Not sure what era you are from as far the SAC is concerned. But I am guessing from back in the day when they would produce 1 or 2 state champions a year. (80s and early 90s) There are a ton of reasons the SAC has fallen off the map in the last 15 to 20 years and I don't think the coaches have caused it. I also believe that once the SAC was no longer a producer the Fort Wayne Semi-State became the bottom of the barrel. In my opinion we are all on the same team except for when we compete with each other. I know when I go to State I rooting for anyone from our semi-state and always want to see us do good.
I am glad you guys have a club and are working with kids from the surrounding area. The bottom line is that you are fighting an uphill battle. Carroll and other systems have major advantage over what you have put in place.
1. All the kids are trained in the same system so the same technique should be reinforced.
2. Middle school programs that compete against other schools and start in 6th grade.
3. A room full of training partners when they are at the high school level.
4. Iron sharping iron through out the year in the practice room.
5. Coaches that help at all levels. Elementary, Middle School, and High School.
These are just a few examples that I can think of off my head. I am guessing here but I would imagine you have seen some of the kids in the club wrestling really really well during the club season and at the beginning of the wrestling season, but at the end season the gap gets closed between them and some of the kids they beat early in the season. This is not a knock at all to their current coaches but just the true battle you are fighting when those kids are no longer competing with those same kids in the room.
Here is a list of things that I am hoping help the FW Semi-State and the SAC wrestlers.
1. Clubs like yours.
2. Indiana Tech doing so well and those wrestlers coming back and coaching and helping
3. Wabash College doing so well and those wrestling coming back and coaching and helping
4. Manchester getting a new coach and trying to put them back on the map.
5. Carroll and Homestead joining the SAC and possibly adds more depth to the conference.
Things that would be great to see for your youth program to help the SAC in general. Elementary school dual team. Middle school dual team. High school coaches helping with those teams as much as their time permits. I realize for almost every coach they don't do it for money but for the love of the sport and the kids. The time commitment is always a huge thing. I can never fully help out with the High School team because it just takes way too much time and my business and family would suffer. High School coaches have an intense 5 months where for many of them they don't see the sun. This means they need coaches to help with the preseason, off season, and youth clubs. This is where a unified system has major advantages.