High school wrestling followers had all but memorized the sport's usual weight classes. But after an offseason national rule was changed, only three of last year's classifications remain for the start of this season.

In the spring, the National Federation of State High School Associations approved the biggest change to high school wrestling weight classes in 23 years.

Ten of the 14 weight classes have been changed in order to provide more equal options for wrestlers of all sizes.

Some of the changes are negligible, as many weight classes only increased their minimum weight requirement by a pound or two. But the biggest difference is in the higher weights.

The national changes have essentially removed the 140-pound class and replaced it with a new 182-pound class.

And that doesn't please many local coaches, whose teams have tended to be more heavy on depth in the lighter weights and thin in the heavier ones.

"I feel like it takes away an opportunity from the lighter guys," Cary coach Taylor Cummings said. "It's all right if they add a weight, but I don't completely agree with taking one away."

Usually when area teams are forced to forfeit a bout because they do not have an available wrestler, there's a good chance it comes in the higher weight classes. In the 2008-09 season, Panther Creek made it all the way to the 4A East final despite giving up six points per match by not having a heavyweight wrestler on the team.

When tryouts start, the initial turnout almost always favors the smaller wrestlers. Some of that is because the bigger wrestlers often play football as well.

Football season isn't over for most schools when those tryouts begin, and finding a freshmen or sophomore physically mature enough to handle the higher weight classes is difficult.

The longer football season stretches into wrestling season, the more likely it is that a wrestling team may have to begin its season without a starter. With an added class in the heavier weights, this trend becomes even more pronounced.

"A lot of our big guys played football. They went two rounds into the playoffs, so we didn't have a whole lot of big guys in our lineup," Cummings said. "It is harder to find a bigger guy. For us, we tend to have a wealth of guys in the middle weights."

There is also the entertainment value to consider.

Lighter weight classes are often higher-scoring, while the heavier ones have fewer opportunities for takedowns and points. Cummings, a former ACC champion at 125-pounds, said he might be partial, but he believes there is often a better brand of wrestling in the lighter weights.

"The middle weights are usually where all the good wrestling is," Cummings said. "A lot of the stars you see are being developed in the middle weights."

Cummings said he hasn't had to change his strategy or technique with his team.

But picking who will start at the lower weight classes just got a little harder, and finding able bodies to wrestle in the heavier ones just became more important.