How do I keep the scorebook or run the clock at a high school (grades 9-12) wrestling meet under NFHS rules? Scorer and timekeeper duties, match points, time-outs, choices of position and the 2026-27 changes.
Under the NFHS scorers and timers instructions, the official scorer sits at the scorer's table and is responsible for:
In a dual meet, keep a running team score after each match.
Assistant scorers record the points each wrestler earns during the match.
Under the NFHS scorers and timers instructions, the match timekeeper is responsible for:
| Move | Match points |
|---|---|
| Takedown | 3 (raised from 2 in 2024-25) |
| Reversal | 2 |
| Escape | 1 |
| Near fall | 2, 3 or 4 (seconds held), or 5 if the defender is injured or bleeds after a 4-point near fall |
Penalty points for stalling, technical violations, illegal holds, unnecessary roughness and unsportsmanlike conduct are awarded to the opponent as the referee signals them. Record them with their own symbols, separate from the moves above.
Inbounds: points can be scored when there's at least one point of contact by either wrestler inside or on the boundary line (since 2024-25).
Record every point when the referee signals it, and circle the first point(s) scored in the regulation match.
Near-fall points equal the number of seconds the near-fall criteria are held (since 2024-25):
| Near-fall criteria held | Points |
|---|---|
| 2 seconds | 2 |
| 3 seconds | 3 |
| 4 seconds | 4 |
| Defensive wrestler is injured, indicates an injury or bleeds after a 4-point near fall is earned | 5 |
Recording tips:
The match timekeeper records each wrestler's accumulated time-outs and monitors recovery time:
| Time-out | Limit per match |
|---|---|
| Injury time | Two injury time-outs, no more than 1:30 in total |
| Blood time | 5:00 cumulative. Cleanup after the bleeding stops isn't counted. |
| Recovery time | 2:00, when injured or (new for 2026-27) bleeding because of the opponent's illegal hold, unnecessary roughness, unsportsmanlike conduct or neutral-position false start. Not deducted from injury or blood time. |
| Head/neck/cervical column (HNC) | Up to 5:00 for evaluation, only when a physician or certified athletic trainer is present. A second HNC injury in a match is a default. |
Track each wrestler's time separately, and keep injury, blood and HNC time in separate running totals.
Under NFHS interpretations, the charged time-outs are injury time, blood time, recovery time, referee's time-out and HNC time.
A technical fall is earned when a wrestler builds a 15-point advantage.
Example: a wrestler leading 12-0 scores a takedown (3) straight into a near fall. The lead hits 15 on the takedown, but wrestling continues until the near fall ends, and any near-fall points are added before the match is stopped.
Under the NFHS scorers and timers instructions:
At the end of a dual meet, the official scorer gives the scorebook to the referee, who verifies the team scores and signs it.
Byes (new language for 2026-27):
Dual meet weight order (since 2025-26):
Keep a running team score after each match in a dual meet.