JEFFERSON TWP — After a flourishing start, Knoch's wrestling program is experiencing growing pains.

Especially without a room in which to grow.

"No wrestling program can make it without a wrestling room," Knoch coach Mark McLaughlin said. "We're sorely in need of one."

Knoch wrestling began with an elementary program eight years ago, subsequently beginning a junior high and varsity program, all under McLaughlin's direction.

The program had been renting a room at Clinton Elementary School — at a cost of $500 per month — until that rent was increased to $1,000 per month two years ago.

"The owner wanted to charge us $1,000 per month for 12 months when we only needed the room for three months," Knoch athletic director Josh Shoop said. "We weren't going to spend $12,000 for three months of use.

"I know it's not an ideal situation, but the wrestling team does have a place to practice."

That place is the gym at the Knoch Intermeduiate School. The problem is the team can't get into that school until 4 p.m., waiting until the students leave the facility.

By the time the wrestling mats are rolled on to the floor, practice doesn't begin until 4:30 p.m. The high school dismisses its students at 2:38 p.m.

"You can do the math. That's about nine hours a week our kids spend waiting to get into practice," McLaughlin said.

Three years ago, Knoch had 30 wrestlers in the junior high and high school program, 38 more in the elemtary program.

Since losing its wrestling room at Clinton Elementary, the numbers have dwindled to less than 40 in the entire program.

Only six wrestlers — Grayson Hixon, Kevin Green, Mason Kaufman, James Zellhart, Joe Hlebiczki and Brittany Faust — have stayed with the varsity program through its first three years of existence. Hixon has 57 career wins and is a three-time WPIAL qualifer.

But he is the exception, not the rule.

"It's been heartbreaking, seeing so many kids leave," McLaughlin said. "I can't say it's totally because of the practice situation ... Kids don't stay with activities for a number of reasons. But I know it's been a factor.

"When I held two-hour practices, kids didn't leave the gym until 6:45 p.m. I scaled practices back to an hour and a half to try getting them out by 6, but then we don't get as much accomplished."

Shoop compared Knoch's wrestling situation to other sports at the school.

"We have a swimming team and don't have a pool. We have a baseball team with no field on school grounds," Shoop said. "Sometimes teams have to deal with difficult circumstances.

"Starting a wrestling team is hard because it's a sport of tradition. Kids' dads and grandfathers wrestled, so they get into it. Starting that tradition isn't easy.

"Our swim program started more than 10 years ago with only three to five kids participating. This year, we qualified 14 to WPIALs. It takes time to build a program," Shoop added.

An expansion project was in place at Knoch High School that would have included a wrestling room by 2010. Due to the economy, those plans have been tabled indefinitely.

"The school board is concerned about our numbers, but I feel like the district hasn't gotten behind the program," McLaughlin said. "The kids feel like there's no support. They think they're second-class athletes.

"We couldn't practice for two days before our North Allegheny match because of a fourth and fifth-grade concert."

McLaughlin said there is a trainers' room and auxiliary gym in the high school that could serve as a temporary wrestling room.

"It'd be a little small, but we could make it work," he said.

Shoop said moving any organization into an existing room isn't so easy.

"That means displacing the people using that room now," he said.

Knoch's athletic committee is meeting next week to discuss a number of topics, including the wrestling issue, Shoop said.