Jake Riesen

Have any teams moved up a class yet? I am not expecting Matre Dei to sign up anytime soon. Back when they held the national Juniour varsity consecutive dual wins they use to take forfeits at several weights to make it happen. They enjoy padding their stats a little and I don't see that changing as of right now. FYI I don't blame anyone for taking the easy road, but I think it would make the state tourney a lot more competitive if they bumped.

Do you have results from last year for us to look at with total points scored and so on? How many points did it take last year to make it to the tournament last year for each class? I think formulas can make for bad selection, but I will give this a shot before I bad mouth the picks.

Looks complicated , but I will give it a shot. That being said thank you coaches association for getting the word out before the sectionals take place. This is a huge step forward for our sport and it will be helpful in producing the best class tournament we can currently do. Thank you for the hard work.

I will say the Elkhart and Carroll sectional was a tough one for me to pick. I probably went the wrong way with it. It looks like the armpit of Indianais moving there wrestling skills eastward, hopefully they make it to Fort Wayne someday.

Another thumbs up for the association. I thought this magizine would be a one hit wonder, but the second issue was even better then the first.

Delta sectional is weak on a whole. At Jay county the upper weights are going to dominate everything Delta has to throw at them. Yes there are some good wrestlers just like every sectional, but this sectional is weak in a lot of spots.

Board has been fairly dead after conference so why not get sectionals back on track. Here are my top 8 Fort Wayne Sectionals. 1. Jay County- Jay county sectional currently is top heavy. It has the number 1 team in the NHC(#3 2a Belmont), and #1 and #2 teams in the ACAC(#3 1a South Adams and #2 1aAdam Central). These three teams lead the sectional, but all the other teams have several scattered individuals that will be on the podium to help add depth to the sectional. Every weight class will be highly contested. 2. Carroll- Lacks the top end teams, but does have 5 very solid teams that makes the overall depth outstanding. With Carroll(most seeded in NHC), Bishop Dwenger(2nd in SAC), Leo( 3rd in ACAC), Garrett(4th in ACAC), and Churubusco(2nd in NECC) all having great years this one could be very interesting. Great big and middle weights headline this sectional. 3. Elkhart Memorial- Only has 8 teams, but has the likes of 2 of the best teams in the area. Jimtown and Elkhart Memorial will be leading the charge in this one. These are two complete teams that make the depth good overall. Then add to that other solid performers from Goshen, Fairfield, Elkhart Central, and Northridge and you can see this is a sectional on the rise. 4. Westview- Lacks overall depth but it does have the #2 and # 3 teams in the NHC(Dekalb and EastNobel) . It also features NECC conference champion Angola and a West Nobel team with several solid individual. The problem is this is almost all this sectional has and the total depth is very lacking. 5. New Haven- This is a sectional on the rise and in 2 or 3 years we maybe talking this as one of the top sectionals in Fort Wayne. They are headlined by SAC champions Snider. Snider is the only complete team in the sectional, but several other teams are bringing solid individuals. Homestead, Woodland, Heritage, and New haven can all give Snider fits at several individual weight classes. 6.Peru- Fort Wayne starts looking down at this point. I just see this sectional as having a few more solid teams then the other two. Huntington North Peru North Miami and Northfield are all ok. 7. Delta- They have a solid Yorktown team, but on a whole they are going to be beat down by the Jay county sectional for another year. 8. Oak Hill- Kokomo is having a solid year, but in all honesty this is the worst sectional in Northeat Indiana. None of these teams would finish in the top 5 in most of these sectionals. That being said they may be on a little bit of a rise in coming years I just don;t see it anytime soon.

In the three class system northeast indiana is dominating two of the classes. I doubt they will have a real successful state tournament, but the smaller schools up in the northeast corner are killing the rest of the state. They have the top 3 teams in 2a and two of the top 3 teams in 1a. Just wanted to give some serious props to the coaches and atheletes that have been and who currently are building success. As soon as the big schools get a taste of going to state because of the classes then watch out we may begin the transition into the best area of the state. In all seriousness I do hope that Fort Wayne area schools readopt middle school wrestling, because it has seriously hindered their productivity in recent years. Terry Tipton

Next year is the first year for the classed team state as we have all heard and I want to know which teams do you think will be in the mix for the title. Terry tiptons top 5 2011-2012 are as follows: 1. Matre Dei 2. Adam Central 3. South Adams 4. Fountain Central 5. Alexandria Who am I missing or who should be on the watch list. Help me fill out the rest of the top ten. `

Sounds like a plan is this another big team state meeting? I think it sounds like a good opportunity to get a lot more people on board with the association. There is goingto be a team state so lets hash out the details and make our voices heard.

Thanks i didn;t really want to do it.

I think really light weight guys like the 106 and 113 typically have a lot of trouble moving up weight classes. Most of the time its because of age disparity. Most 106er's are freshmen and sophmores so they wrestle equal level talent. So as they move up weight classes a lot of times there records do not get much better. I see age disparity at the top weight classes as well. It seems that any weight over 160 you rarly see anyone make it to state that is a freshmen or sophmore. Not many freshmen or sophmores can match size and speed of the seniors that have been lifting for four extra years. The age disparity up top seems to fool people into thing bigger guys are not as talented. In the middle and down low we see 4 time staters and they definatly have a lot of name recognition and rightfully so. Up top a lot of times we have state placers and champions that were sectional qualifiers or jv as freshmen and sophmores. I guess just because they typically develope later in their career doesn't mean they are not as talented.

Has Lefever been beat a few times? Or why isn't he in the rankings? I would imagine he has wrestled a few solid guys to put him on the list. He also has some national accolades.

I think its about that time of year to start this thread. Name them and I will make the list.

Which would give a team more bonus points throughout a season. 3 studs at heavywieght, 220, and 196 or 3 studs at 106, 113, and 120. As a coach which weights are the most benificial to have great wrestlers. This is kind of the Bellmont Yorktown arguement for the past few seasons and I was just wandering where you see the biggest benifit for teams to have good wrestlers.

There are a few sectionals in Northeast Indiana I can see some new teams winning. The one I am looking the most forward to is the Jay County Sectional. Will Belmont be able to grab another title, or will South Adams or Adam Central change the tune. Is Belmont the worst team in Adams county? Thats not talking trash to Belmont just giving the other schools their respect. The other sectional I am looking forward to is the Carroll sectional. This sectional is loaded with 5 or 6 above average teams with no real front runner. I could see Leo, Carroll, Dwenger, Churubusco, Whitcko, and Garrett being very competitive. I definatly see Carroll as a small favorite, but it may get close. Dwenger has a very solid team and Leo has perhaps the most top level guys. It seems like all these teams are strong at different weights and its going to be a fun one to watch. My upset special is Bishop Dwenger pulling off a huge win.

I do think that the 2003 Matre Dei is the best in recent memory. That being said, what Perry Meridian is doing right now is fairly comparable. I think the state on a whole is better then it has ever been. If you took those same kids and put them into the 2012 tourney I think you may have 2 champs and 5 or 6 placers. Thats a rough estimate, but I think it is fairly accurate. Thats not taking anything away from Matre Dei just putting it into perspective. For the record I think they would beat Perry by at least 15 points.

Coach Struck or McCormick, Is this magizine going to be sent out on here each month? How do I get this if it is not? Also I some questions about being a contributor for the magizine who do I contact?

Just for the record that is not a newsletter that is a magizine. A professionally done one to boot. I absolutly love the design on the cover and the coaches corner page. Who did you hire to do the magizine? This is something I will read everytime it comes out. Is it always going to be posted on the site? When I read through the magizine one phrase comes to mind... "game changer". This totally changed my perception of what the coaches association can do. Congrats Coach McCormick and Danny for finally changing the status quo of the coaches association.

Dear Coaches Association, I have to admit over the past year and a half I have doubted you to make the tough decisions. I thought you were week. I thought you were moving backwards. Then this past month you made claims. You said were going to have team state. You said were going to have a news letter. I had my reservations till I read through the magizine. Absolutly rediculous job. Great photos, intertaining articals, a good look into upcoming tournamets, and actully a lot more. I mean the content was not perfect, but in a couple weeks time you have produced the best a most incitful high school sports magizine in the state. Hats off to the assocition. Everyone should be reading this. If the state tounrament is ran half as well as this magizine is set up Indiana's wrestling future is on the right track. Terry Tipton

The basic outline of the event looks good. It will be interesting to see what type of criteria will be used for the event. I wish there were two teams invited the year of the event, but it still is a good start to work with. Congradulations on laying a good foundation for the first annual classed team state.

Coach Struck, Since your email isn't working I will just put it on the forum. I am getting emails from coaches wanting to be part of the association, and I want to send them to the best route for joining the association. Also I want to let you and the rest of the association know that with classing team state their is going to be a big jump in membership. I am already seeing that with my message I have recieved today. Coaches are actually getting excited and want to be a part of this special transition in our sport. So if you could use your personal email or any other contact information so coaches can get on board now is the time. It is vital for our sport to have a strong coaches association and the coaches are buying in to the new message.

Coach Struck your email is full I would like to ask you a few questions.

Hey if you want an arguement from me your not going to get it. I think we need to hold the IHSWCA feet to the fire on the big issues. I think we have done just that the past few weeks on the board and at the meeting. If things start changing and I am optomistic they will I hope you can refrane from your past disdain for the coaches association. I know I am willing to overlook past flaws for future gains. The coaches association can be a powerful thing if coaches actually get on board and unite. We did that last week and I am again optimistic we are on our way to a classed team state. I would encourage any coach that is not a member of the coaches association to look into becoming a member. The past weeks have shown just how much your voices can dictate what happens to the sport. I believe most athletic departments will carry the bill to become a member. Get involved or get ran over. I chose to get involved the best way I could. Terry Tipton If you would like more information about becomeing a member you can contact me via private message or on this forum.

I am not going to count the IHSWCA out just yet Joe. I will agree with you they have had a fairly bad track record as of late and thier overall transparancy has been lacking. That being said I have heard that the meeting may have opened up the possibilty for the team state to be reinstated. I would tell you to go and get involved just like I tell every other coach on the board. My father once told me "you shouldn't complain unless you vote." I know you have some sort of a past with the coaches association, but i think the barriers are breaking down a bit and they are starting to get it. It seems like they may actually be working towards what the coaches want a little more. They are on record of trying to be more transparent as well. The last minutes talked about a newsletter to be going out and several other things. I guess what I am saying is I just like you am very reluctant to go all in with the coaches association, but I do see some substantial improvements going on. So I am still open on the subject.