EPHRATA — Ephrata High School wrestlers will be practicing on a new mat when the 2024-25 season rolls around, as the Ephrata School Board approved the purchase of new wrestling mats for the EHS wrestling room last month.

“The previous mats were probably 20 years old — long overdue — and had become a safety issue with an increase in injuries,” EHS Athletic Director Bryan Johnson said. “The pads had thinned over the years, and (had) some other issues with it. It was something we definitely needed for our students to keep safe.”

The mats are purchased from Dollamur, which was selected for their connection system that avoids the purchase and use of traditional mat tape, the school board said in a release. The initial estimated cost was $25,320, but the true cost came closer to $23,900.

“Still expensive, but it’ll be a good improvement for that room,” Johnson said. “The nice thing is that the mats are mobile, so if we ever remodel or do construction somewhere else and move that mat room, they can still move with it.”

Johnson credited the administration at the district level for being able to purchase the new mats, which coaches and wrestlers are already looking forward to using.

“It’ll be a nice upgrade for that mat room,” Johnson said. “I know our coaches are really excited — coach (Joe) Knox and coach (Raul) Tejeda, our boys and girls wrestling coaches — and the kids. It’ll be good for them for years to come.”

The new mats will be installed early in the fall, Johnson said. They will be ready for wrestlers to use once practices for the high school wrestling season begin in mid-November.