Smooth34

If you were insulted by this article, you are too sensitive.  Remember to sugar-coat everything.  Everyone is a winner.  Participation ribbons for all.  

Cutting weight is one of the dumbest parts about this sport.  I'm not talking about a kid who drops weight naturally by working out and eating right.  Cutting weight, depleting your energy, and dehydrating your body is ludicrous.  It's one of the reason kids burnout. 

Let your kid wrestle at his natural weight.  The myth that you need to go down in weight to be successful is ridiculous. 

Could've should've would've. If forte wasn't in Lecounts weight class last year he's a 3xer. We could play that game all day. If you're counting outstanding tournament from this weekend, sure give it to cash. If you're counting overall resume, I personally don't think it's close. Cash wasnt even number one most of the year because he kept losing to a guy in his weight class.

If I remember right, Cash missed the state tournament his sophomore year because of appendix being removed.  That is the only reason he isn't a 4 time medalist.  If I had a vote, Tommy Cash.

Playing devil's advocate, because I have no dog in this fight, where's the proof that a multi-class system benefits wrestling?  Have other states done studies on this?  Is there actual data to confirm or deny this? Or is it purely conjecture?  

Sounds like some people are pretty sensitive actually.

Sounds like some people are pretty sensitive actually.

Semi-state is probably the most likely ceiling for an athlete like.  

Not if you talk to most "expert" parents.  The only way to get a scholarship is specialization.  They don't realize how rare a D1 athlete is.  Also, I've experienced a lot of AAU/Travel/Club coaches making promises to kids/parents about their son/daughter being a D1 caliber player if they just put more time in to that sport.  
 
How many athletes walking the halls could improve their other sports just by wrestling?  They would rather lift 3 days a week or go to easy open gyms a couple times a week and be lazy.  

How about not just picking, but your confidence in that individual winning that weight class.  This would be interesting as some weight classes with studs would be lower on your confidence rankings.  Also, much different than a pound-for-pound list as two guys could be on that list, but a toss-up match might make you rank your pick a little lower.  
 
My picks in order of confidence:
1) 126 - Red
2) 152 - Forte 
3) 132 - Lee
4) 195 - Rypel (two studs Scott & Hinkle have made noise at Banker's Life, but I think Rypel is that good)
5) 138 - James (had to think twice about putting 138 this high with Cash in this weight, but again I think James is that good)
6) 220 - Woods (finds a way to get it done)
7) 106 - Cummings (one of the weaker weight classes)
8) 182 - Osborn (one of the weaker weight classes)
9) 145 - Covaciu (definitely some guys who could make it interesting: Pruitt, McCormick, Lawrence, etc.)
10) 160 - Hughes (I think he could be higher up on this list, but Schurg makes me hesitate on this pick)
11) 285 - Streck (two nationally ranked studs battle it out)
12) 113 - Pepple (4th at Super32 vs. Konrath Cadet National Champ)
13) 170 - Stevenson (I'll take the defending champ, but this weight class has some studs with Jackson, Harvey, Lydy, etc)
14) 120 - Reitz (again give me a defending champ unless Hudkins is healthy, but this weight class is a mess. New #1 every update)
 
Some other guys: Hudkins, Lahue, Ferguson, Myron Anderson (Yorktown).  Are these guys wrestling?