Perseverance

Wes......Aporeciate the acknowledgement brother. And while you’re 100% correct regarding your point about hard work being greater than natural ability.....I only have 1 request. DO NOT downplay my elite DNA strain brotha! 🤣 Because even though after 30 seconds the youngster has me either on my back, or too tired to continue......He still can’t hit my fastball......and he dreads putting on the boxing gloves with me! Gotta keep him honest 😏.

Fully understand brother. Admittedly......the toughest part wasn’t Silas separating himself from other interested “powerhouse” programs. It was the phone calls to Ersland & Todd.....and of course Angel. We think extremely highly of these guys and everything they stand for. But ultimately.....Silas chose the program he felt would best benefit HIM regarding his goals. He will be a tremendous ambassador for our state’s Wrestling everywhere the sport, his hard work & health, and God takes him. Really appreciate everyone’s support and encouraging words. They won’t be forgotten gentlemen.

Sounds more to me like you’re probably unaware of the process. Matches are paired using a formula between the 4 Regionals and their placements. I realize at times it may seem like certain kids receive better draws than others.....and honestly, they have. But it’s not because there is someone overseeing matters that ensures certain kids get an easier path, while others get the hard road. That’s why working hard and trying to secure a #1 seed is so important. I noticed you had just joined the site a couple weeks ago. So my response to you is based on helping you better understand the process a bit. And giving you the benefit of the doubt, that you’re not trying to create strife with a rival school. Because I can attest to the fact that the individuals I personally know from SD......spill their guts year round to be the best version of themselves possible, and deserve all the success and good fortune that comes their way. Hope this gives you some clarity.

Thought I’d piggyback off this a bit and include some other notable rankings Matt. It gives some other worthy Indiana hammers a little acknowledgement for the countless hours of hard work and sacrifice it takes to find your name on these National lists. -Trackwrestling- 113- Moran 12th 126- Mendez 20th 132- Asa 18th 160- Washington 13th 170- South 6th 195- Silas 5th -Adidas- 132- Asa 14th 145- Lee 20th 152- Slivka 19th 160- Washington 17th 195- Silas 6th 285- Pokorney 4th -InterMat- 113- Moran 19th 120- Littell 20th 132- Garcia 16th 145- Lee 15th 160- Washington 10th 170- South 17th 170- Calhoun 20th 182- Brewer 16th 195- Silas 7th 220- Irick 18th 220- Cornwell 20th

Yeah brother.......that’s on another level of loaded. What I really like about the Walker vs Calhoun match-up goes far beyond their state ranking and opportunity to contest South at 170. Both of these young men have been Nationally ranked at some time. In fact.....I believe Calhoun was 20th in the last Intermat Rankings. Walker has been 18-20 via Flo on a couple different occasions. This match, and their performances the next couple weeks could solidify them a semi-permanent spot.

Although 1 has suffered a loss........I can’t imagine any bigger match-up than Walker vs Calhoun at the Penn Regional (170).

Sorry to hear that brother. Something our Head Coach said that has really helped him is the “Dashboard” on his IHSAA account. It will give you the weight your wrestlers can legally be at week to week. This may be something you can look into for yourself (with Head Coach if applicable) moving forward. Genuinely hope your son still finds success at 145 man.

I understand your point. And I was looking forward to going through various brackets also. But ultimately.......I can’t speak on the intracasies of how the IHSAA does things. I was simply sharing gained info to go along with all the other speculation.

Agreed. I have no other info outside of what I shared brother. Maybe it’s groundless.....or perhaps it carries some weight. Ultimately it’s outside info from a pretty reliable source. Not sure how Track would do seedlings if qualifying weights don’t align.....and ultimately much comes down to the integrity of AD’s and how stringent they may be.....or may not have been in the past. (Shugs)

I’ve been told from a pretty reliable source that the hold up is surrounding qualifying weigh-ins and the weight management protocol as a whole. It was said that the IHSAA is making sure that student athletes are not dropping below their qualifying weights. All hearsay at this point. But thought I’d share. I guess we’ll know soon enough, if guys are up a weight class from where we may have projected.

Thank you. That’s ridiculously impressive to me. Would love some additional details of that team if anyone reading this has any? Were they literally just that balanced from a talent standpoint? We’re they pushed by any other talented schools that year? Surely......they were a nightmare to dual right?

Cathedral and Columbus E would be my personal picks as front runners. Cathedral.....because of their QUALITY depth. If they have 5-6 guys in the finals it wouldn’t be some crazy over-accomplishment. I voice Columbus E due to them having what I personally believe to be a couple solid front runners to get it all the way done. Strong arguments could be made for each of these teams. Especially Avon if things go their way. But when you look at the depth of MD, the coaching and possible State Champs of other programs mentioned......draws are going to be paramount in the team race. Semi-final matches could literally determine the Team Champs. In fact.......has there ever been a Team Championship won by a program without an individual champion? Just curious due to my relative infancy following high school wrestling. Now humor me if you would....and play “What Could Have Been!” Had things went differently at barely big enough for 4 syllables Shenandoah........our just over 400 enrollment would be right in the mix. AJ Black....Jordan Slivka......Silas Allred. In turn, if Lohrey & Pugsley make a run towards the top of the podium, it could’ve been historic! I voice these things because this year was the “Target year” when the team was comprised and taking shape 5 yrs ago. Fun to think about.......but only if it’s fleeting. Stings too much to dwell on it 😏.

Not real sure how I feel about this quite yet. Admittedly......Silas’ primary goal is making the Cadet World Team in late May/early June. Definitely need to find some clarity as to how this could/couldn’t translate with World Team training. Aside from that variable......we were planning on competing there this year as a Final Folkstyle tourney, chasing a match-up with Ferrari. Definitely somewhat of an interesting curveball at the moment.

Those are results that breed lessons. Obviously.....it’s never ok to celebrate defeat. But man......the Rogers & Slivka matches show a very small gap to close. Especially Jordan’s! That’s a solid performance against a ridiculously talented Amine.

Wes........Superintendent pulled the plug on Shenandoah going due to weather predictions.