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3 years I have been on here lobbying for Winamac to get (and Earn) an invite to Team State... I spit out many many statistics and comparisons to teams that were going and each year just felt CHEATED by the system.... couldn't understand how others were more deserving than our program based on given information. The hardest part was comparing teams that don't see each other... ECC Semi-State vs Fort Wayne Semi-State, The always viewed weak Logansport Regional, and now to see that what so many people started working for almost 9 years ago to rebuild a program from 7 total wrestlers in the wrestling room to EARNING enough respect as a program from the selection committee (obviously not amongst all coaches in the northern half of the state) to be invited to TEAM STATE..... I am so very thankful... I have no words to express the gratitude for this recognition... The part that excites me most is how this will ENERGIZE our kids and our community... These kids that have put in the work even when they had been knocked down time and time again. The FUEL this honor will provide our program can't be matched.... This experience for our kids will not be something that could be replicated anywhere.... I see and now understand that I was wrong the last 3 years.... focusing on the negative of not being invited was not fair to those that were invited and to all those programs I do publicly apologize.... wished I would have learned that sooner.... Side note.... To see Rochester, West Central, and Winamac all invited to Team State is so awesome for our little area!!! Great job head coaches and all supporters of each of those programs!! Best of luck to each!!!

Prayers to the family, Steve was a great man, I remember he reffed a lot of my matches in high school he was a bit older but he did his best cause he loved the sport, He reffed a lot in NWI not sure if he made it to other parts of the state, RIP Steve.

I think it's interesting that Maconaquah hasn't been offered an opportunity the last years with bid spot. Being the most consistent 2A team to fall short each year of automatic bid. Furthermore, beating teams that competed in state duals that season. It's hard to explain to wrestlers if 1 more wrestler would of....... we would of got the automatic bid. "But we missed the cut by .5 pt. again coach" Returning Line-up 1- State Placer, 4- Semi-state Qualifiers w/1 losing ticket round which 1 was an ISWA Folkstyle 3rd place, 4- regional qualifers which 1 was ISWA 2nd in Freesytle, and 2 incoming wrestler short of placing at middle school state in light weights.

Jethy ith weawy gooood!

I don't really have a dog in this fight but I don't like this train of thought and for the record, I'm a Sam Riesen fan. When you have a committee deciding things about other people's programs, then you have an obligation to be able to explain yourself and to do that exact thing when asked. Maybe not on the board, but the reasoning should be readily available. It's the same thing with the sectional realignment. There is a committee that does the leg work for the IHSAA and then the IHSAA decides. But, when decisions are being made about 300+ programs, then those people have a duty to explain things. In the last year, I have heard from over 15+ head coaches that Rochester is moving back to the ECC Semi-State. That's frustrating to me. Why would other programs know about my program before I do? Why is it still difficult to get a straight answer? It'd be nice to know so I can start working on changing our schedule. Anyway, now I'm just venting. I'm not a big fan of "secrecy" and I feel like these are always two big decisions that are always kept a "secret". I have the same gripe with the IHSAA. Why does everything have to be a big secret. You make the decision, so stand by it and explain it when asked. Again, when you represent a larger group and you make decisions on what is and is not best for the people and programs in that group, then you have an obligation to explain your reasoning to that group.

The first round of invitations for the 2022-23 Team State have been sent out and each team accepted their invitations. It's going to be another great tournament! There will be an invitation late April for 1 team each class and 1 in season vote determined the week before Christmas. The following teams that have accepted: 4A 3A 2A 1A Brownsburg East Central Bellmont Adams Central Center Grove Floyd Central Delta Bluffton Crown Point Hobart Garrett Cascade Evansville Mater Dei Mishawaka Hamilton Heights Cowan Indianapolis Cathedral New Haven Heritage Hills North Posey Penn Roncalli Jay County Prairie Heights New Prairie Rochester Community Norwell Southmont Rensselaer Central Tell City Western West Central

Anybody know of any individual tournaments coming up in the Indiana, Ohio, Illinois area? track is dry right now and not showing any competition coming up in the area besides Midwest nationals in Illinois. I have also checked nuway, flowrestling, and supreme but no luck… surely there is some tournaments going down somewhere in these states.

See attached 2021-22 Spring Clinic Meeting Minutes.docx

jethy is good

My team has been 0-2 in vote ins at the end of the season, 2021 and 2019, though we did get the second vote-in spot last winter when Columbia City withdrew their auto-bid during the season. It is frustrating to be close and not get in. I've been there. I think part of the difficulty in explaining reasoning comes from it being a committee that votes on the teams. No one person's reasoning supersedes the group decision. Each person votes equally. We all look at last season's results, the information given from the coaches, and the projected line-ups to make our votes.

Some great wrestling will happen this weekend, with two IN guys in the mix. At 61kg - Jesse Mendez is the 4 seed. It appears at this weight, the seeding committee penalized for FF's at the US Open. Daniel Deshazer beat Mendez at the US Open and later FF'd the 3rd/4th Place match. DeShazer is seeded 6th despite the win over Jesse. Seth Gross is the 5th seed and he also FF'd to to DeShazer and Tyler Graff to finish 6th, after losing to eventual Champ Nico Megaludis in the semis. Seeding aside, Jesse will face former NCAA Champ Seth Gross in the 1st round/Quarterfinal. Should he knock off Gross, he'll likely see Megalis, the #1 seed. Personally, I think he'd have a better shot as the 6-seed, but you gotta win matches to get to the end. Whoever wins Sunday afternoon will face Daton Fix who at Final X, who is sitting in wait. At 65kg - Nick Lee is the 4 seed and may have gotten a favorable draw. Nick finished 3rd at the 2020/21 US Olympic Trials, losing to Jordan Oliver and then running off wins against 3 former NCAA Champs on the back side. Between Nashon Garrett, Zain Retherford and Yianni Diakimohalis there were 6 NCAA Titles at the time (now 7). Kendrick Maple, another former NCAA Champ, came out of retirement and won the US Open last month, in impressive fashion. By winning the US Open, he's the #1 seed. #s 2 and 3 respectively are Yianni and Joey McKenna. Lee should face Josh Saunders in round 1, then Matthew Kolodzik in the Quarters. Maple will be challenged by Eric Henderson or Pat Lugo in Quarterfinal. The 2 winners of the Semifinal will skip the final and prepare for a best of 3 showdown at Final X, as there is no returning medalist waiting in the wings.

Mendez gets a nice 10-0 win over Shelton Mack. Josh Rodriguez in the consolation semifinal. Rodriguez was a 3x NCAA qualifier out of North Dakota State and finished 2nd at the US Open. Rodriguez lost to Dan DeShazer today after beating him at the Open. Seth Gross won the other semifinal getting the fall over Nico Megaludis. Mendez is holding his own quite well. Should he win, he'll have either Megaludis or Graf for 3rd Place.

Only difference in that match was some grown man strength vs a kid I’m not sure is 19 yet. Jesse was the better wrestler that match.

Lee running some tough laces to get a win.

What a crazy match! Gross gets multiple turns with a trap arm and pulls it out 13-12. Mendez was the boss most of that match, but seasoned may be the exact correct term for Seth Gross. Nick Lee won in the round of 16, 10-3 over Josh Saunders and Lucas Davison lost another heartbreaker in the same round, dropping 6-6 to Jordan Wood on a late score. Nick Lee on deck on Mat 3, facing 5 seed Matthew Kolodzik, formerly of Princeton.

Gross comes storming back after being down by 9 to win it 13-12 solid showing by Mendez Vs a seasoned vet

Mendez looking great against the well seasoned Gross. Mendez almost ends it but Gross catches him gets trap arm, turning him several time to get the lead. Unfortunate ending from Mendez trying to push the offense to wrap up the match. I think the final was Gross 13-12

Alara Boyd is seeded 3rd at 68kg WF Former IU wrestler Nate Jackson seeded 2nd at 92kg MF Former IU wrestler Lucas Sheridan is seeded 2nd at 97kg MG

The answer is always "Lateral Drop" ask any Uncle Rico wrestling veteran at your local watering hole

Keep those updates coming I’m at a wedding for the rest of the afternoon. Why a wrestling coach would schedule his wedding on the WTT weekend is beyond me.