andrewdcm

I am little taken back by the tone of the post!  I have wrestled the South Bend schools in high school, I have refereed the matches, and I have had the pleasure of getting to know the coaches responsible for the programs.  Miller, Scruggs, Hartman, and others put their heart and soul into these kids/programs.  I know that scores and pictures of champions get put in the paper, but...  Miller and Scruggs are class acts.  These guys produce men (and women) with character.  Scruggs coached the first and only girl wrestler I know of in HS in our area at LaSalle.  Hartman and Scruggs both spend their summers driving kids all of the state looking for mat time.  Give these guys some credit.  Don't think for a second that I have forgotten Flatt.  This guy goes all year long.  He has run the South Bend club, he brings in the cultural exchange teams, and he works closely with the referees association in St. Joe/Elkhart counties.  Scruggs, Hartman, and Flatt are all regulars at the annual coaches panel meeting for the St. Joe Officials Assoc.  These guys put in as much time, give them their due respect  >

think it's fixed.   I posted PDF

Classy kid...   
 
New Prairie's Carroll ruled ineligible to wrestle in state tournament after Penn contests transfer _ Sports _ lpheralddispatch.com.pdf

Classy kid...   
 
New Prairie's Carroll ruled ineligible to wrestle in state tournament after Penn contests transfer _ Sports _ lpheralddispatch.com.pdf

Classy kid...   
 
New Prairie's Carroll ruled ineligible to wrestle in state tournament after Penn contests transfer _ Sports _ lpheralddispatch.com.pdf

Classy kid...   
 
New Prairie's Carroll ruled ineligible to wrestle in state tournament after Penn contests transfer _ Sports _ lpheralddispatch.com.pdf

And a not very classy Penn program...

Classy kid...   
 
New Prairie's Carroll ruled ineligible to wrestle in state tournament after Penn contests transfer _ Sports _ lpheralddispatch.com.pdf

Without knowing all the background and discussions..
 
Accepting transfers while at the same time denying a young man and his family from transferring away from your school seems very bush-league. You may hate it in the short term as a coach, but in the end you can never feel too bad letting a young man participate in a sport and your reputation will be better in the long run

The irony of the whole situation is the kid being kept from wrestling is the one that helped bring all these out-of-state kids to Penn!

I am tired of the hypocrisy.  Recently a very talented wrestler was declared ineligible to participate in the state wrestling tournament.  This did not only deny a precious year to a high school kid, but also all of Indiana eager to see one of the nations finest improving his craft for all of Indiana’s enjoyment.   The reason for this travesty was due to Penn finding a loophole in the Indiana by-laws and exploiting it.  Why?  No one knows for sure, but what is for sure is a great ambassador for the sport we love will not be showcased on Indiana’s grandest stage.   So why is this hypocrisy?   Penn has 4 wrestlers from out of state competing for them.  A wrestler from Texas, Michigan, Illinois, and South Carolina all of a sudden transferred to Penn this year.  Yet there has been no investigation, despite overwhelming evidence of recruiting.  The reason for this is simple, most adults realize these kids only have a limited time in school and if they want to leave to a different school, they let them because it is in the best interest for the kid.  This happens often in northern Indiana, I am sure  also throughout the state and all over the country.  In fact, many, many, wrestlers from various programs in northern Indiana have transferred to join Penn. Penn accepts them wholeheartedly.  No one fought the transfer because why punish the kid.  However, when Penn loses a kid the first thing they do is block the kid.  Blatant Hypocrisy.