blueandgold

I wanted to start a hypothetical scenario where this actually happens, and I want you all to be careful to read each word because as we seen earlier on this thread, reading is essential and people get upset when they don't do it.
 
Per the National Prep Board, the eligibility for teams and individuals are as follows:
 
National Prep Wrestling Tournament Eligibility Criteria
Criteria For School Eligibility
Participating schools must be accredited by an established regional, independent school accreditation organization that is recognized by the appropriate state department of education and the National Association of Independent Schools. Wrestling must be a recognized varsity sport at participating schools and an interscholastic competition schedule must be published by the school for public viewing not later than December 1st. Participating schools may not take part in their state's public school state wrestling championships.   Participating Schools must join the NWCA prior to their first competition and follow the NWCA / Trackwrestling / National Prep OPC weight management guidelines.  Participating schools are required to operate in accordance with the National Federation Rulebook Schools that are virtual or on-line schools must be accredited and affiliated with a participating National Prep Tournament network school.  Schools that rely on public funding to sponsor operations do not qualify. Schools must participate in their qualifying zone tournaments in order to be eligible to participate in the National Prep Tournament. Eligible schools that are not located in a qualifying zone will be assigned to a qualifying zone by the National Prep Board. Schools must be approved by the National Prep Board, for National Prep Tournament eligibility  not later than November 1st of the season in question.   Eligibility for Individual Wrestlers
Must be enrolled as a full-time student at a school approved by the National Prep Board for participation not later than the end of the second week in January. May not have reached one's 19th birthday prior to August 1st of the school year in question.  Eighth grade student athletes who are enrolled full-time, as an eighth grader, at an approved National Prep network school are eligible.  Student-athletes, grades eight - post graduate, who are enrolled as full time students at schools that meet the national prep eligibility criteria are eligible to participate in the National Prep Tournament. In this scenario, lets say for the 2020-21 season, the independent and private secondary schools within Indiana (47 total) have decided to move forward with their own association free of travel restrictions and lets say they all can properly field a full wrestling team. We'll have them compete in the Indiana Association of Independent and Private Schools (IAIPS).
 
Indiana Association of Independent and Private Schools (IAIPS)
 
IAIPS Boys’ Wrestling
The IAIPS Boys’ Wrestling Championships are held annually at the Mackey Arena at Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana. The tournament is a two-part series beginning with the Section Championships and concluding with the State Championships. Sections
Central Indiana Section Northern Indiana Section Southern Indiana Section Western Indiana Section Sections (cont'd)
Teams can choose to compete in whatever section they desire, but each section must comprise of twelve teams with one having an uneven eleven due to 47 member schools. State Championships
Top four finishers from each section qualify for state championships. Wrestlers will be entered into a seeded (1-12) 16-man bracket, placing 6 with full wrestlebacks to third place. Team champion will be decided by individual scoring. The champion or next highest placing individual per weight will qualify for the National Prep Wrestling Championships (per the qualifier allocations) in Bethlehem, PA. Rankings
Rankings are done 1-12 individually by IndianaMat with a power poll determining the top wrestlers P4P along with teams ranked 1-8. Champions of Indiana Dual
At the conclusion of every season, the Indiana High School Wrestling Coaches’ Association (IHSWCA) organizes an all-star dual meet between that year’s IHSAA champions and IAIPS champions to determine that year’s individual Coaches’ Association champion. The Coaches’ Association awards a team championship to the IHSAA and IAIPS team champions. Note
If the Coaches' Association allows, IAIPS varsity teams can compete alongside their public school counterparts within whatever particular class at the IHSWCA State Dual Championships.  
Within this scenario, we could see schools like Evansville Mater Dei or Indianapolis Cathedral not only compete across the country in tournaments, but we could see them allow eighth graders to compete for their respective teams, helping increase depth and grow talent pool within Indiana.

Cathedral High School's team is shaping up to possibly be their best ever. They are ranked 42nd in the country with sophomore Zeke Seltzer ranked 15th per InterMat and dominated the IHSWCA State Duals in the 3A class and ran away with Al Smith, and I was wondering since they are a private school, would we ever see a time when Indiana allows private or independent schools to be in their own league? It would be much like how Texas has TAPPS, Pennsylvania has the PAIS, Virginia has VISAA, and Maryland has the MISAA, and so forth. If we had our own governing body for private and independent schools in Indiana free of travel restrictions, would it be interesting to see how a team like Cathedral fares at the National Preps tournament in Pennsylvania among others? Would it be a good way to create more depth or improve our talent pool in Indiana?

Indiana has always been a state that produces great talent, but a lot of times, it never seems to materialize on the next level. There are a variety of factors that can contribute to this, but it’s always interesting to see who does well and who doesn’t in college. An individual that comes to mind for me is Dylan Lydy, a state champion in 2015 and now ranked 4th in the nation as a redshirt senior for Coach Ersland and only has one loss. He looks to be a for sure All-American this year if he can keep this momentum going, and while he is an incredibly hard worker, there have been more talented wrestlers to enter the collegiate ranks who fizzled out quickly. Also, I see Kris Rumph and Kyle Hatch are BOTH ranked #1 in the nation at their weights for very respective and competitive schools. Hats off to these gentleman for persevering and making the most of their college careers. I hope this new crop of talent can be successful. I have high hopes for Silas Allred, Zeke Seltzer, and Brayden Littell along with many, many others.

Indiana has always been a state that produces great talent, but a lot of times, it never seems to materialize on the next level. There are a variety of factors that can contribute to this, but it’s always interesting to see who does well and who doesn’t in college. An individual that comes to mind for me is Dylan Lydy, a state champion in 2015 and now ranked 4th in the nation as a redshirt senior for Coach Ersland and only has one loss. He looks to be a for sure All-American this year if he can keep this momentum going, and while he is an incredibly hard worker, there have been more talented wrestlers to enter the collegiate ranks who fizzled out quickly. Also, I see Kris Rumph and Kyle Hatch are BOTH ranked #1 in the nation at their weights for very respective and competitive schools. Hats off to these gentleman for persevering and making the most of their college careers. I hope this new crop of talent can be successful. I have high hopes for Silas Allred, Zeke Seltzer, and Brayden Littell along with many, many others.

Indiana has always been a state that produces great talent, but a lot of times, it never seems to materialize on the next level. There are a variety of factors that can contribute to this, but it’s always interesting to see who does well and who doesn’t in college. An individual that comes to mind for me is Dylan Lydy, a state champion in 2015 and now ranked 4th in the nation as a redshirt senior for Coach Ersland and only has one loss. He looks to be a for sure All-American this year if he can keep this momentum going, and while he is an incredibly hard worker, there have been more talented wrestlers to enter the collegiate ranks who fizzled out quickly. Also, I see Kris Rumph and Kyle Hatch are BOTH ranked #1 in the nation at their weights for very respective and competitive schools. Hats off to these gentleman for persevering and making the most of their college careers. I hope this new crop of talent can be successful. I have high hopes for Silas Allred, Zeke Seltzer, and Brayden Littell along with many, many others.

Indiana has always been a state that produces great talent, but a lot of times, it never seems to materialize on the next level. There are a variety of factors that can contribute to this, but it’s always interesting to see who does well and who doesn’t in college. An individual that comes to mind for me is Dylan Lydy, a state champion in 2015 and now ranked 4th in the nation as a redshirt senior for Coach Ersland and only has one loss. He looks to be a for sure All-American this year if he can keep this momentum going, and while he is an incredibly hard worker, there have been more talented wrestlers to enter the collegiate ranks who fizzled out quickly. Also, I see Kris Rumph and Kyle Hatch are BOTH ranked #1 in the nation at their weights for very respective and competitive schools. Hats off to these gentleman for persevering and making the most of their college careers. I hope this new crop of talent can be successful. I have high hopes for Silas Allred, Zeke Seltzer, and Brayden Littell along with many, many others.

Indiana has always been a state that produces great talent, but a lot of times, it never seems to materialize on the next level. There are a variety of factors that can contribute to this, but it’s always interesting to see who does well and who doesn’t in college. An individual that comes to mind for me is Dylan Lydy, a state champion in 2015 and now ranked 4th in the nation as a redshirt senior for Coach Ersland and only has one loss. He looks to be a for sure All-American this year if he can keep this momentum going, and while he is an incredibly hard worker, there have been more talented wrestlers to enter the collegiate ranks who fizzled out quickly. Also, I see Kris Rumph and Kyle Hatch are BOTH ranked #1 in the nation at their weights for very respective and competitive schools. Hats off to these gentleman for persevering and making the most of their college careers. I hope this new crop of talent can be successful. I have high hopes for Silas Allred, Zeke Seltzer, and Brayden Littell along with many, many others.

These are all great weights. Still haven’t seen a weight deeper than 2015 120 though that featured names such as:
 
Brendan Black
Breyden Bailey
Brock Hudkins
Cornelious Elliott
Hunter Langeloh 
Jeremiah Reitz
Kyle Hatch
Sawyer Miller
Tyler Ferguson
Will Egli
 
Deepest weight I’ve ever seen. 4 state champions in one bracket.

These are all great weights. Still haven’t seen a weight deeper than 2015 120 though that featured names such as:
 
Brendan Black
Breyden Bailey
Brock Hudkins
Cornelious Elliott
Hunter Langeloh 
Jeremiah Reitz
Kyle Hatch
Sawyer Miller
Tyler Ferguson
Will Egli
 
Deepest weight I’ve ever seen. 4 state champions in one bracket.

Tell that to David Taylor (4x OH Div. II State Champion), Gable Steveson (4x MN AAA State Champion), or Spencer Lee (3x PA AAA State Champion). I wonder if their classed championships make them any less of a state champion. In Illinois, state champion vs. state champion matches make for great entertainment. If I can recall, the Dvorak Invite back in 2013 featured an undefeated then-3X, eventual 4x Illinois 1A state champion in Josh Alber of Dakota against an eventual 4x Illinois 3A state champion in Jered Cortez, and Alber beat him. That same 1A Dakota team also was nationally ranked at the same time OPRF and Montini were, AND they won Disney that year when they WHOOPED a nationally ranked 3x defending national champion Perry Meridian, a team from a single class state, 55-4, but they were 1A so it doesn’t matter, right?

I didn’t kill my own point though. That’s what ISWA and USAW tournaments are for. Participation needs to go up there as well. You want a shot at the other class champ? Enter the same weight at Folkstyle State. People talk as if winning in a single class state means you’re automatically a super recruit. We NEED the depth. That’s what other states have that we don’t. That’s why going to classed wrestling can be a great thing because the states that we cannot compete with (IA, IL, OH, PA) have it and they have the depth to be good nationally. Just give these kids the incentive to want to wrestle and invest in wrestling. Isn’t there a saying that “the rising tide raises all ships”? How in any way would classed wrestling hurt? It wouldn’t. It’s just that most of you in this state are fearful of change and unwilling to open your mind, and everyone seems to believe a small school kid being successful would hurt a large school kid’s success when it wouldn’t.
 
And I’m saying this as a graduate of a large school who won IHSWCA and IHSAA state and I qualified for state myself. Those smaller schools wouldn’t have disrupted my or my team’s successes in ANY way. No outcome would’ve been different because everyone my team or I lost to was from a larger school.

Tell that to David Taylor (4x OH Div. II State Champion), Gable Steveson (4x MN AAA State Champion), or Spencer Lee (3x PA AAA State Champion). I wonder if their classed championships make them any less of a state champion. In Illinois, state champion vs. state champion matches make for great entertainment. If I can recall, the Dvorak Invite back in 2013 featured an undefeated then-3X, eventual 4x Illinois 1A state champion in Josh Alber of Dakota against an eventual 4x Illinois 3A state champion in Jered Cortez, and Alber beat him. That same 1A Dakota team also was nationally ranked at the same time OPRF and Montini were, AND they won Disney that year when they WHOOPED a nationally ranked 3x defending national champion Perry Meridian, a team from a single class state, 55-4, but they were 1A so it doesn’t matter, right?

If you want to grow the sport, I do believe having more than 1 class would be the way to go.  I really have no good argument against moving towards multi-class in order to grow.
 
However, for strictly my greedy viewing purposes, I love the one class for individual wrestlers.  (As a team, I have no issues with classed wrestling.)  Knowing who the best individual in the state is something that I do appreciate watching every year.  I understand that most of the champs would come out of the larger class, but rooting for that underdog under the lights is a feeling that is unexplainable.

Kentucky, Hawaii, Delaware, and Vermont also...aka the wrestling powers.

Kid is just unreal. Saw him this weekend and was so impressed by how advanced his wrestling is for a sophomore. He was outstanding as a freshman and has managed to go up several more notches. The way he puts several attacks together and goes from one to the other and gets back points... You stress kids to drill that and he's the perfect example why. He's phenomenal. Was also really impressed with his win over Freeman. That was a statement.

I’ve been doing a lot of research and a lot of conceptualizing, and I think in order for us to increase the talent pool and further grow the sport of wrestling in Indiana we need to split into two or three classes for the state tournament on top of getting rid of our travel restrictions. I think we should follow the PA route and go AA/AAA. The enthusiasm from those 1A/2A schools who don’t have nearly as many resources as their 3A counterparts every year should be an indicator at what this sport could be. We have a GOOD state tournament, don’t get me wrong. However, it could be so much better if we opened up our travel restrictions and broke off by class. Imagine what kind of career guys like Trezdon O’Neal or other small/intermediate school guys could’ve had with a much better system.

Tell that to David Taylor (4x OH Div. II State Champion), Gable Steveson (4x MN AAA State Champion), or Spencer Lee (3x PA AAA State Champion). I wonder if their classed championships make them any less of a state champion. In Illinois, state champion vs. state champion matches make for great entertainment. If I can recall, the Dvorak Invite back in 2013 featured an undefeated then-3X, eventual 4x Illinois 1A state champion in Josh Alber of Dakota against an eventual 4x Illinois 3A state champion in Jered Cortez, and Alber beat him. That same 1A Dakota team also was nationally ranked at the same time OPRF and Montini were, AND they won Disney that year when they WHOOPED a nationally ranked 3x defending national champion Perry Meridian, a team from a single class state, 55-4, but they were 1A so it doesn’t matter, right?

I’ve been doing a lot of research and a lot of conceptualizing, and I think in order for us to increase the talent pool and further grow the sport of wrestling in Indiana we need to split into two or three classes for the state tournament on top of getting rid of our travel restrictions. I think we should follow the PA route and go AA/AAA. The enthusiasm from those 1A/2A schools who don’t have nearly as many resources as their 3A counterparts every year should be an indicator at what this sport could be. We have a GOOD state tournament, don’t get me wrong. However, it could be so much better if we opened up our travel restrictions and broke off by class. Imagine what kind of career guys like Trezdon O’Neal or other small/intermediate school guys could’ve had with a much better system.

Kid is just unreal. Saw him this weekend and was so impressed by how advanced his wrestling is for a sophomore. He was outstanding as a freshman and has managed to go up several more notches. The way he puts several attacks together and goes from one to the other and gets back points... You stress kids to drill that and he's the perfect example why. He's phenomenal. Was also really impressed with his win over Freeman. That was a statement.

I understand the whole concept of ONE state champion, but in the best states (IA, IL, MN, OH, PA) you see three in all of these minus PA. Having more than one state champion doesn’t make you any less of a state champion. If that’s the case, put every college in one division and see how they fare.

I understand the whole concept of ONE state champion, but in the best states (IA, IL, MN, OH, PA) you see three in all of these minus PA. Having more than one state champion doesn’t make you any less of a state champion. If that’s the case, put every college in one division and see how they fare.

Kid is just unreal. Saw him this weekend and was so impressed by how advanced his wrestling is for a sophomore. He was outstanding as a freshman and has managed to go up several more notches. The way he puts several attacks together and goes from one to the other and gets back points... You stress kids to drill that and he's the perfect example why. He's phenomenal. Was also really impressed with his win over Freeman. That was a statement.

Kid is just unreal. Saw him this weekend and was so impressed by how advanced his wrestling is for a sophomore. He was outstanding as a freshman and has managed to go up several more notches. The way he puts several attacks together and goes from one to the other and gets back points... You stress kids to drill that and he's the perfect example why. He's phenomenal. Was also really impressed with his win over Freeman. That was a statement.

Kid is just unreal. Saw him this weekend and was so impressed by how advanced his wrestling is for a sophomore. He was outstanding as a freshman and has managed to go up several more notches. The way he puts several attacks together and goes from one to the other and gets back points... You stress kids to drill that and he's the perfect example why. He's phenomenal. Was also really impressed with his win over Freeman. That was a statement.

Kid is just unreal. Saw him this weekend and was so impressed by how advanced his wrestling is for a sophomore. He was outstanding as a freshman and has managed to go up several more notches. The way he puts several attacks together and goes from one to the other and gets back points... You stress kids to drill that and he's the perfect example why. He's phenomenal. Was also really impressed with his win over Freeman. That was a statement.