SpartanGrappling

I respect your opinion but I would say that Fitch still has the edge. Elkins is a tough dude, I wrestled against him in high school and I have never seen anyone take punches like he did in that last fight. That being said, Fitch was undefeated in the UFC and a number 1 contender before losing a 5-round title fight to George St. Pierre by decision (who is arguably one of the greatest fighters of all time). I hope Elkins can get to that level and be the main card on a pay-per-view but he hasn't done it yet. Although, I will say Elkins is a much more exciting fighter to watch than Fitch. I will be rooting for him to pick up a big win this weekend.

LAST CALL for registration. Don't miss out on this awesome opportunity!!

Only 5 days away!! If you plan to bring a team but aren't going to pre-register, please email me so I have an accurate count.

A couple things... If you want to be guaranteed a t-shirt and lunch, you must pre-register If you are interested in a team rate, please e-mail me at info@thewarriorschool.org

This is cool... http://www.flowrestling.org/article/55681-j-den-cox-to-wrestle-in-2017-world-team-trials#.WQvTd4grJPY

Registration is beginning to fill up, please do not wait to get registered. This event has a limited capacity and is first come, first served.

That's great information, thank you for sharing.

When you complete your registration, please make an entry in the 'Notes' field. We need to know your school, grade and t-shirt size. Thank you.

Details: Open to middle school and high school wrestlers. The registration is limited to the first 100 entrants. Warrior School Clinic - Register Here Details: Date: Saturday May 20 Cost: Wrestlers = $80 (includes clinic t-shirt and lunch) Coaches/Spectators = $10 (no pre-registration, only pay at door) Guest clinicians: J'Den Cox - Olympic Bronze Medalist 2016 Rio Games, 3x NCAA Champion Lavion Mayes - 3x NCAA All-American, 2017 NCAA Runner-Up Location: Trine University, Hershey Hall Schedule: Check-in - 8:00 am - 9:00 am Session 1: 9:00 am - 10:00 am Session 2: 10:00 am - 12:00 pm Lunch: 12:00 - 1:00 pm Session 3: 1:00 pm - 3:00 pm Autographs/Photos: 3:00 pm - 3:30 pm E-mail: info@thewarriorschool.org with any questions.

Some of these guys have collegiate ties to Indiana - they aren't necessarily native to the state. Junior Freestyle Christopher Sharp - 55 kg Devin Schroder - 55 kg Austin Nash - 66 kg Logan Hurley - 66 kg Griffin Parriott - 70 kg Joe Lee - 70 kg Brett Johnson - 74 kg Dylan Lydy - 74 kg Charlie Hill - 84 kg Christian Brunner - 96 kg Kobe Woods - 96 kg Shawn Streck - 120 kg Senior Freestyle Paul Konrath - 57 kg Brandon Wright - 61 kg Jake Sueflohn - 70 kg Matt Milton - 70 kg

When I heard last year that Owen was going to Wabash, I thought it was a great fit. I had a feeling he would excel in their room. Congrats on the All-American finish. That is an unbelievable feat for a freshman.

I also thought fleeing should have been called in the first. Great match - was really impressed with DeSanto's gas tank in the 3rd. Lee looked gas and tried to slow the match down (i.e. tying his shoes, fixing knee pad, walking slow back to the center of the match, etc.). I applaud Lee for wrestling through an injury and embracing the competition. I hope he recovers well and has a healthy 4 years for the Hawkeyes. Nothing against Drexel (DeSanto's college choice) but I feel that Lee has a better room for growth if it is a good fit. Regardless, it would be nice to see a rematch at full health. Would it be competitive or more like their matchup a year ago which ended 15-0 in favor of Lee?

If you include private schools (like St. Vincent's), you get a few more because of the Lutheran schools. However, if we are discussing public schools, the only middle school program for Fort Wayne Community Schools is Blackhawk. That program was only started because Mike Ester was passionate about the product he was helping produce at Snider. Say what you will about Ester, but wherever he goes, teams tend to win (Snider, Trine, Indiana Tech). Since his departure from Snider, the school and the conference have been on a decline. Personally, I don't think the SAC is going to invite Carroll and Homestead any time soon for wrestling. This year, Carroll would have placed wayyy out front with Homestead a distant second, followed by Dwenger in 3rd (based on tournament results i.e. Concordia Invite, New Haven Invite, Mooresville Holiday Classic, IHSAA Regional). As a head coach, I have learned that this sport takes a lot of time, energy and commitment. I know that most sports do but I think wrestling is unique because we have a smaller number of families, individuals and leaders to draw upon to help organize things. As a result, the few leaders in the area may get burned out and invest the minimum time necessary to run a successful PROGRAM but don't have the extra time and energy to help develop a COUNTY. Potential solution: The head coaches in the area form meaningful relationships, put aside our egos and use our resources collectively so that all wrestlers in the area can rise together. Believe me, I am just as much to blame as the next guy. I want Homestead to win championships so most of my time and energy is devoted there. However, I love this sport and how it helps develop young men and it would mean a lot to me to see Fort Wayne wrestling back on the map.

Who offers the best freestyle training in the state? More specifically, anything near Fort Wayne or the top half of the state?

Oh man, that is terrible. I will be praying.

Anyone know what happened with Bratcher of Eastbrook? Apparently he is unable to compete on Saturday and an alternate has been entered in the bracket.

Do they have to pay the entry fee? Do they still need the USA wrestling card? Thanks!

Rumph is electric on his feet. If he can develop a good ride/tilt/turn, he will have an impact at the next level. It will be interesting to see the result of the match if it doesn't last 18 minutes. That definitely affects the pace and overall mindset of a wrestler. I am hoping we get to see this one under the lights in a few weeks.

I'm not saying it's not an honor to sign with Marian - to play a sport at the next level for any school is an accomplishment - but wasn't Tonte looking at some big time programs for football? I remember someone throwing around Oregon a year or two ago.

New Haven has some solid individuals but like a lot of teams in the area, they lack strength across all weights. Carroll has 6 sectional champs and 4 runner-up, New Haven has 5 champs and 0 runner-up. It will be hard for anyone to keep pace with Carroll as the tournament progresses. But that's why we wrestle it out, anything can happen in sports. How about this group of teams meets once a month from March through September and we each bring our top 5 kids and rotate the school where we meet (IHSAA rules permitting) and see what we can do to strengthen our regional / semi-state?

Maybe if you combined their rosters. Alone? Not a chance.

Such a good point. If a basketball, football, baseball, etc., etc., etc. - player were to be injured all year or just waited until the postseason to play, could they still compete at sectional as long as they had there 5 or 10 practices (whatever the rule may be)? Let's assume they are an eligible member of the school and all the other normal things, but do any special eligibility rules apply to any other sport?

According to the sectional seed meeting tutorial (http://www.ihsaa.net/seedingmeetingtutorial/story.html)... "A coaches' failure to have his official team scorebook and his weigh-in sheets shall result in his school's entries being unseeded unless a majority of the other coaches present wish to seed the offending school's wrestlers." If this rule was followed, the other coaches would have been in a position to protect their wrestlers and avoid the possibility of wrestling a highly seeded wrestler who became "unseeded". Either way, our state's governing body cares little for its coaches and athletes. I won't be surprised by any rulings going forward, some of this stuff seems made up on the spot. It's like one of those wheels you spin for a punishment/dare. "Ohhhh, you landed on "All wrestlers unseeded", sorry about your luck. At least you didn't land on "Termination of wrestling program". I understand why rules exist and I follow them about 99.9% of the time. However, life happens and as humans we should recognize that unique circumstances may call for slight variations in interpretation and execution.

Bishop Dwenger is in the Carroll Sectional. Bishop Luers competes at New Haven.