SunDevils

How does Michigan compare to Indiana as a wrestling state? I know Indiana's top wrestlers can compete with any state but typically depth is different than Ohio, Illinois, Pennsylvania. However, are Indiana and Michigan in the same category?

I was at the dual meet yesteday a few observations: 1) ASU definitely was capable of pulling off the upset if they were full strength. 2) Micic is on another level. Absolutely dominated with a 17-2 tech fall over the #15 ranked wrestler. 3) Parris is a monster and looks like he has probably gained +20lbs of muscle since high school. I look for him to AA. I think the weight class is Gables to lose but I could see a number of wrestlers placing 2-8, just depending on who is hot.

The link I found on the news article is cavemensports.com/mishawakanetwork/ it is on the left hand side of the article right above the teams participating. But sadly the video link seems to be broken at least for me.

Will the Al Smith be streaming at all? That would be a bonus Christmas gift! It may have been previously mentioned on another thread, my apologies if I missed it.

Completely agree but high schools do not have the resources universities possess with exclusive workout facilities, dieticians, multiple athletic trainers that are highly skilled, and etc. From high school to college it really is apples to oranges. However, your premise is spot on, fasting to cut weight for unreasonable amounts of time (2 or 3 days) is not wise and is often a result of lack of discipline or poor diet.

Jacob Tonte was a phenomenal wrestler as well. I believe 50-0 (or something to that effect) before being unable to wrestle at state his senior year. Would have had to beat one of the Welch twins which he was likely capable of but the Welch twins were studs. It was fun watching the Walton/Graber match. One thing that really, really stood out about Walton was his poise in the first period after giving up the initial take down. He didn't seem phased at all. The 3rd period, especially the last :30 seconds, seemed out of character in comparison to the other 5.5 minutes of the match. Graber wrestled a very good match. You can tell he had a great gas tank.

Wrestling will survive in a multi-class system or in a single class system. The question is better versus best. Class wrestling seems to help develop depth this seems fairly quantifiable considering 1) surrounding states such as Illinois, Michigan, Ohio, Minnesota, Iowa, Pennsylvania, and New York are historically considered better wrestling states than Indiana; 2) it exposes more kids to college coaches, giving more student-athletes the opportunity to compete in college, gain experience, earn a degree and go back to their community and contribute to their local wrestling community. If wrestling wants to grow in numbers its about promotion. Does specializing in a sport hurt the overall sport? I think this is to be determined. Indiana is battling against history. However, wrestle-backs throughout the state tournament would help improve an already great state tournament dramatically (no intention to open pandoras box with this sentence). It is ingrained in the fan base that they want a single class with "one true state champion." However, none of our systems are set up that way look at the NCAA. There are division I, II, III national champions as well as NAIA national champions. Depending on the size of the school even at the collegiate level they are afforded more resources and opportunities. And I highly doubt Mr. LeFever the four time national champion doesn't consider himself a "true national champion." The reality in life is not everyone can be doctors, or lawyers, or politicians, or professional athletes but all can optimize their potential given their specific skill set and exceed their perceived limitations. Wrestling is a sport that helps promote mental, physical, and emotional toughness and if classing the sport gives more individuals opportunities to further develop those skill sets then it should be considered. Also, success leads to growth. People love being part of a successful movement. If some of the smaller schools start to have more success eventually the community and students will get behind them because it is exciting to be part of a winning tradition or a foundation that leads to a winning tradition. One thing that I will say is special about this message board and Indiana wrestling fans in general is that they are passionate and truly want to grow the sport. As someone who has lived in Indiana, Arizona, and now Texas - I wish the great state of Texas had a community as passionate about yours as growing the sport.

Andrew Howe still has my vote as the best Indiana Wrestler of All Time at the very least he is still the most dominant of all time at this point. But that is looking at his entire career and body of work from high school to college. That being said between Parris, Red, Lee (x3), Micic, Humphrey, Escebedo, among others the last 15-20 years of Indiana High School wrestling has been fun to watch.

As a Sun Devil alumni I would love to see him win another national title. That being said odds definitely are against him if he doesn’t open up offensively. Since Penn State wrestlers definitely do not struggle scoring points. Especially Zain. Even though he has multiple wins over Sorensen he has been in a “slump” and I would just guess Sorensen would be favored by 4-8 points at this moment. I am very hopeful he puts together a strong season and stands atop the podium this year alongside Zahid.

Will you have to have a membership to track wrestling to watch the event? I chose to go with Flo over track but this event might be worth track wrestling.

I think there are a lot of factors that increase participation: better promotion/publicity of the sport (Indianamat & Flowrestling), club teams, football and CTE stigma, and the UFC. Virtually no one has the opportunity to complete on a world team or in the Olympics in proportion to the number of athletes that make it to the NFL, NBA, NHL, or MLB. However, the UFC has provided athletes interested in combat sports a new outlet and wrestling is one of the best backgrounds to have in MMA.

Here in Texas there is a match limit. Students are limited to 5 matches at a given tournament or super dual.