Beamaker

Announces retirement https://www.oklahoman.com/story/sports/college/cowboys/2024/04/11/oklahoma-state-wrestling-coach-john-smith-announces-retirement-osu-cowboys/73294107007/

Talk of David Taylor, the new sheriff in town and Coach Brands production over past 15 years….

Mendez v. Bartlett Speechless! Insane defense and scrambling from JM!

Echemendia is every bit as physical as Mendez, wrestles a very similar style and is perhaps just as quick as Mendez. Watching that match as a Mendez fan myself, that 3rd period was bad for my health; but boy was it something to behold as a fan of the sport. That match literally could have gone either way in an instant. Just glad it went Mendez way this time.

Davison really opened up the offense in the semi.. been waiting for that kind of action from him, so capable…off to the finals! Well done!

How exciting is Bailey from Little Rock?!?! Having a great tournament

Carr v. O’Toole match was a thing of beauty! What a match.

Mendez to the finals. Hard fought win to get there. B1G championship rematch here we go.

Man, I wish Davison would open up his offense more. He is so solid in his technique and I almost get the impression he doesn’t really understand what an athletic freak he truly is. Yonger is brutally strong and always seems to close out the close matches. I hope LD goes after him early and often and puts the pressure to him… I’m not sure a super tight match favors LD….if it comes to that, I hope I’m dead wrong.

Lee with no answers for Cardenas.

If he stays healthy, the sky really is the limit. He wrestles a very physical style and pace, very enjoyable to watch.

All in all, solid showing by Indiana native wrestlers.

Relentless pressure from Mendez to claim that B1G title.

Mendez and Lemley with great matches. Lemley almost had Bartlett!

Brutal cons rd 3 for G. Rooks. Tough match

Just watched Snyder snatch with Cuba’s Silot Torres. The Cuban started off strong but faded quickly. Serious potential there if he can get a gas tank.

This! All of this is true and accurate..and there’s more factors too. Many have been mentioned already. i have been following this thread and enjoying the discussion. Here comes the purely anecdotal part…worth nothing I know, but just wanted to share. Background: I attended Hobart in the late 80’s and had the good fortune to be a part of 2 State championship teams. I know first hand the sacrifices and dedication it takes to be part of something successful at a larger school. (Only 5 classes back then). I have 6 sons, all wrestlers for a 1A school listed in Y2s list, out here in no man’s land. Wrestling was always the top focus for all my boys, despite participating in football, CC, track, and baseball. Their high school does not have a strong wrestling culture or history. We were blessed to have a coach who was working his azz off to build one, and had built up numbers and some pride, but that somewhat evaporated when he left. I sent the boys to some camps at Purdue, or even out in Ohio. My boys were very well respected in our area and experienced success at Sectionals and Regionals; however, upon multiple births to EC SS, they were all soundly sent packing…every time. My boys harbor no sour feelings about any of these things and take great pride in their wrestling accomplishments…so, I have posted all this to relay: I posed this very question to my boys (ages 29-19) and all but one responded with a resounding NO to class wrestling in IN. For them, one of the best parts about wrestling was finding out just who the absolute best is, even when they know it’s not them. One of my sons, who was a 3x ECSS qualifier, said it like this, “Yea, maybe I coulda made a deep run in a 1A state tourney, but I would have much rather went out on my shield at ECSS each time, knowing I was seeing the best in our part of the state.” It’s easier to experience success at a small school wrestling, presuming you work hard and do the grind, than experiencing success as part of a team at a small school. Reasons like commitment from fellow team mates, injuries, harvest, etc etc all factor in for small rural schools that require 5, 9, or 11 athletes. Now the success a kid experiences may not culminate in them landing on the podium at state, but it doesn’t negate the success leading up to the day they exit the tournament. Wrestling, ultimately is about preparing for life. The IN tournament is imperfect and downright mean sometimes. Just like life can be. I put my boys into wrestling shortly after their mom passed from cancer. My oldest was 12 at the time. Wrestling helped them through the grief and prepare them to have the tools to deal with adversity, challenges and also develop character, humility, perseverance, integrity, discipline and determination. 112 athletes hit the podiums each year in IN, which means there are a host of athletes who do not, but are the beneficiaries of tremendous gifts such as motivation, fortitude, humility, perspective, and reality. None of those are bad things. All anecdotal, and worth exactly what you paid for it!

Watching from home this year. Enjoy and look forward to your thoughts on the atmosphere and overall feel in Maryland. BTW, if you get near Frederick, MD, you want to eat at Dutch’s Daughter restaurant. It is worth the drive north from College Park.

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=&ved=2ahUKEwisto-1pNyEAxUYv4kEHeyRBEsQFnoECAYQAQ&url=https%3A%2F%2Fbigten.org%2Fnews%2F2024%2F3%2F4%2Fbig-ten-wrestling-pre-seeds-announced.aspx&usg=AOvVaw0aPgnWRg86P8ELkh55I8Kt&opi=89978449

You sir, are of the highest caliber.

Glorious!

Another great insight. I think we see more payoff at the heavier wts for arm ties, upper body throws, etc. but at the smaller weights you make a great point. Keep them coming!! Enter sweep single…

There’s only one symbol for DawgPOUND Red £ there it is!

Dam that’s a spot on assessment! I had noticed he doesn’t get in on the elite talent like he does most others. I thought it was more a function of holding back, but you’re right. His offense gets stymied by elite head/hands and “space” wrestlers. Thanks for sharing your thoughts! Eyes opened.

I want to lay claim to the ampersand today, just in case I want to up my game on Indianamat at a future date…