The approaching winter storm in north Alabama has caused the Alabama High School Athletic Association to delay the start of its state championship wrestling meet in Huntsville this weekend.

All of Thursday’s matches have been moved to Friday morning. These matches were for Class 6A schools only; that class has twice as many competitors entered, which makes additional rounds necessary. Instead of beginning Thursday afternoon, weigh-ins will start at 8 a.m.Friday, with the first round to start at 10.

Class 5A and 1A-4A, which normally get under way on Friday morning, will instead start with weigh-ins at 1 p.m. and bouts to start at 3:30 p.m.

The AHSAA will also invoke a National Federation of High School Athletic Associations rule that permits wrestlers an additional one-pound allowance for making weight, due to the fact that many schools will not have a chance to practice beforehand. This is in addition to the two-pound allowance given all wrestlers at this stage of the season to allow for normal growth over time.

The championship matches will take place at about their regular time on Saturday afternoon. The meet is held at the Von Braun Center arena.