Coach Duncan

This kid is one of a kind. 
 
A foundational piece of our transformation and an amazing addition to our culture.
 
A Senior that could have taken the easy route to punch his ticket. Made the choice that he wanted to wrestle and work to earn it. Pushed the eventual semi-state champ all 6 minutes.
 
That mindset will serve him more in the long run than a state appearance.
 
I’ll forever be a fan of John Rushenberg. 

Want to commend John Rushenberg from Bishop Chatard at 160. Lost a tight ticket round match 14-12 to Russell from Warren Central, who was called for a slam with 30 seconds left. Rushenberg appeared pretty dazed, but as a senior, wanted to finish the match and win on his terms. It seemed like WC’s fans and a few coaches thought Chatard would take the default, which was never going to be the case.
 
If memory serves, two years ago Warren Central’s David Pierson was slammed by New Castle’s Brevan Thrine, and Pierson took the injury default to advance. He then proceeded to win in the semis and finals while taunting New Castle’s crowd, then placed at the state tournament.
 
You win with class. You lose with class. You don’t take shortcuts. There are much bigger things in life than a ticket round victory, and Rushenberg showed he’s destined to do great things off the mat.

I for sure see your side as well, especially when a good kid from a small school dodges one of your horses to salvage their record or a potential seed.  Zero ethics from a coaching staff when that happens, again they are only hurting their kids.  I also agree with you not necessarily wanting to wrestle smaller schools, especially if they don't fill a full lineup, JV kids, etc.  It does your program and kids zero good.  
 
Wrestlers who have "over embellished records" & teams that do not wrestle the level of your competition, is frustrating!  A kid may come into the sectional with a better winning % record, and throw the entire bracket off putting the more elite kids on the same side.  This in turn carries into the regional etc.  I love how "coaches should have an open mind when separating the best wrestlers" is in the winter bulletin sectional seeding procedures, but rarely may get followed.  Our sectional is fortunate enough to have coaches that understand that statement.   

Not all small schools think it is a "waste of their time" to wrestle the larger schools in their sectional.  It all boils down to a coach and AD with common wrestling sense.  We have made a point to keep an evenly balanced schedule, wrestling several larger schools within our sectional and throughout the season.  It helps both our experienced and inexperienced guys on our team.  Currently, the only team we do not see in our sectional is Hamilton Heights.  We tried to work out a schedule this year for both schools, but could not find a fit.  Heights is loaded with talent, but we wanted to wrestle them for the competition and to see individuals head to head.  We have wrestled Pendleton Heights for several years, and picked up Noblesville, both in our sectional.  We understand going in, they are always two tough teams to beat, but why not chase the challenge?  Pendleton beat us earlier in the year, but we beat them towards the end of the regular season.  We see Delta, Greenfield Central, New Castle, Oak Hill, etc.  Again, not all small schools dodge the competition, from a team and individual standpoint.  Small schools that ONLY wrestle their level of competition or size of their school is hurting their program greatly.  We are fortunate to have a supportive AD who allows us to adjust our schedule as needed.  We have 10 teams in our sectional including us, we see 7 of the teams sometime throughout the year.  It took some time to get our schedule aligned, but it can be done.  It sure makes our sectional seeding meeting a breeze!    

Not all small schools think it is a "waste of their time" to wrestle the larger schools in their sectional.  It all boils down to a coach and AD with common wrestling sense.  We have made a point to keep an evenly balanced schedule, wrestling several larger schools within our sectional and throughout the season.  It helps both our experienced and inexperienced guys on our team.  Currently, the only team we do not see in our sectional is Hamilton Heights.  We tried to work out a schedule this year for both schools, but could not find a fit.  Heights is loaded with talent, but we wanted to wrestle them for the competition and to see individuals head to head.  We have wrestled Pendleton Heights for several years, and picked up Noblesville, both in our sectional.  We understand going in, they are always two tough teams to beat, but why not chase the challenge?  Pendleton beat us earlier in the year, but we beat them towards the end of the regular season.  We see Delta, Greenfield Central, New Castle, Oak Hill, etc.  Again, not all small schools dodge the competition, from a team and individual standpoint.  Small schools that ONLY wrestle their level of competition or size of their school is hurting their program greatly.  We are fortunate to have a supportive AD who allows us to adjust our schedule as needed.  We have 10 teams in our sectional including us, we see 7 of the teams sometime throughout the year.  It took some time to get our schedule aligned, but it can be done.  It sure makes our sectional seeding meeting a breeze!    

I for sure see your side as well, especially when a good kid from a small school dodges one of your horses to salvage their record or a potential seed.  Zero ethics from a coaching staff when that happens, again they are only hurting their kids.  I also agree with you not necessarily wanting to wrestle smaller schools, especially if they don't fill a full lineup, JV kids, etc.  It does your program and kids zero good.  
 
Wrestlers who have "over embellished records" & teams that do not wrestle the level of your competition, is frustrating!  A kid may come into the sectional with a better winning % record, and throw the entire bracket off putting the more elite kids on the same side.  This in turn carries into the regional etc.  I love how "coaches should have an open mind when separating the best wrestlers" is in the winter bulletin sectional seeding procedures, but rarely may get followed.  Our sectional is fortunate enough to have coaches that understand that statement.   

I for sure see your side as well, especially when a good kid from a small school dodges one of your horses to salvage their record or a potential seed.  Zero ethics from a coaching staff when that happens, again they are only hurting their kids.  I also agree with you not necessarily wanting to wrestle smaller schools, especially if they don't fill a full lineup, JV kids, etc.  It does your program and kids zero good.  
 
Wrestlers who have "over embellished records" & teams that do not wrestle the level of your competition, is frustrating!  A kid may come into the sectional with a better winning % record, and throw the entire bracket off putting the more elite kids on the same side.  This in turn carries into the regional etc.  I love how "coaches should have an open mind when separating the best wrestlers" is in the winter bulletin sectional seeding procedures, but rarely may get followed.  Our sectional is fortunate enough to have coaches that understand that statement.   

I for sure see your side as well, especially when a good kid from a small school dodges one of your horses to salvage their record or a potential seed.  Zero ethics from a coaching staff when that happens, again they are only hurting their kids.  I also agree with you not necessarily wanting to wrestle smaller schools, especially if they don't fill a full lineup, JV kids, etc.  It does your program and kids zero good.  
 
Wrestlers who have "over embellished records" & teams that do not wrestle the level of your competition, is frustrating!  A kid may come into the sectional with a better winning % record, and throw the entire bracket off putting the more elite kids on the same side.  This in turn carries into the regional etc.  I love how "coaches should have an open mind when separating the best wrestlers" is in the winter bulletin sectional seeding procedures, but rarely may get followed.  Our sectional is fortunate enough to have coaches that understand that statement.   

Sectional Team Duals
Two pools, cross bracket for the last round. Everyone has wrestled each other or has at least a common opponent. One 2 point weigh in and its basically over. Not many crazy sectional bracket situations anymore. Doing this would also allow you to use the "wins vs sectional field" criteria as the last possible criteria if its needed. Sectionals with more than 10 teams, I would think we could figure out how to handle this situation somehow. 

Not all small schools think it is a "waste of their time" to wrestle the larger schools in their sectional.  It all boils down to a coach and AD with common wrestling sense.  We have made a point to keep an evenly balanced schedule, wrestling several larger schools within our sectional and throughout the season.  It helps both our experienced and inexperienced guys on our team.  Currently, the only team we do not see in our sectional is Hamilton Heights.  We tried to work out a schedule this year for both schools, but could not find a fit.  Heights is loaded with talent, but we wanted to wrestle them for the competition and to see individuals head to head.  We have wrestled Pendleton Heights for several years, and picked up Noblesville, both in our sectional.  We understand going in, they are always two tough teams to beat, but why not chase the challenge?  Pendleton beat us earlier in the year, but we beat them towards the end of the regular season.  We see Delta, Greenfield Central, New Castle, Oak Hill, etc.  Again, not all small schools dodge the competition, from a team and individual standpoint.  Small schools that ONLY wrestle their level of competition or size of their school is hurting their program greatly.  We are fortunate to have a supportive AD who allows us to adjust our schedule as needed.  We have 10 teams in our sectional including us, we see 7 of the teams sometime throughout the year.  It took some time to get our schedule aligned, but it can be done.  It sure makes our sectional seeding meeting a breeze!    

Sure!
I'm not saying all small schools avoid competition, they don't and your program is certainly one that seeks it out, but I also understand that some schools aren't at that point competitively but may have a random kid or 2 that wins 30 matches. Not shaming them for it  at all, because how is your whole team getting better if you have 2 good kids that might get a good head to head but the other 12 get spanked with first period falls by a sectional opponent?
 
I can see that side of the argument, though I agree with you that seeking out the top competition, especially against sectional opponents, is in the best interest of the team if you're in that camp.
 
It's a tough balance for certain! Getting great matches for your best kids but also helping the program as a whole. The coaches and schools that balance that are the ones that do a great job year in and year out, Frankton being one of them!
 
 

Not all small schools think it is a "waste of their time" to wrestle the larger schools in their sectional.  It all boils down to a coach and AD with common wrestling sense.  We have made a point to keep an evenly balanced schedule, wrestling several larger schools within our sectional and throughout the season.  It helps both our experienced and inexperienced guys on our team.  Currently, the only team we do not see in our sectional is Hamilton Heights.  We tried to work out a schedule this year for both schools, but could not find a fit.  Heights is loaded with talent, but we wanted to wrestle them for the competition and to see individuals head to head.  We have wrestled Pendleton Heights for several years, and picked up Noblesville, both in our sectional.  We understand going in, they are always two tough teams to beat, but why not chase the challenge?  Pendleton beat us earlier in the year, but we beat them towards the end of the regular season.  We see Delta, Greenfield Central, New Castle, Oak Hill, etc.  Again, not all small schools dodge the competition, from a team and individual standpoint.  Small schools that ONLY wrestle their level of competition or size of their school is hurting their program greatly.  We are fortunate to have a supportive AD who allows us to adjust our schedule as needed.  We have 10 teams in our sectional including us, we see 7 of the teams sometime throughout the year.  It took some time to get our schedule aligned, but it can be done.  It sure makes our sectional seeding meeting a breeze!    

Not gonna hijack the thread here, but this issue is really a competitive balance issue. Small schools see it as a waste of their time to wrestle the larger schools in their sectional because they know they'll get stomped as a team and would prefer to wrestle others on their level. Most large schools also view it as a waste of their time because what do you prove by beating them, and also prefer to wrestle duals "on their level", especially with 2 wild cards for Team State up in the air in December and January used for Team State and Conference tourneys.
 
Furthering the problem is the fact that everyone knows that these head to heads are so important so a significant amount of ducking occurs in some of those match-ups. 
 
When I first took over at HSE, we went to a dual tourney at Frankfort that had 3-4 of our smaller Sectional opponents in it and we would leave every year with a bunch of 72-6 wins, but a couple of the schools knew they couldn't win as a team and their good kids would either be "hurt" when we'd wrestle them and they'd forfeit that weight or they would bump the kid to a different weight class to avoid the head to head. The coaches at those schools have all since changed and I don't think our current set would do that anymore but it was a good strategy for them and a waste of a day for us, so we got out of that one and sought better competition for our guys instead.
 
Not sure of the solution, but it's happening everywhere due to our all-in system.
 
 
 

FYI.....I nominated a 4 year manager last year, who had a high GPA and athlete of character in other sports within our school.  She received a certificate as well.  With the nomination, I noted the dedication to our program, along with the leadership and academic accolades she achieved.  Probably a little biased, but it was my oldest daughter. 😀 
 
I plan to nominate two others this year, both also 4 year managers, 4.0+ GPA, and display leadership within our school and program.   

FYI.....I nominated a 4 year manager last year, who had a high GPA and athlete of character in other sports within our school.  She received a certificate as well.  With the nomination, I noted the dedication to our program, along with the leadership and academic accolades she achieved.  Probably a little biased, but it was my oldest daughter. 😀 
 
I plan to nominate two others this year, both also 4 year managers, 4.0+ GPA, and display leadership within our school and program.   

FYI.....I nominated a 4 year manager last year, who had a high GPA and athlete of character in other sports within our school.  She received a certificate as well.  With the nomination, I noted the dedication to our program, along with the leadership and academic accolades she achieved.  Probably a little biased, but it was my oldest daughter. 😀 
 
I plan to nominate two others this year, both also 4 year managers, 4.0+ GPA, and display leadership within our school and program.   

FYI.....I nominated a 4 year manager last year, who had a high GPA and athlete of character in other sports within our school.  She received a certificate as well.  With the nomination, I noted the dedication to our program, along with the leadership and academic accolades she achieved.  Probably a little biased, but it was my oldest daughter. 😀 
 
I plan to nominate two others this year, both also 4 year managers, 4.0+ GPA, and display leadership within our school and program.   

This is only for juniors and seniors. 

Is this for any grade??

Coaches: The National Wrestling Coaches Association is proud to partner with the United States Marines to sponsor the USMC & NWCA CHARACTER & LEADERSHIP HIGH SCHOOL ALL-AMERICAN AWARD. 
 
The nominating head coach MUST be a member of the NWCA in order for the wrestler to receive the award. You may join the NWCA here:
 
 https://www.nwcaonline.com/membership/join/#/storefront/12d635c0-f8d5-ec11-a7b5-002248042391
 
The award is for those wrestlers who display dependability, judgement, endurance, initiative, tact, integrity and unselfishness, loyalty and courage. Those wrestlers nominated should represent the very best of your program. Please do not just send in your entire roster. By definition, the nominees should be the pinnacle of your program. 
 
The deadline is not until March 15 but you know how those deadlines creep up on you and it is helpful for you to get the nominations in as early as possible to facilitate their timely production.  Here is the link to the nomination form: 
 
https://survey.alchemer.com/s3/6821172/2023-NWCA-High-School-Character-Leadership-All-American-Award-presented-by-the-United-States-Marine-Corps
 
 
The USMC/NWCA Scholar All-American Awards nomination form will be released in a few weeks.
 
Dave Cloud
NWCA Indiana Representative 
 

By STEVE KRAH
stvkrh905@gmail.com

Delta High School has a history of wrestling success.
 
The Eagles have piled up victories and titles over the years.
 
From 1980-81 to 1984-85, Delta won five straight IHSAA team championships.
 
There have also been eight semistates, 15 regionals, 19 sectionals,12 conference titles and numerous champions and state placers.
 

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Jack Todd PH(NC SS#8) beats Brevan Thrine(NC SS#1/state#8) 7-6. Todd up 6-3 with td and back points. Gives up td and stall point to tie it with 30 secs to go escapes to win match and dual. Great battle by both young men! 

Crew Farrell (Frankton) over Jon Eberhart (New Castle) by pin 

I taught at MG before moving to Florida, and it is a great school system! They also give students a day off for James Dean Days, doesn’t get any better than that!

That is correct. Solid group of Middle School athletes already and a few good HS kids returning in a strong Small School conference that includes Frankton and Oak Hill. They also just started including Wrestling as a league for the elementary school and numbers were pretty solid. Great AD that is supportive of whatever you need and a great group of alumni parents that are working to make MG a premier small school athletic program. Contact Ryan Plovick, AD at Madison Grant if you are interested at rplovick@mgusc.k12.in.us
 
Madison County is a great place to coach wrestling because the coaches all want to see each other succeed and help each other learn and get better. This could be a great job for a young guy that wants to learn to build a program as many of the pieces are already in place, they just need a captain for the ship!