base

Coach Brown used to help out with the Humphrey family wrestling clinics - he was a wonderful person and the kids really gravitated to his gentle, laughing personality.  We would run into him years later at wrestling meets and he was always quick with a greeting and would want to know how things were going for our wrestlers. To read that he was caught up in such a senseless act of violence is just so heartbreaking.  I am glad they have caught the perpetrator although no justice can offset this loss.  Rest in Heaven coach Brown - you were a great man!

Coach Brown used to help out with the Humphrey family wrestling clinics - he was a wonderful person and the kids really gravitated to his gentle, laughing personality.  We would run into him years later at wrestling meets and he was always quick with a greeting and would want to know how things were going for our wrestlers. To read that he was caught up in such a senseless act of violence is just so heartbreaking.  I am glad they have caught the perpetrator although no justice can offset this loss.  Rest in Heaven coach Brown - you were a great man!

Salutatorian then ok, got it. 

This! All of this is true and accurate..and there’s more factors too. Many have been mentioned already.
 
i have been following this thread and enjoying the discussion.
Here comes the purely anecdotal part…worth nothing I know, but just wanted to share.
 
Background: I attended Hobart in the late 80’s and had the good fortune to be a part of 2 State championship teams. I know first hand the sacrifices and dedication it takes to be part of something successful at a larger school. (Only 5 classes back then).
 
I have 6 sons, all wrestlers for a 1A school listed in Y2s list, out here in no man’s land. Wrestling was always the top focus for all my boys, despite participating in football, CC, track, and baseball. Their high school does not have a strong wrestling culture or history. We were blessed to have a coach who was working his azz off to build one, and had built up numbers and some pride, but that somewhat evaporated when he left.
I sent the boys to some camps at Purdue, or even out in Ohio. My boys were very well respected in our area and experienced success at Sectionals and Regionals; however, upon multiple births to EC SS, they were all soundly sent packing…every time.
My boys harbor no sour feelings about any of these things and take great pride in their wrestling accomplishments…so, I have posted all this to relay:
 
I posed this very question to my boys (ages 29-19) and all but one  responded with a resounding NO to class wrestling in IN.  For them, one of the best parts about wrestling was finding out just who the absolute best is, even when they know it’s not them. One of my sons, who was a 3x ECSS qualifier, said it like this, “Yea, maybe I coulda made a deep run in a 1A state tourney, but I would have much rather went out on my shield at ECSS each time, knowing I was seeing the best in our part of the state.”
 
It’s  easier to experience success at a small school wrestling, presuming you work hard and do the grind, than experiencing success as part of a team at a small school.  Reasons like commitment from fellow team mates, injuries, harvest, etc etc all factor in for small rural schools that require 5, 9, or 11 athletes.  Now the success a kid experiences may not culminate in them landing on the podium at state, but it doesn’t negate the success leading up to the day they exit the tournament. Wrestling, ultimately is about preparing for life. The IN tournament is imperfect and downright mean sometimes. Just like life can be. I put my boys into wrestling shortly after their mom passed from cancer. My oldest was 12 at the time. Wrestling helped  them through the grief and prepare them to have the tools to deal with adversity, challenges and also develop character, humility, perseverance, integrity, discipline and determination.   112 athletes hit the podiums each year in IN, which means there are a host of athletes who do not, but are the beneficiaries of tremendous gifts such as motivation, fortitude, humility, perspective, and reality. None of those are bad things.
 
All anecdotal, and worth exactly what you paid for it!

Always helps to see examples - is there an easy way to sort this year's end-of-year state + semistate rankings into the classes and see some of the names each class would have had as the favorites going into the postseason tournament?
 

If that happens there is always viagra.

Have you guys seen how enormous, explosive, and able to grind for 7 minutes that the top college guys are?  That is NOT possible with weigh-ins a couple hours before duals and multiple weigh-ins per week unless they're hanging out within a few pounds of their weight all the time. It's all shifted now. They're feeding these guys perfectly balanced, portioned-out nutrition and monitoring every bite at the top teams. And they're FULL GO every match and as-demanded in practice. Those physiques and that after-weigh-in energy output simply aren't possible if your nutrition isn't dialed in and if you aren't staying within a handful of pounds of your weight all the time. Weight "management" and zero calories that don't build and fuel you is the name of the game now.

I think that they should reserve the first couple of rows for parents and grandparents and let the wrestlers immediate family to sit mat side in the finals just like they do at the NCAA's.  

I am assuming you are talking about Caden. He has a torn quad tendon that he wrestled with all season. His knee popped out in every match of the finals as well as multiple matches this season. They pop it back in and he wrestles like a warrior. 

Is 2016 the best year of state champions ever???????????
 
2016
106: Asa Garcia - NAIA All-American 113: Colton Cummings - D1 Starter 120: Drew Hildebrandt - NCAA D1 All-American 126: Brock Hudkins - 3X NCAA D1 Qualifier 132: Chad Red - 3X NCAA D1 All-American 138: Brayton Lee - NCAA D1 All-American 145: Joe Lee - D1 Starter 152: Trent Pruitt - NAIA Starter 160: Jacob Covaciu - D1 Starter 170: Drew Hughes - 2X NCAA D1 Qualifier 182: Blake Rypel - NAIA All-American 195: Jake Kleimola - D1 Starter 220: Mason Parris - NCAA D1 Champion, World Bronze Medal 285: Shawn Streck - NCAA D2 Champion, NCAA D1 Qualifier

I liked the Zionsville singlets with the stars and stripes on the back

More to come later kinda sad right now 

Thank you so much.  If only that Krejsa kid didn't get lucky in their quarterfinals match, CJ could've won it all. 
 
I kid of course.  CJ said Krejsa was the only kid that got faster as the match went on.
 
Edit. I'm really proud of CJ because he fought through adversity at the beginning of the year.  We lost my dad in late October, and he was a massive supporter of CJs wrestling career.  He never missed any my son's matches.

How many medals and honors does this family have? I know there are I believe two younger Rioux’s as well? What this family has done is nothing short of incredible. Off the top of my head, Eight state medals, five finals appearances, and now a state title. Props to them, finally bringing that title home

So, I sit here at 4:40 am CST and I'm dead tired, but I can't sleep.  I've already made the drive back to NWI, so that drive from hell is behind me.  The hot dogs.  Pretty damn good.  The concession stand I used to buy my dogs made them to order, so, they were fresh.  They grilled them on something, they had a nice char, nice buns even without yoga pants, a good overall product.  Just one small gripe.  They were expensive.  $7 a pop for these bad boys.  Oh well.  7 slices of pizza outta 8.  Kinda a side note, I mentioned this in a reply, but I was told Hanover Central are looking into changing their hot dogs because of my review.  One day my friends, we will have the hot dogs we deserve at all wrestling meets across the great state of Indiana!  And, as always, thank you for reading.✌️✌️✌️

Country song lyrics for "Disappointed" - written by ChatGPT and including your line
 
(Verse 1)
In this small town bar, where dreams come to die,
I stumbled upon your gaze, caught in your sigh.
Thought you were the one, my heart held the plot,
Having finally met some face to face, I'd rather not.
 
(Chorus) Disappointed in love, like a worn-out song,
Whiskey-soaked sorrows, where did I go wrong?
You were the promise, now just a faded thought,
Having finally met some face to face, I'd rather not.
 
(Verse 2) Neon lights flicker, shadows on the wall,
Memories of us, like leaves in the fall.
Your smile was a map, now it's all forgot,
Having finally met some face to face, I'd rather not.
 
(Chorus) Disappointed in love, like a worn-out song,
Whiskey-soaked sorrows, where did I go wrong?
You were the promise, now just a faded thought,
Having finally met some face to face, I'd rather not.
 
(Bridge) Broken pieces of a heart, scattered on the floor,
The jukebox playing, can't take it no more.
The dance we started, now a painful waltz,
Having finally met some face to face, it's my fault.
 
(Verse 3) Dusty boots, lonely road, a cowboy's fate,
I'll ride into the sunset, leave love to its state.
No more second chances, no lessons to be taught,
Having finally met some face to face, I'd rather not.
 
(Chorus) Disappointed in love, like a worn-out song,
Whiskey-soaked sorrows, where did I go wrong?
You were the promise, now just a faded thought,
Having finally met some face to face, I'd rather not.
 
(Outro) So here I am, beneath the moonlit sky,
Searching for answers, wondering why.
Love's a gamble, a game I forgot,
Having finally met some face to face, I'd rather not.
 

Country song lyrics for "Disappointed" - written by ChatGPT and including your line
 
(Verse 1)
In this small town bar, where dreams come to die,
I stumbled upon your gaze, caught in your sigh.
Thought you were the one, my heart held the plot,
Having finally met some face to face, I'd rather not.
 
(Chorus) Disappointed in love, like a worn-out song,
Whiskey-soaked sorrows, where did I go wrong?
You were the promise, now just a faded thought,
Having finally met some face to face, I'd rather not.
 
(Verse 2) Neon lights flicker, shadows on the wall,
Memories of us, like leaves in the fall.
Your smile was a map, now it's all forgot,
Having finally met some face to face, I'd rather not.
 
(Chorus) Disappointed in love, like a worn-out song,
Whiskey-soaked sorrows, where did I go wrong?
You were the promise, now just a faded thought,
Having finally met some face to face, I'd rather not.
 
(Bridge) Broken pieces of a heart, scattered on the floor,
The jukebox playing, can't take it no more.
The dance we started, now a painful waltz,
Having finally met some face to face, it's my fault.
 
(Verse 3) Dusty boots, lonely road, a cowboy's fate,
I'll ride into the sunset, leave love to its state.
No more second chances, no lessons to be taught,
Having finally met some face to face, I'd rather not.
 
(Chorus) Disappointed in love, like a worn-out song,
Whiskey-soaked sorrows, where did I go wrong?
You were the promise, now just a faded thought,
Having finally met some face to face, I'd rather not.
 
(Outro) So here I am, beneath the moonlit sky,
Searching for answers, wondering why.
Love's a gamble, a game I forgot,
Having finally met some face to face, I'd rather not.
 

I think he was telling Caliboy to go sit in timeout for a while and think about what he'd said

I think he was telling Caliboy to go sit in timeout for a while and think about what he'd said

I think he was telling Caliboy to go sit in timeout for a while and think about what he'd said

I think he was telling Caliboy to go sit in timeout for a while and think about what he'd said

I think he was telling Caliboy to go sit in timeout for a while and think about what he'd said

Wrestlebacks would help but keep in mind that no matter what fix you try to add, there are still going to be situations where a higher seeded person is stuck close to 2 other highly seeded individuals geographically and therefore will end up with a bad draw somehow.  There could theoretically be the top 5 seeds in the state at the same sectional, where there is no way to "change the system" so that they all can be state placers
Final tournaments are setup geographically by the IHSAA, not by skill level or seeding Individuals change year to year, what may seem like a ridiculous sectional group of teams now may not be in another 10 years, or perhaps wasn't 10 years ago.  IHSAA is not going to schedule based on the prevailing winds Seeding is impressively accurate, but is only a subjective number assigned by knowledgeable individuals.  It is not 100% and should not be considered as anything more than a reference.  A #2 and a #5 seed may sound like a large gap, but in reality if the two have not wrestled before than the #5 could be better On any given day, wrestling is a sport where upsets CAN happen. It is not IHSAA job to penalize the underdog that has won, or to consider how the "favorite" should deserve another chance Yes, it's personal because they are our kids.  Yes, we want to see the best kids represented at state finals.  Just remember that for every wrestler that you think "should" be there, there is a wrestler that "shouldn't" be there in your opinion but has earned their way by winning against the opponents placed in front of them
 
Let's celebrate the warriors that are still standing.  It may not be the best system, but it's what we have.  Imperfect yet beautiful

I've said this before and will echo it once again.  Maybe I'm on a limb on my own, but....

In a tournament with no wrestlebacks, and results determining bracket placement for the next weekend, chopping off a minute in the 3rd/4th Place matches may be the dumbest thing ever! These matches could ultimately determine who the state champ is next weekend, yet they are treated the same as a 2nd round consi match in a 64 man bracket.