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When the Montgomery County Public Secondary Schools Athletic Association decided to allow its coaches to have official contact with their student-athletes during the summer, Magruder wrestling coach Max Sartoph saw an opportunity to start a summer program.

In past years, Sartoph and the rest of the county's wrestling coaches have had to stand by and watch while scores of student-athletes participated in organized summer leagues for football, basketball, baseball, lacrosse, soccer and volleyball.

Meanwhile, several of their own athletes attended individual camps in hopes of improving and refining their skills, but never had an opportunity to compete against local foes in a dual-meet fashion.

That is all about to change on June 25, with the beginning of the Maryland Summer Wrestling League.

"The rules kind of opened up," said Sartoph, the league's commissioner. "[All the coaches] said, ‘Hey that's great. We get to work with kids. Why don't we start a league?'"

Even though state rules allow coaches to interact with their athletes, there remain a few stringent rules that must be followed. For instance, teams are allowed just one practice day per competitive match.

"I still can't go have a Magruder Colonel wrestling team over the summer," Sartoph said. "As their coach, I am allowed to coach a wrestling team in some other league and if some of my kids are on that team, that's OK. It's not an official MHS team. It might be a Derwood community team."

MSWL matches, which are open to anyone entering eighth through 12th grades, will be held Thursday evenings at Blake High from June 25-July 30. The league will consist of eight 20-person teams with each freestyle bout consisting of three 90-second periods.

Weight loss will also be discouraged, as participants will be required to weigh in mat-side and clothed. The weight classes will be 105, 115, 125, 135, 145, 155, 165, 180, 215 and 285 pounds.

According to Sartoph, several of the county's top coaches have expressed interest in helping out with the league, among them Northwest's Joe Vukovich, Whitman's Derek Manon, Blake's Rob Pinsky, Quince Orchard's Chris Tao, Gaithersburg's Eric Britton and Damascus' John Furgeson.