Leaderboard

Let me first say I in no way am putting down anybody in particular or acting like I’m the role model cause I’m the furthest from perfect, but I really think coaches need to take a step back and look in the mirror and realize our wrestlers watch our lives more than they listen to our words. I’ve been blessed at Plymouth to coach with coaches that in many years have impacted hundreds of lives. I’ve never heard a foul word out of their mouth nor is any wrestler aloud to use profanity. Their goal is always create young men of integrity first and champions in life then champions on the mat. I’m amazed when I see and hear coaches and athletes cuss back and forth.....see wrestlers yell at refs.....throw things in anger and nothing is done. On a positive I’ve watched people I respect and look up to like coach Snyder get in wrestlers faces yet put his arm around them and build them up....coach Harper from little kids to high schoolers speak life into his kids yet in their face. I don’t know a man in the world that loves winning more than coach Read or a man that hates to lose more than him but you ask anyone that’s gone through his program in 30 plus years and you will hear nothing but the utmost respect because of the integrity he walks in. Coaches your integrity is the most 8mportant part of your job with the kids we have in front of us. Impact lives. As our coach always says....”Do the right thing simply because it’s the right thing to do”. Your reputation is what others think of you but your character is what people see and you really are. It’s time coaches we lead from the front!

As the Ben Davis guy who has been around a long, long time I will try to give you a couple. Don't get me wrong, they sound like excuses and I don't like excuses much. And, none of this is personal, hopefully my comments aren't construed as being a shot at anyone. Some comments i won't make in this forum as it isn't the right forum. However, there is my list, top of my head. 1. Resources - many programs develop talent by charging their kids $ every month or kids go to a "pay to play" facility like CIA, Red Cobra, Contenders, etc... In a lot of cases, we have kids who can't afford shoes, the sport fee or don't even know where they are staying tonight. Now, add on the cost of a USA card, tournaments, etc... and that is money our families need to spend elsewhere. Sure, we fund raise, but you can't cover costs for 50+ kids in a youth program to develop them in wrestling the way we would like. By the way, very few of our kids have a great support system. I can't imagine, as a 16 year old kid trying to cut weight, get to a Saturday practice, pay for a sport fee, new shoes, etc... without any parental support 2. All of the BD families from my era and later have moved to Avon, Brownsburg, Plainfield, Danvile, etc... i.. And, no families move into Ben Davis. Everyone is heading out West over the last 15 years, ncluding my family. I know I have coached a dozen or so kids in Junior High that have gone on to be successful at the state level in other programs. Good for those families for getting themselves into what they see as better situations personally. 3. I think BD has a remarkable amount of kids that start as Sophomores and Juniors. Sounds great to have bodies in the room, but wrestling in the MIC, Marion County and the same Sectional as Avon (you), Brownsburg and Plainfield - 90- percent of the time these kids just can't compete with someone who has had 4+ years of experience get frustrated and quit. And, how hard is it to sell this story "If you bust your butt, give everything you can you might win half of your matches" and "to be the most competitive you can, you need to learn how to eat right and maybe watch what you eat a little". They can't because they don't have quality food in the house. 4. The sport has no "middle class" anymore, there are elite wrestlers and everyone else. We all know the sport is hard - if you are getting beat up all the time it isn't fun, if it isn't fun you quit (unless you are an idiot like me and wired differently). We have a lot of great kids in this state who do well nationally. So, I am a 3rd year kid who has grown up wrestling some of the many studs on the WestSide and Marion County and I get pounded every time, I get discouraged. I get discouraged and just don't love the sport the way I need to love it to get better - I could have been a good wrestler, not elite, but good, maybe a Semi-State or even a State qualifier, but I can't get out of sectionals. I tihnk it was 2 years ago at the Avon Sectional at 106, 3 of those kids placed in the top 7 at state and I believe 3 others from MIC and Marion County placed as well. 5. I can keep going, but will conclude with this... I would rather build better young men (as I am sure we all do). It has taken me a while to admit that winning isn't as important to me as making someone successful at life (and this statement in no way makes me think that the previous 2 statements are exclusive, I am a better person, employee, boss, etc.... for being a wrestler). At some point, we are trying to get kids to graduate because we are now their parents. I could throw in a bunch of stats, but they don't change the situation. I would love to be singled out in a post about our wrestling, not the lack of our wrestling, but that isn't where we are at right now. Don't misinterpret any of this, I want to beat everyone. I don't want to lose. but, spend a few months inside the program and you will see it isn't just a numbers game. For better or worse, I am BD wrestling - as are a group of guys that I am proud to coach along side who also fight the daily battle to keep this program together and moving forward. Brett Nabb BD 1987 and 20 years coaching wrestling in Wayne Township

It is far from a done deal. It is just becoming more and more apparent that more needs to be done. We are working to figure out what the best course of action is going to be, but can tell you that something has to change. We had fifteen messages sent through from TW about the issues at a couple tables. Unfortunately they did not respond with the actual table numbers. Here is the biggest issue. We have to beg people to work the tables. Teams turn in a list of people and then for some reason they are unavailable to do the jobs so we have to ask the general public to assist. There was even a point where I had to sit at a table as one of the event management. And hopefully there was no issues with talking at the 3A finals match. If there was, I am probably in trouble myself. Haha. Honestly I love working tables, as evident that I work Big Tens and NCAAs (volunteer). But for me, running tournaments and coaching still have my heart more.

You could probably go through the rankings and count yourself.

I really hate the fact that a few bad apples are going to ruin the whole batch. I personally like to hear the whistles, crowd, and the coaches during the broadcast. And.. sometimes you get some really knowledgeable table help that say some good stuff. I think that doing away with sound takes away from the broadcast. I really would encourage that you tape a reminder to each table to remind them to watch what they say, before the tournament is muted.

I’ll be the first to admit that I was convinced that this was their down year, WRONG! Remarkable team effort and a true testament of a great coaching staff.

My kids are well versed in what is acceptable language and what is appropriate where. They were also taught that you shouldn't ignore unacceptable behavior simply because "everybody's doing it" or it is awkward to correct. The post your original response was directed to described the broadcast as "definitely not kid friendly". Only ignorance would believe that HS kids don't curse BUT it is a reasonable expectation by any responsible adult that any kid can understand the context of being broadcast across the world wide web and considering that ANYONE could be listening. A simple reminder should be all that's neccessary to correct the situation. Pretending that everyone that may be listening to a HS wrestling match should be accepting of foul language as part of it is ignoring the problem and failing the kids in question. If you let it go as "just what kids do", then you have no expectation of anything better out of them. It may not be comfortable, but I think the kids deserve to be told when they're f'in up. *Even this forum has *corrective measures" for inappropriate language....for a reason.

I'd love to see a Matt Lee match followed by an Eli Dickens match under the lights. Nothing like two same-team matches in a row with two great kids involved. Those two boys are awesome.

That almost sounds too amazing to true. So a kid choked your kid which is illegal, and ref didn't see it. Ok, possible. Then more obviously, ref doesn't see a fist punch to the eye, which is flagrant misconduct. How did the ref miss that? Then you're kid blacks out and ref doesn't stop it (which he should of) and you're kid doesn't get pinned while being blacked out? How does that work? Just curious, did you let your kid wrestle any more matches after that match? I'm going contrarian to this post. I think compared to when I wrestled 30 years ago, there's a lot less dirty/shady unsportmanslike crap going on now as compared to then.. I remember guys used to do nasty stuff back in the day. I wrestled in a different state, and maybe my perception is off, but there was some physical crap going on back then. I think referees do a great job of cleaning up the dirty stuff most of the time now and step in when it gets chippy, and there are a lot more moves that are illegal now that used not to be. I know the top wresters are physical (not dirty), and that can be tough. The real reason wrestling participation is lower is due to sports specialization. Most kids only play one sport and they participate in the off season in that sport. Everybody played multiple sports back in the day and didn't have the pressure to participate year round. And we were better off for it. The top kids wrestle year round, don't play football, track or cross country anymore. So the problem is that the top kids are so far ahead of the multi-sport athletes, it discourages the multi sport athlete as there chanced of success is lower. Also, the other sports are going year round, and are pressuring kids to not wrestle in the winter and play the sport year round. Its a cannabilizing cycle. Wrestling is not the only sport with lower participation problems.

ppl don't like the chatter they themselves can mute it.. I agree we can't punish everybody just because a few silly ppl..

Seating, locker rooms, and cost. Seating is limited, we are looking into renting bleachers, but that just adds to an already pricey venue. The locker room situation isn't ideal, but supposedly they are are adding more locker rooms to the venue before then. I'll keep everyone posted, willing to be as transparent as possible. As to promoting the event, I thought this website did a great job promoting and communicating info for it. We have a IHSWCA Facebook page that cranks out promotions and info. We don't have a Twitter, but should and will soon. Again, opinions, advice and suggestions are welcome.

Haven't we thought this like 3 times? It's getting silly. They just flat get it done when it matters. It seems like they win every match they have to have. I looked back through the last four years of Team State duals. They're now 32-20 (62%) against seeded teams in individual matches decided by 3 points or less--including 8-3 this year. Even if they "only" won 55% of those close individual matches, they most likely would have lost one of those 12 duals against seeded teams. You have to give them a ton of credit.

OK, I am going to post this knowing there will be quite a few who disagree, but just getting tired of a few things: I have been around this sport for the last 46 years of my 50 years and wrestling is missing the boat for 90% of the wrestlers. I read all the posts here and people talking about why numbers are down. Here is my assessment. The top 2-3% of wrestlers in Indiana are better than they were when I was in high school. I officiated this weekend and have watched my son wrestle this year. There is plenty of blame to go around. This weekend as well as almost every other weekend, I have seen more kids raking kids faces, punching kids in the face, ribs, and pushing them after they go out of bounds, and trying to torque a knee after the whistle blows amongst other things. I am not soft, but I am quite sure a good hard cross face is ok when trying to pick up the far arm or fight off a shot, but the re-rake and subsequent rake is ludicrous. The coaches say he is just being physical. Totally crap, it is not a move and you are not working anything but trying to intimidate the other opponent or injure your opponent with brutality. If you watch the best kids in the state, I rarely see this happen. It is with the second tier kids and/or programs. Teach your kids how to wrestle, the above is not wrestling. This is not college, this is high school where 90% of the kids may not even wrestle in college. They are out because their parents told them to get involved and be a part of something, or were talked into it by a teacher or another coach. Why would these fringe kids (70%) even want to be a part of a sport where some "heavy hands" have been equated to punching, raked faces lead to bloody noses and lips, and the extra pull on the knee or shoulder equates to stretched ligaments or eventually worse. When the whistle blows, stop wrestling the best you can, coaches lead by example and let the kids know they did something wrong instead of arguing he is a good kid and would never do this. These fringe kids will either quit during the season or worse yet, never come out the following year. No fight shorts or uniforms will change that. So by all accounts wrestling is a great sport and can hep teach kids a lot about life and to be great workers and citizens of this country. As I always was told, "I will never miss an opportunity to teach or guide you whether you like what I say or not and you may not always come out on top, but life is not about short cuts, but about what kind of person you are in the long-run." With this being said, I love wrestling and what it has done for me in my life and hope that others will enjoy it also. The more who experience what wrestling is really about and the hard work, it will pay dividends for life. Those who don't understand will still be making excuses for their kids and rationalizing where we are going. I would challenge the wrestling community which includes the coaches, parents and officials to make the right calls and do the right thing. Maybe it will bring in more kids to the sport and maybe it won't. One way, I am pretty sure we will head down the same road, the other, it will not get worse, but maybe a chance for more to experience this great sport. TP

Michigan just pulled Mason Parris redshirt vs Oregon State. Mason got the 10-4 win on 2018 AA 3rd placer Dhesi

I have been on a visit there and was thoroughly impressed. A small concern was that the seating was 2nd level. So essentially you are watching the wrestling from the 2nd level. Which actually isn't terrible because it keeps fans really out of the action and away from kids, etc... I believe they have recently added more showers. I was surprised at how many of these huge parks didn't have showers that I have looked at. Grand Park does have showers, and supposedly recently added more. Also, the date was a huge concern. Jan 11 is not available for next year (sounds like it isn't for Fort Wayne either.) But Jan 4th is, then Jan 2nd the next year, and we were checking to see if in year 3 we could get Jan 8. I'm sort of being transparent, but these are all discussions that have been had. People have also offered up going to 4 classes of 8 or 10, because this middle group is really being lost. The 1300-2400 population size feels they have no chance of ever getting in. This would make for shorter days as well... We'll see how it all goes soon.

Did anybody ever consider Lambert fieldhouse at Purdue? It seats 7500. It had a full indoor track in it, so you probably could 12 mats In there. Plenty of parking.

I know it looks bad, but some kids can be immature some times, but Im sure it wasn't worse than anything the president of our country has said on a hot mic, and that didn't seem to bother most people in this country. You have to admit its a little funny. Maybe we should of gone out and warned the kids after that happened. Did anybody do that Awood1? I agree with Joe. you need constant reminders that the Mic is live in situations like this. And yes it helps getting mature adults to volunteer for something like this. Maybe being a volunteer is also an issue. Did anybody ever think about paying people to work the tables, and if you did, you might get a little more quality. Yes, it would cut into the profits, but compensate by charging a little more. I sure hope they keep the MIc going, it gives the broadcast or more authentic feeling. The real question is: did anybody get hot mic audio from Fabio. That in itself would be worth the $15 trackwrestling fee.

In other events I have found that having a decent play by play persons communication information throughout the match helps a lot to eliminate or at least drown out a lot of those background conversation. But that involves finding a quality person or two for each mat. That is sometimes a tall task for a multi-surface event when tournament help in general is hard to come by. You may have to turn off the mics for the opening rounds since a lot is going on and help is stretched. But maybe a couple useful play by play people can be found for at least the the finals. Or even a few of the top semi finals matches too.

By STEVE KRAH stvkrh905@gmail.com It’s an approach that Bo Schembechler would have recognized. Wrestling requires one wrestler go into the circle for one-on-one competition. But in high school, that wrestler is part of a team. At Crown Point, the Bulldogs are doing like the old University Michigan football coach said. It’s about “The Team. The Team. The Team.” “We’ve really been preaching the team concept,” says Branden Lorek, who is in his third season as Crown Point head coach and 14th in the program. The graduate of Fenton High School in Bensenville, Ill., wrestled at the University of Southern Illinois-Edwardsville. “This isn’t just about ‘I’ or ‘me.’ It’s about the team.” With guidance from varsity assistants Bill Hawkins and Vince Sessa, each Dog knows their job before they step on the mat, whether it’s to rack up bonus points or at least save points for the team. It’s an approach the wrestlers have come to embrace. “It took a couple weeks, but now they’re seeing it on the scoreboard,” says Lorek. “We give them pretty specific instructions. This is what we need from you — nothing less. “We have an amazing coaching staff that’s passionate about the sport,” says Lorek, who also counts Brennan Cosgrove as a volunteer assistant, Nick Bruno as junior varsity coach and Aaron Sessa as freshman coach. It’s about setting a goal and knowing the expectation. “Our goal is always to win the match,” says Lorek. “If things go sideways, this is what’s next and our kids understand that.” After several years away, Crown Point competed in 40th Al Smith Classic at Mishawaka Dec. 28-29 and placed fourth out of 32 teams. “The Al Smith was a nice feather in our cap,” says Lorek. “Our team is just starting to come together. “Our conditioning is better than ever.” The Bulldogs had traditionally taken the Christmas break off from competition. Two years ago, Crown Point participated in the Indiana High School Wrestling Coaches Association State Duals and placed 12th in Class 3A. Last season brought participation in the Connersville Spartan Classic and a first-place finish. “We’ve found our holiday tournament home,” says Lorek of the Al Smith Classic. “We were happy with the competition and hospitality. And it’s only a two-hour drive.” The team was bolstered by six placers at Mishawaka — freshman Jesse Mendez (first at 126 pounds), junior Riley Bettich (second at 120), sophomore Stephen Roberson (third at 106), senior Jake Burford (third at 145), freshman Nick Tattini (sixth at 113) and senior Ethan Potosky (seventh at 195). Crown Point followed that up with a 36-25 Duneland Athletic Conference dual victory against Merrillville on Jan. 2. With wins, Mendez moved to 24-0, Bettich 23-1, Roberson 21-1, Buford 23-2 and Potosky 8-2. The Bulldogs visit Michigan City for another DAC dual Jan. 8. The DAC tournament is Jan. 12 at Michigan City. Mendez won numerous folkstyle, freestyle and Greco-Roman titles as a middle schooler. Last summer, he competed in the USA Nationals and lost in the All-American round in both freestyle and Greco-Roman. “It’s not a shock to us what Jesse’s doing (in high school),” says Lorek. “Jesse’s an extraordinary athlete and teammate. He’s done a great job of assimilating into the program. He listens. He’s good student. He does not get a big head. He’s always looking to get better. “He’s not shy about his goal or vision for the season.” Bettich’s first two high school seasons came at Lakeshore in Stevensville, Mich. Competing at 103 in Division 2, he was a state champion in 2018 and state runner-up in 2017. Like Mendez, Bettich has traveled all over the country for folkstyle, freestyle and Greco-Roman events and the best opponents he can find. A strong student with a 3.5 grade-point average on a 4.0 scale, Bettich has aspirations of wrestling in college. “He’s been a great teammate and leader for us,” says Lorek of Bettich. “We were happy to see him rise to the occasion and compete (at Al Smith, where he lost 7-2 to Center Grove junior Brayden Littell in the finals).” Robertson is a transfer from Portage High School where he behind state champion Jacob Moran at 106 last season. The 2018-19 season marks Robertson’s first as a varsity starter. “He’s doing phenomenal,” says Lorek. “He’s a smart kid and a good student. He’s quiet and works hard. He’s very coachable. “We’re looking forward to see what he can do.” Buford and Potosky came up through the ranks at Crown Point. “Jake is having a great year,” says Lorek. “Where he ends up on the (State Finals) podium is up to him. The sky’s the limit for Jake. He’s a team leader, hard worker, good student and just a good person. “(Potosky) is a loyal, loyal Crown Point wrestler. After an injury in the regional championship in football, he’s starting to get back into it. His older brother (Steven) was a state qualifier (at 220) in 2014. If Ethan can get down to state, we think he can be someone on the podium.” The Duneland schedule is weighted toward the team concept with more points being awarded during the dual-meet position than the conference tournament. Lorek says finishing high in the DAC and adding points to the athletic department in the all-sports trophy chase is point of pride at Crown Point. “It teaches the kids that this is bigger than them,” says Lorek. “They are part of something special. “Hopefully that teaches them a life lesson. They can be a leader or a part as long as they belong to something.” View full article

I'll be completely transparent. Our 106 just got back from a broken wrist suffered in PE. Saturday was his first match. Our 113 from last year quit. Our 126/132 has been very sick. He was there but not healthy. Our 138 has pneumonia. Our 160, 182, and 195 are serving a suspension and will be back for Conference and the post season. Christmas Break was not very kind to us this year. Oh, and our heavy weight just quit right after team state because "It's just too hard" (Been wrestling since elementary school.). Oh, and our 126 freshman broke his arm on Saturday in the second round. Yep, I think I got it all... We'll regroup...we still have some good wrestling left in us.

Back on topic. This should be a reminder to those working the table at streamed events that the mic is usually on and be aware of what you are saying throughout the day.

Nice strawman argument, but I'd rather stay on topic. When I'm standing behind your kid in line at concessions, with pre-schoolers or grandparents, and he/she is dropping f bombs. Don't be shocked when I do your job of parenting for you.

Tangarrray, Im guessing its “Help me help you!” Im pretty sure, “You had me at hello.” does not apply?!

At 220 Andrew Irick is ranked 17th

Let’s face it... when we are around our friends we all say stuff that we wouldn’t say in a million years in public your to the masses. I’m not making excuses for these volunteers. They shouldn’t have said that stuff. Sounds like they simply needed to be reminded that people at home can hear them. During my years doing all of this I have seen this addressed in multiple ways. I have seen signs taped to the tables that remind the table help that they are being listened to. I have been to tournaments where the announcers remind table help that they can be listened to online. And lastly (which I absolutely hate) is all mics are muted. I would suggest going with the first two suggestions, and if it is an issue next year move in to number 3. Hope this helps.

There's some solid parenting. Just don't be a snowflake when someone takes the role of raising your kids and tells them to watch their language and shut their pinhole later when they're talking like a truck driver in public

Or you could have looked at the topic pinned to the top of the forum....

The biggest upset of the day. No curtis at 26 today. No Watts/Curtis match so the loser is the fans.

HAHA after 3 decades of ref bashing, awood2 jumps in and steals my thunder!! All those years of hanging over the rail telling refs that everything from their eyesight to their hairline was fading, but none as fast their officiating skills! Awood2 makes a simple observation that kids (dare I say athletes) deserve a certain level of consistency and BAM!! Pandemonium ensues and the topic goes viral!! I had to cut dreadlocks mat side to butt hurt as many people! Tubcutter would be proud.

@Mattyb this is the very definition of "stirring the pot"

At 53, I pee in Morse code...dot dot dash dot dot dash

So did we figure out who can pee the furthest yet?

State shouldn't be classed, one tourney one champ.

First I am not sure I even know you. I don’t want you to take that as disrespect. I am aware of you because some one told me Saturday but I was really busy. We are letting this topic go in a direction I don’t like. I view a lot of the officials there as friends and would have defended their style of officiating the same way. The way you presented the situation you knew other officials and coaches would know who you were referring to which by your own post is wrong. Do I agree with every call I see no, absolutely not. But these men are humans and will call matches different let. I agree to disagree

Thanks for the link to the AL Smith finals.... now I dont have to search for it...

I was happy for Carmel also Matt. Coach P being a close friend of mine, I’m aware of a lot of the issues he’s had to persevere through to begin getting things aligned in a way that breeds success. I know you’re already aware of what isn’t the problem there.......great coaching. Admittedly......I don’t know the Ben Davis staff. So I can only speak on Ben Davis alum’s Coach Gill, and his commitment to CIA. I rarely use the word “friend”, because REAL ones are hard to find. But ironically.....both Gill & Ed are more comparable to family, than just friendship. So in Gill’s case......I’d bet my bank account that when/if he ever decides to slow down his commitment to pumping out D1 wrestlers at CIA, and throw his hat into the high school head coaching arena, that programs struggles would improve significantly. No disrespect to BD’s current staff. Again, I don’t know them. So I speak namely about the aforementioned line-up issues.....and obviously based on my experience of how Gill (and Eppert) has helped cultivate my son into one of the top wrestling prospects in the country. Just my 2 cents. I know I’m preaching to the choir here Matt. I’m confident your post had nothing to do with those guys specifically. You’ve always been too stand-up for that in all of our interaction throughout the years. But let’s face it......many people who are unaware of your subjectivity on the matter, may raise eyebrows and get the wrong idea about what you’re implying. So I felt led to not only give clarity about 2 of only 5 individuals I genuinely call “friend”, but to also validate your character on the matter brother. Look forward to catching up with you and Garcia on Sat.

Most of the results not entering results here are not in Track either. Rankings are just another tool for fans, wrestlers and recruiters. One thing people need to remember is that rankings are an imperfect yet pretty accurate snapshot with opinion built in of the current state of a weight class. They are a moment in time, not a prediction of the future as many people on the internet (not just speaking about wrestling rankings) and change as results change. If rankings were 100% accurate of how things will end, why would we even have the events? So people should learn not to allow their panties get in a wad every time there is an upset and crow at the guys doing the rankings.

you're right BUT when a coach is recruiting a kid it helps when he has the notoriety from legitimate wrestling sources.. you're right in the sense everybody can be beat regardless of the number next to a wrestlers name... but imho it gives us all something to talk about, gives some wrestlers more motivaion and when getting recruited it helps when the coach has a general idea of the quality that wrestler has beaten or lost to... rankings don't make sense whenever they don't align with actual results but our homies here do a good job using the results they have been given and ranking accordingly.