. The Class 1A-4A and 5A divisions that were to start Feb. 14 at 9:30 a.m. will now begin at 3:30 p.m. with weigh-in at 1:00 p.m.

In accordance with NFHS Rule 4, Section 5, Art. 5, a one-pound allowance will be permitted due to weather restrictions prohibiting some schools from practicing the day before the tournament. 

“The safety of our student-athletes is our first priority,” Savarese wrote in the release. “With that in mind, we are following our Championship Interruption Policy which provides guidelines concerning these types of situations.”

Savarese also wrote thar the Huntsville Sports Commission and the Von Braun Center are working closely with the AHSAA to monitor the situation and prepare for any necessary adjustments.

Shelby County wrestlers affected by the decision include those at Thompson, Oak Mountain, Spain Park, Pelham and Calera. The release instructed wrestlers and parents to continue to check the AHSAA website, www.ahsaa.com, for additional updates related to this weather situation.