GCWOA

Congratulations to Fred Warren for being inducted to the Southwest Ohio Wrestling Coaches Association Hall of Fame.

Fred officiated for 40 years as a member of the Greater Cincinnati Wrestling Officials
Association (GCWOA). Over that time, he worked nearly every major event our area
has to offer, multiple sectional and district tournaments, the OHSAA State Tournament,
the GCL and Catholic Invitational Tournament (CIT), state dual tournaments, and
countless high-profile duals between the top programs in Southwest Ohio: Moeller,
Harrison, Elder, St. Xavier, Lakota West, Lakota East, Fairfield, and many others. When
Fred walked onto the mat, coaches and athletes knew they were getting someone
steady, fair, and respected.

Within the GCWOA, Fred held just about every leadership role available, President,
Vice President, and Member at Large. But his greatest influence didn’t come from a title
or a position, it came from how he treated people. If you were a new or developing
official, Fred was the one who made sure you felt welcome. He was the guy who would
stand with you during your early matches, offer guidance without talking down to you,
and remind you that confidence comes with time. He had a way of helping others
without making it feel like help, just support, friendship, and patience.

OHSAA Wrestling Calendar for 2026-27 and 2027-28

NFHS 2026-2027 New Rules - High Level Summary

INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA (April 20, 2026) — In an effort to establish a more healthy process for girls involved in high school wrestling, the minimum body fat percentage for females has been raised from 12 to 19 percent, effective with the 2026-27 season.

Revisions to weight-control rules (1-5-1, 1-5-2) were two of 18 rules changes recommended by the NFHS Wrestling Rules Committee and approved by the NFHS Board of Directors.

In making this significant change, the committee reviewed information from the National Wrestling Coaches Association, the proud supporter of the NFHS, and had the backing of the NFHS Sports Medicine Advisory Committee. The committee determined that based on peer-reviewed research data, increasing the body fat percentage for high school girls establishes a safer margin for minimal wrestling weight for those girls intent on achieving a lower weight class.

“This is a huge victory for girls involved in high school wrestling,” said Elliot Hopkins, NFHS director of sports, sanctioning and student services, and liaison to the Wrestling Rules Committee. “Now, girls will not be forced to go through unhealthy weight-loss efforts, and it allows girls to be their natural selves. It definitely will help those girls in the larger weight classes, and it will provide more opportunities for girls to be involved in high school wrestling.”

In another significant change for next year, bleeding has been added to recovery time in Rule 5-28-3. Now, if a contestant is injured or bleeding as a result of an illegal hold/maneuver, unnecessary roughness, unsportsmanlike conduct during the match or the result of a false start (by the opponent) in the neutral position, the wrestler is entitled to two minutes of recovery time.

The committee determined that a bleeding contestant should not have to bleed for five minutes before being declared the winner if injured because of any of the aforementioned situations.

Language was added to the stalling rules in Rule 7-6-3. Beginning next year, when wrestling is stopped for going out of bounds in the neutral position, one of the following calls should be made: stalling by one of the wrestlers for leaving the wrestling areas, stalling by pushing or pulling the opponent out of bounds, stalling by backing out of the wrestling area, or wrestling action is taking place.

The committee noted that by announcing one of these calls when wrestling is stopped, it will provide more clarification for the wrestlers and coaches, as well as the fans, when calling stalling on the edge of the mat vs. traditional stalling.

Other changes approved by the committee included guidelines for a properly fitted tooth and mouth protector, opportunity to weigh in by team if it is more practical, and referee signaling and vocalizing a five-second count.

Finally, new language regarding byes was inserted in several rules as follows: “Byes do not count as a match and are not counted toward the maximum number of six matches per day or 10 matches over a two-day event. Byes also do not count toward a wrestler’s match record.”

One of Southwest’s very own doing us proud! Thank you Russ Parrish for who you are and what you do !

The GCWOA officially closed out the 2025–26 season with its annual banquet at Pebble Creek Golf Course. It was a great evening filled with camaraderie, reflection, and celebration of another successful year.

Congratulations to this year’s award winners:
• Top Gun – Carlos Rowland
• Horizon – Scott Lehn
• Merit – Jeff Simons
• Kirt Rockel Award – Tim Carter
• Years of Service – Dick Loewenstine

A special thank you to everyone who helped make the night such an enjoyable event. Your time and effort continue to make the GCWOA a first-class association.

Brauny needing some emotional support before the finals !!

This year’s crew working the OHSAA State Championship!

Some will say, "It's the greatest sporting event in Ohio", I agree!