Watervliet Press Box

Panther grapplers wrestle over Christmas break

The annual Bryan Sosinski Memorial Invitational team wrestling meet was the only Watervliet sports action last week. The young and mostly inexperienced Panther grapplers found themselves in a tough one featuring nine good wrestling programs on Wednesday, Dec. 27 in Lawton. This early-season meet is a team event rather than an individual meet with brackets and unfortunately the Panthers dropped all five matches against powerful wrestling programs: Constantine, Bronson, Lawton, Union City, and White Pigeon.

Leading the way was Riley Hess, going 4-1 with pins at 1:38 and 2:39, plus a 5-3 sudden victory win against sixth-ranked Dathan Smith from Constantine. Luke Isbrecht went 3-2 with a pin at 3:26. Julian Velez had a pin at 3:21, Taylor Woollett had a pin at 0:45, Brayden Symonds had a pin at 1:31, and Wyatt MacMillan had a pin at 2:48.

The Panthers wrestled again in Coloma on Wednesday, Jan. 3 against Constantine and Schoolcraft. They are at Grand Rapids West Catholic on Saturday, Jan. 6 and then at Holland High on Saturday, Jan. 13.

The boys and girls varsity basketball teams play next at Dowagiac on Friday, Jan. 5 and then host Schoolcraft on Tuesday, Jan. 9 in the Panther gym.

MHSAA Winter Meetings

The Representative Council of the Michigan High School Athletic Association (MJSAA) began examining several topics during its fall meeting in December, including start and end dates of the winter calendar, possible new transfer rule exceptions, and emerging sports, These topics will shape its work during the winter and spring meetings of this 2023-24 school year.

The Council discussed the start and end dates of winter seasons and the possibility of shifting both earlier. MHSAA staff will prepare a recommendation for the council to review at a future meeting regarding the 2025-26 school year and beyond.

MHSAA staff also provided a variety of transfer rule issues encountered over the last year, and the council discussed the possibility of adding transfer rule exceptions related to military transfer families, full-time school employee transfers, and students returning from a sports academy or prep school and seeking immediate eligibility. The Council did adopt a change for multi-high school districts (made up of at least three high schools) that include both boundary and non-boundary schools that more clearly defined where students at those schools have immediate eligibility.

The Council also discussed possible new and emerging sports, including proposals for MHSAA sponsorship received by the water polo and field hockey governing bodies and an anticipated proposal to add boys volleyball to the MHSAA Tournament lineup. Several more conversations regarded MHSAA postseasons.

The Council reviewed the work of the football task force and considered a staff recommendation to have the Football Committee discuss capping enrollment of Division 8 11-player schools at 250 students to incentivize schools within that group to play 11-player instead of switching to 8-player.

MHSAA staff has identified four areas requiring financial increases: MHSAA Tournament official fees, host schools compensations, manager honorariums and team reimbursements for Finals participants, and the Council discussed the importance of including these when the MHSAA Audit & Finance Committee meets in February to begin the 2024-25 budgetary process.

The Council also discussed recommendations from the MHSAA Sports Medicine Advisory Committee addressing possible requirements of emergency action plans and AEDs at MHSAA Tournament sites.