The District 11 team wrestling tournament has been canceled for this weekend. With this year’s format featuring an open admission, only two teams, Bethlehem Catholic and Notre Dame-Green Pond, entered and will be labeled as 3A and 2A champions.

Both schools would represent District 11 in the PIAA team championships in March, if the event even happens.

“Based on an extremely limited field of entries for this year’s District 11 team wrestling championships, the following are the District 11 team champions and will advance to the PIAA team wrestling championships when they occur: 2A - Notre Dame - Green Pond; 3A - Bethlehem Catholic,” District 11 chairman Bob Hartman said. “Additional teams had entered but withdrew their entries before yesterday, based on timing and preventive measures heading in to individual Districts.”

With districts around the corner next weekend, nearly all coaches wanted to preserve their wrestlers for the individual postseason without risking any chance of COVID.

The PIAA team championships, if they do take place, won’t happen until after March 20.

Notre Dame would have been the runaway favorite to trounce the competition for the 2A crown, as the Crusaders are the top-ranked 2A team in PA.

Bethlehem Catholic would have been a favorite in 3A as well. Hawks head coach Jeff Karam was prepared for anything coming into the week and obviously the news of a canceled tourney isn’t what he had hoped for, but understood the decision.

“We had left the decision of entering the tournament up to the team and the kids decided they wanted to wrestle,” Karam said. “I didn’t really know what to expect with teams entering, so it is what it is. Our last match was a couple of weeks ago and we just were able to start practicing last week again, We’ve been wrestling against each other for awhile and that gets old.”

Becahi (2-0) was slated to take on Freedom (0-1) on Tuesday night in a match past Press deadlines. The last time the Hawks wrestled was on January 22 in a win over Liberty (0-2).

Freedom and Liberty are scheduled to wrestle on Friday in the final match for both teams before prepping for districts.