tonyb71

They do have double our state population and a somewhat stronger wrestling interest level in that land of Lincoln. Wisconsins numbers maybe slightly better for comparison purposes based on state population and wrestling interest level.

I agree.  Just wish our numbers were close to that. 

Just for kicks I looked at the Illinois Freestyle registration numbers for their State tournament this weekend and they are at 655 registered wrestlers.  Their registration closes 1 hour before ours.  The current registration for the ISWA Freestlye tournament is now at 339. 

For what it's worth, when I signed my son up on Trackwrestling it did ask me to pick the 2 qualifying events he attended.  There was a drop down list of tournaments and I grabbed a snapshot of the list.  Here is what I had to choose from:

Team Jeff Ironman 3/20-21/15

Mooresville Freestyle Open 3/21/15

Columbia City Freestyle 3/21/15

Penn FS Rumble Classic 3/28/15

Boonville Ironman Classic 3/28/15

Perry Meridian FS Open 4/10-11/15

Carmel FS Duals Festival 4/10-12-15

Seymour Cadet/JR FS Duals 4/11/15

Duneland FS HS Duals 4/11/15

Delta FS Open 4/11/15

Princeton Tiger Ironman 4/17-18/15

New Palestine FS Open 4/17-18/15

Yorktown FS Open 4/18/15

Center Grove Dominator Series 4/18-19/15

Iron Eagle Nationals 4/18-19/15

Bloomington North 4/25/15

Grizzly Iron Man 4/25-26/15

HSE FS Open 4/26/15

Portage Freestyle Open 4/18/15

South Bend Riley FS Open 4/25/15

Mishawaka Freestyle Duals 4/26/15

A local coach who has coached many Team Indiana trips was talking about the possibility of a waiver from the ISWA based upon his conversation with them back in March.  He was always cautious to say its just been talked about, but never confirmed.  So at least since March, the discussion of a waiver was under consideration most likely.  So it would seem many folk's beliefs that a waiver was in the works for a long period does have a basis.  

I don't believe many thought a waiver was in the works.  Tell that to Mr Mills who stated in an earlier post that he sent an email to the ISWA on March 8th about a waiver and never got a reply.  Regardless if it was in the works or not, you don't communicate it out on April 29th.  If this had gone out in early March this thread doesn't exist.

It really comes down to an issue of fairness.  Wrestlers gave up baseball, track meets, jobs, proms to meet the criteria the ISWA established.  Parents and guardians gave up personal time and money to meet the criteria the ISWA established.  

 

Several coaches in the north created fs tournaments with little notice to help ALL kids in the north have a shot at meeting the ISWA established criteria.  ISWA did not respond to a number of emails in February and March asking for clarification on the criteria.  So all members had to go on was the very clear sentence on the ISWA web site: "All participants MUST compete in a minimum of 2 local freestyle tournaments in order to compete at the state event."  The ISWA web site doesn't say "we would like for wrestlers to have two".  It doesn't say "if you have a prom or broken finger, you can get a waiver."  The ISWA web site clearly says "MUST." 

 

It is only fair to those who met the criteria the ISWA established that everyone is held to the same standard. 

Well said and I think you summed it up perfectly.  It's not about whether you agree or disagree with the rule itself but rather how it's being handled.  I too feel bad for the parents that had to make sacrifices to ensure their wrestler got their 2 tournaments in only to find out they could have gotten a waiver and still got in.  This waiver should have been in effect from the beginning and since it wasn't they should have left it as is.

A local paper wrote published this article a couple of weeks ago as DJ was back in the area due to the unfortunate death of his father.  I thought many would enjoy reading this so I thought I would share it.

Posted: Wednesday, February 4, 2015 10:31 pm

Service despite challenges

PETE SWANSON Sports EditorTri-State Media  

Purple Heart honoree D.J. Radnovich works past dyslexia, injuries

In third grade he was diagnosed with dyslexia, a developmental reading disorder that according to Wikipedia is the most common learning difficulty, one that makes reading and comprehension difficult despite normal or above-average intelligence.

Yet D.J. Radnovich, best known locally as Indiana’s 215-pound wrestling champion as a 1998 Gibson Southern senior, has earned a bachelor degree from Indiana University, served on the Tulsa (Oklahoma) Police Department and in the Oklahoma National Guard, has done a tour in Afghanistan, and plans to pursue a doctorate in physical therapy.

He’s also a Purple Heart and Bronze Star recipient.

“A lot of people picked on me when I was in special education,” the 1998 Gibson County Male Athlete of the year reflected during a recent return to the county, a return brought by the Jan. 18 death of his father, Dennis Joseph Radnovich Sr., from a one-vehicle crash on Ind-68. Returning Jan. 20, he stayed 10 days to start his role as executor of his dad’s estate.

“But I’ve always wanted to help people. In school I protected everyone in special ed. I became a mediator and protector. And police officer became a natural fit for me because I want to help people — protect people who can’t protect themselves.”

Thirty-five-year-old Dennis Joseph Radnovich II, given the latter handle because dad and mom Peggy Radnovich didn’t want him to be called Junior, reaches out to people despite injuries suffered in a nine-month tour of duty in Afghanistan, where an explosive device that killed nearby soldiers gave him a broken nose, dislocated left shoulder, neck and back injuries and a traumatic brain injury.

“That happened my third day in Afghanistan, in an area where American soldiers hadn’t been for five years, but I stayed nine months because they needed me,” he said during an interview in the rural Somerville home of John Barnett, his Fort Branch Community School science teacher and Gibson Southern wrestling coach who “is like a big brother to me.

“John helped make me who I am today. I started wrestling in seventh grade after he talked mom into letting me go out for the sport. Wrestling taught me hard work and dedication and how to be a leader. It taught me how to push myself harder than anyone could push me”

Born in upstate Mishawaka, D.J. II and family, including brother and IUPUI psychiatrist Dr. Alexander Radnovich, lived in Bremen when as a third grader he learned that he was dyslexic. “It was very frustrating. I hated school. I didn’t want to go because I felt I was stupid and couldn’t learn.

“There wasn’t any real treatment, but we moved to Fort Branch and they made accommodations for me. They gave me extra time in testing and reading things to me. It was a process of sitting down and reading word for word.

“If I hear it, I’m okay. When I had to do a book assignment, I’d memorize it and recite it in front of the class. As a police officer I’ve typed reports in a highlight progression computer that speaks back what I’ve written. That tells me if I wrote it right.”

After becoming a state wrestling champion as a Gibson Southern senior, and in travel team wrestling winning two state championships each in freestyle and Greco-Roman, Radnovich wrestled at Lincoln (Ill.) Community College and placed third in the national junior college championships. He compiled a 3.85 grade-point average while earning an associate degree, wrestled one year at Oklahoma State before injuring a knee, transferred to Indiana University and suffered another knee injury, but earned a history of art degree with a 3.52 grade-point average.

“I tell people, ‘When you go to college, find something you enjoy,’” said Radnovich, who passed the test that qualified him to become a Division I strength coach.

“My interest in strength, and weightlifting, go back to when I was 11,” he said. “Dad and I were watching the movie Commando on TV one day. Arnold Schwarzenegger was marching with a tree on his shoulder. Dad said, ‘I’ll bet nobody messes with that guy.’

“I said, ‘Okay, I’ll lift weights.’ Tim McIntosh, then the Gibson Southern football coach, let me lift in the high school weight room. That led to my becoming the protector in special ed.”

Following his IU graduation, Radnovich took a job in Tulsa as a personal trainer and strength coach. “A police officer friend told me they had a vacancy in the department, so I applied and got hired.”

After three years he became a police department SWAT team member. “That’s a special operations team,” he said. “The elite of the elite. The team police call when they need help. I’m a tactical operator and breacher for the entry team.”

He joined the Oklahoma National Guard “to give to my country. I felt I could help with the knowledge I gained as a police officer and I wanted to be an infantryman. I was assigned to Afghanistan in June 2011 and stayed till March 2012.

“That traumatic incident the third day came when one of our vehicles ran over a bomb that was buried in the road. Five Americans were killed. I was 30 yards away. We had to recover parts of the vehicle. When I was 10 or 15 feet away, there was an explosion. Two Afghanistan Army soldiers were with me. One was killed instantly. The other died two minutes later. My injuries came when I was thrown and landed on my face.”

Sent to Fort Hood Army Base in Killeen, Tex., Radnovich was told he’d have to live with the pain. There’s quite a lot of pain. I’ll need a second shoulder surgery and a neck fusion. They want to do a back surgery with fusion and a disc replacement. The pain still gets pretty bad and I have migraines. They told me that’s as good as it’ll get.

“I wanted to go back to the police department and National Guard. They sent me to an Army Combative House, a training facility at Fort Hood. I became a specialized coach in wrestling. While I was coaching, they asked me to try out for the team, and I became a three-time Army champion for the combative team.

“I also became a Level 2 and Level 3 Army combative instructor. Coaching and instructing helps keep my mind off pain.”

In November 2012 he competed in the No-GiJiu-Jitsu Championships in Long Beach, Calif. “I won the ultra-heavyweight class and the open, which is all classes. Two world titles with the injuries I still have — I’ve always loved wrestling and I got back into it to make up for lost time.”

Returning to the Tulsa Police Dept. and Oklahoma National Guard, Radnovich became a defensive tactics instructor. “I teach police officers how to fight,” he said.

“Due to cognitive issues from my traumatic brain injury, I’ve occasionally had a problem thinking clearly and had a lot of issues filling out paperwork. But I love police work.”

Radnovich was assigned in January 2014 to Fort Sam Houston in San Antonio. “I’ll probably be there another six months or a year, until I’m medically retired due to my injuries. I’ll be retired as an active duty captain when the paperwork is completed. Then I’ll go back to school in Tulsa or at IUPUI, to get my doctorate in physical therapy. Now I’m taking classes at Alamo College. I’ve taken classes in Anatomy I, Anatomy II and Chemistry II. I must take Physics I and Physics II and take a test toward a physical therapy doctorate.“

Said John Barnett: “My wife Laurie and I used to have to listen to the old cliché of D.J. being a dumb, muscle headed jock. That would burn our rears because we knew him so much better. And he has proven he’s so much better.”

I was thinking Radnovich also, but maybe his semi-finals match wasn't, not sure....

 

Man...I had 3 going into the finals my junior year, 2 first periods and a second period...I think I had 4 first period falls in 2 years.

DJ did pin all 4 opponents in the State Finals.  In fact, he pinned all but 1 opponent (semi-state I believe) that year.  His performance in the State Finals was one of the most impressive I've ever seen.  I'm not sure any of the 4 matches lasted longer than the 1st period.

Maurer Coughlin

Levi Miller (North Posey)

Baxter Annakin (Castle)

Nolan Weidner (Evansvile Mater Dei)

Logan Dilbeck (Gibson Southern)

Carson Willis (Evansville Central)

Will Egli (Evansville Mater Dei)

Christian Pellacer (Gibson Southern)

Alex Johnson (Evansville Mater Dei)

Nick Lee (Evansville Mater Dei)

Kyle Todrank (Gibson Southern)

Joe Lee (Evansville Mater Dei)

Austin Ramsey (Castle)

Patrick Schnell (Castle)

Chance Williams (Evansville Memorial)

Isaiah Kemper (Evansville Central)

Jacob Farmer (Castle)

Cordell Miller (Heritage Hills)

Noah Huelsing (Evansville Memorial)

Cory Klem (Gibson Southern)

Added those noted below to the list.  Thanks guys.

Wilderman pinned Hart in the dual meet.  At the Holiday Classic, Wilderman lost to eventual champ, Gunnar Larson of Avon, 5-0.  Larson beat Choate, 3-0.

 

How did the match between Hart and Choate go down?

 

I saw Choate at the Holiday Classic; he is impressive.

I believe Hart won 3-2 in the first meeting (at the Memorial duals) and then got a win by pin this past weekend.  Not 100% certain on those but figured someone would know for sure.  I know Wilderman has wrestled some tough kids so should be a good match up.  Either way, with Kyles in there 3 very good wrestlers in that class. 

Surprised Central's Caleb Hart isn't given any consideration at 220.  The semi between him and Wilderman should be a good one.  Not sure if they wrestled during the regular season but with recent wins over Choate from Mt. Vernon I would think Hart could make a run for the title. 

That was his Junior year, both losses to Jeff Weiss, but nonetheless lost sectionals and regionals and beat returning State Champ Michael Duckworth in the finals.

I knew both losses were to Weiss and forgot that Weiss was a year ahead of him.  Those guys had some great battles in HS.

I'm pretty sure Drake Stein lost both the Sectional and Regional championship matches his Senior year and won State.

Surprised by the scorge in the Egli vs Dillbeck match? How did that play out?

Why are you surprised? 

I don't believe they have wrestled this year.  I know Jasper beat Princeton 72-9 this Tuesday but I'm pretty sure the paper said Karges received a forfeit at 145. 

Karges from Princeton will have something to say about who wins at 145. 

Does anyone know what teams will be in the Jasper Invitational this Saturday?

You're quite welcome TripleB.  I saw these posts and thought this might help.  I'm not from Princeton but I read about their results in the local paper.  Karges has always been a solid wrestler and it sounds like he had a slow start to the season after dealing with a football injury so I think he'll get better as the season goes on. 

Where should Karges go? Give me some wins so I compare w/ others.

 

top 5 are all ranked.

 

Smith beat Ruddick who beat Castleberry who beat Barlow

 

There's also Riegel of Reitz, Barlow of South, Gilmore of THN, Williams of Central, and Osha of Washington to go w/ Karges. All quality wrestlers, all on the outside looking in.

According to the local paper, Karges beat Zach Batts 9-4 at the Memorial duals this past weekend. 

Being from Southern Indiana I have to laugh at the implication that EMD "gets" all the best wrestlers from the area.  They typically always have the best wrestlers because of their program and the parents, grandparents, etc. that grew up through it and their kids and grandkids are now going through the program. 

I give huge kudos to EMD for voluntarily bumping up to the largest class to compete at state.  I'd like to see the Indy football powerhouses of Cathedral or Chatard do the same in football if they weren't forced to play up a class due to the success factor.

Needs to be approved by the Board first...real estate boy (lol)! And then...we will celebrate.

It's official now.  Blake Maurer is the new head coach at Gibson Southern and Matt Coughlin is the Assistant Coach.  Outstanding hires!!

Who is this alternate you'd like to see?

I'm going to guess Blake Rueger from Reitz who lost to Farmer in the ticket round.

What was score of McCreary match before the fall?

4-2 Singleton

I will throw out Brian Hayhurst, unranked from Evansville Memorial. He won both Evansville Sectional and Castle Regionals at 145. May not win state, but i can definetly see him on the podium.

x2.  Saw him at Regional and was very impressed. 

What was the 132 final like?

I believe the final was 4-2.  I recall there being a close takedown late in the third period for the Castle kid but they were out of bounds and he didn't get it.

 

145

Shuler 37-6 (7th)

Girton 22-8

Castillo 23-13

Dayy 15-21

 

Is there a reason you don't have Jedidiah Cox (31-1) from Sullivan making it out of this Regional?  I've seen him wrestle this year and he's very good.  I'd assume he's a legit threat to win this Regional.  Just an observation as I don't have a dog in this fight but just remember seeing him wrestle this year and expected him to do well in the post season.