Dwilly

Prolong Injury that’s football related, The Champ just sign NLI to play D1 football in the MAC I seen on Twitter . Good for him 👏🏽. Doubtful his weight has anything to do with it . Kid has football skill and his first sports love is going to payoff in the future with a College degree . Well Done ! 
 
Hopefully your not wishing any “unforeseen incidents” on HS kids . Sounds really desperate @PhillyFanMD . Gotta remember they’re just HS kids having fun . Just my thinking. 

I’m pretty sure it wasn’t in my job description, but Snyder isn’t very good with the internet.  So I took it over.

Congrats Rebels!!! 

Wright vs Eppert has got to be one of the biggest HS career long ones. Multiple years of battling from sectionals all the way to the state finals.  Including one of the most controversial sectional seeding meetings in existence.  
 
The one year Kleinhenz and VanDeveter faced each other like 8 time including the state-finals accounting for I think all Kleinhenz loses was crazy.   I think there was another similar story like this with another group of big men facing each other a ton in one year.  

The way it usually works as a coach and a wrestler. If there is a draw you are dreading the worst you will probably get it.

That would be awesome they would need a standard for the seeds or the meeting would get crazy. 

Definitely, best of luck to Zach this year. Can't wait to see him punch his ticket this year.

Beat many in front of him then & over the summer.  This is for fun & things shake out.

Beat many in front of him then & over the summer.  This is for fun & things shake out.

There are many confusing things at that weight. 

There are many confusing things at that weight. 

Confused on why/how Dillon Graham jumped Arthur😂

This is a great and loaded question that has no simple answer. I’m my opinion, this really needs to be talked about more and better explained to our athletes and families. 
 
My family had the opportunity to go through the recruiting process with my oldest son. We learned a TON during his last couple years of high school. While my son did all the work on the mat, it took the whole family and others to help him reach his goal of being a college wrestler with a full ride. I would like to share some thoughts and observations that may help others in this journey. With this said… this post may get a little long, but hopefully it can help… because many times nobody will take the time to explain or even has the knowledge of the process.
 
1. First and foremost (absolutely most importantly) is grades.
 
If a kid decides to go the NCAA division 1 or 2 route, they go by title 9. This dictates that NCAA division 1 and 2 programs must limit the amount of athletic scholarships per wrestling team to 9.9 full scholarships. In college there are 10 weight classes. Most college programs have 30 to 45 kids on the teams. Most of those 30 to 45 kids at D1 and D2 schools are state champs or placed VERY high. So… let’s do the math…. 9.9 for 40 kids… that means on average a D1 or D2 kid is only getting a 1/4 ride.
 
Very few (and I mean VERY few) D1 and D2 kids get full athletic scholarships. With that said, a wrestler MUST make academics a priority! Schools will help a kid with academic money but the wrestler must make the minimum threshold for those funds. They will find athletes academic money that a typical student, with the same gpa, wouldn’t get. They typically need a 3.5 GPA or better and / or good SAT or ACT scores to qualify for most academic money. This means that a wrestler MUST take his whole high school career seriously. Do not think that a kid is going to make a C average his first two years of high school then magically turn it around his last two years! By then it’s two late. From day one… do the work and make good grades. Without good grades… most likely they are paying and paying a lot. 
 
Testing… start taking ACT and SAT early and often. I would recommend at the end of their sophomore year. First they must determine which one is easier for them. My son liked the SAT because it’s ran by the national college board. Once you take the SAT test, they will provide you with resources (including the Khan Academy) that will help you with future test. While you can’t actually study for what’s on the SAT or ACT, programs like Khan Academy will help you learn how to process the questions and help you score better. Also.. schools will allow them to super score your test results. Meaning this…. If you take the SAT five times and score really high on Math one time and really high on English another time, they will allow you to combine the two highest scores to make your applied total. So again..  take those test multiple times if the school requires SAT or ACT for acceptance or academic scholarships.
 
That is D1or D2. As far as I know…. D3 has zero athletic scholarships, but typically offer scholarships and grants to help with cost. D3 guys typically make good grades to get that help. 
 
Which brings us to NAIA. These schools are not bound by title 9 (as far as I know). My son did not go the NAIA route so i have less knowledge on this. In general, these schools are allowed to give more athletic money. We have some great NAIA schools and teams here Indiana. These teams have had a lot of success and should be considered by any kid looking to wrestle at the next level. 
 
Many high schools have an NCAA rep. It is typically a councilor. These reps can provide you with some helpful information and help you with stuff like getting your NCAA card (needed to take visits) and getting transcripts to potential schools. If you don’t have a designated NCAA rep, make sure you find out the best person at your child’s school to help you with the process. At our former school we found out that our weighted grade scale did not meet NCAA guidelines and could not be considered. With that said, my sons weighted GPA could not be considered when applying for some money. Not having his weighted GPA considered messed with some of his offers. With this said… a few years later, they still haven’t adjusted their grade scale and NCAA can’t use their weighted gpa (must be Covid). I’m still trying to help get it changed there. With this said… make sure your schools grade scale is approved by the NCAA so that your wrestler gets every dollar possible! Again.. your NCAA rep or councilor can help you with that. 
 
2. Put your wrestler out there! Pick the schools that they are interested in and let them know you are interested. Reach out to the coaches and let them know that they want to come to their programs and what you have to offer them. Most team websites have a recruiting page. Fill that info out. That puts your wrestler on their radar and helps them get noticed. Colleges coaches are busy. Help them help you. 
 
3. Pick the right team. A kid may be a state champ or multiple time state champ. Know this.. if he goes to the Big10… every kid is a state champ or multiple time state champ. Each weight class has 3 to 5 kids. Know that it’s gonna to be a up hill climb just to start one season. Know who is in the line up at the school you pick and who’s coming in. I’m not saying not to challenge yourself.. just know that most likely your not coming in a taking the spot from a returning AA. Know that you may sit some places for a while. Can you handle that? 
 
4. Pick the right school. If you want the traditional college experience… don’t pick a service academy! What I’m saying is… take your visits get to know the school, the town, the coaches, and the team. Ask members of the team if they like it there. During my sons visits some kids told him that they loved it and many told him they hated it. Financials should be a priority, but if they are going to be miserable for 2 to 6 years… then it’s not worth it. D1 allows 6 official collage visits. They are typically very fun for the whole family. If you can, take them all. 
 
5. To answer your main question… wrestling. Go wrestle good kids and beat them! No matter where. If you beat a good kid… people will know. And… try to have fun as a family doing it. That’s the easy part that we all can understand. The other stuff is what we don’t talk about and is not explained to us enough. 

Agree with Mattyb... Grades, grades, grades.  My daughter is at D2 playing volleyball and more than half of her money came from her ACT score & High School grades.  OVER $21,000 from the Universities merit award.   She got almost the rest from her athletic scholarship which was less than what she got academic.  The kids have to have the grades and it seems all colleges teams are taking pride in their  teams overall GPAs.  Coaches want smart, committed kids in the classroom and on the mat.

I believe KY and OH are both using the new set of 14 weights according to results.  IN Teams that cross the state lines are shifting their lineups to wrestle 

By JEREMY HINES
Thehines7@gmail.com
 
Southport senior Nathan Smith is the sports editor of his school newspaper. With the success he had on the wrestling mat during the offseason, his own name might be the biggest news on his sports section this year.
 
Smith competed at Virginia Beach, Fargo, Tulsa and various Indiana tournaments. He placed second in the Junior Men’s Freestyle Nationals at Fargo. In Tulsa he went 7-0 in freestyle wrestling and 5-2 in Greco-Roman. He won the USAW Brian Keck Memorial Preseason Nationals in Iowa. He also won the John Hurrle Memorial Invitational in Indianapolis and placed second at the IndianaMat Hoosier Preseason Open.
 
“Nathan kind of punched some tickets this offseason,” Southport coach Nick Skinner said. “He had not been in a national final yet and he went to Fargo and finished second. That gave him confidence and let him know that he belongs at the top of the podium.”
 
For Smith, it was the Fargo tournament that really boosted his confidence.
 
“The finals made me realize I can get to anywhere I want to if I put in the work,” Smith said.
 
Now Smith is hoping to bring some championships home in the Indiana state tournament. He has never won a title in the state tournament. He is a three-time regional qualifier, a two-time semistate qualifier and last year he placed seventh overall at the state meet.
 
“I want to win state,” Smith said. “That’s the goal. I also think I’m about 36 wins off of the Southport all-time wins record. That’s something I think would be super nice to get, that all-time record. I have yet to win a county tournament, sectional, regional or semistate title. If I could get a win in all of those my senior year that would be really nice.”
 
The Southport sectional has had some hammers in the 106-pound class – the only class Smith has competed in during his career.
 
Perry Meridian’s Alex Cottey won the sectional in Smith’s freshman season. Cotton went on to finish second in the state meet.
 
In Smith’s sophomore year, Roncalli’s Bryce Lowery won the sectional with Cardinal Ritter’s Joshua Johnson placing second and Smith third. Lowery went on to place fourth at state and Johnson placed seventh.
 
Last year Smith lost to Perry Meridian’s Toby Billerman in the sectional final. There were only three wrestlers in the sectional bracket, but Billerman went on to place third at state and Smith finished seventh.
 
Smith isn’t the type of wrestler that is always on the attack. He likes to feel his opponent out and learn from his style, then use the moves he feels will be the most effective.
 
“I’m definitely a counter wrestler,” Smith said. “I don’t take a million shots right off the rip. As far back as I can remember I have never been one to go and shoot a lot. I like to feel my opponents out for a minute or two and then go from there.”
 
According to Smith, he was able to make solid improvements this offseason as well.
 
“I had a habit of sitting the corner, which is a unique defense,” he said. “It won me a lot of matches, but also got me into trouble. I’ve improved with my down blocking and I’ve been working on a more traditional defense.”
 
After high school Smith hopes to wrestle at the University of Indianapolis and study exercise science. He is considering minoring in journalism as well.
 
“I love journalism,” he said. “I’ve been on our journal staff for three years now. I was a sportswriter for two years and now I’m the sports editor.”
 
For fun, Smith mostly enjoys wrestling and hanging out with his dad.
 
“I just wrestle a bunch for fun,” Smith said. “In the summer, it’s kind of nerdy, but I love to go hang out with my dad (Greg Smith). We do all sorts of things. We watch football, go birding, biking or just walking. I don’t even know if I like things like birding, I think I just really like to be out in nature hanging out with my dad.”
 
Coach Skinner says that Smith is a leader on and off the mat and a “really fun kid to coach.”
 
“He’s just a good kid,” Skinner said. “He is intelligent, funny and he takes care of business on the mat and in the classroom. He gets the work done and that rubs off on everyone around him.”
 
Smith is currently ranked third in the state at 106 pounds.

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Arabian Wrestler Colin Gillespie and his younger sister Ashlyn were in a very bad car crash Monday morning on the way to school. Both were taken by LIfeLine to Indy area hospitals. They have been in ICU since the crash. They are sedated and in stable condition and fortunately they are showing signs of improvement. Colin and Ashlyn face a lengthy recovery. Your prayers would be greatly appreciated for the entire Gillespie family.
 
A GoFundMe page has been established. If you wish to contribute you can go to the link below. Thanks to all the amazing people in the Indiana Wrestling Family who have already reached out to the Gillespie family and our wrestling program to offer support. We will all get through. I thank all of you for thoughts, prayers and compassion. No family like the wrestling family!
 
Support for Gillespie Family 

I'm mind blown at people not posting results...we are supposed to be promoting our sport...hiding the lineup isn't going to do anything for anybody if that's the thought process...if you don't have track wrestling i get it...but if you have track and use the stats program then you're already entering it all in, so it's not hard to post a screen shot

Coach, I talked to Coach Rackley today. So sorry to hear this news. I say this all the time, hug your kids. Life is short. We at Franklin send our deepest condolences. Prayers 

Coach Tonte 
 

The usual top teams graduated a lot of very talented seniors last year. Unfortunately they are all reloading at the same time. There will be some new names that emerge as we get matches under our belts.

Due to this being Black History Month and State Finals week, I think it is only fitting to celebrate both. Please list or talk chat about any past Black state champs or wrestlers from you school or program. Indiana has had numerous dominate Black wrestlers that got their hands raised last at the end of the season. 
 
Some from my past coaching experience:
-Michael Tiger Johnson-Jones
-Brandon Wright (4 x Finalist, 2 x champ)
-Deondre Wilson (2 x undefeated champ)
-Katrell Moss
-Trent Pruitt (State champ to Jimmy Tonte)
 
Additionally, we have had two 4 x State Champs of color. 
 
Best of luck to everyone competing this weekend.

Jeivan Ross (WC) received the award for the most pins in Community 1. Nice way to end his high school career. 🖤💛

Quite a few Indiana guys and gals going to represent the USA at different events.
 
15U Pan Ams(October 21st-24th) in Mexico
De'Alcapon Veazy(both styles)
Julianna Ocampo(Women's freestyle)
Rianne Murphy(Women's freestyle)
 
Junior Pan Ams(June 9th-13th) in Mexico
Christian Carroll(both styles)
 
Junior Worlds(August 16-22) in Russia
Jesse Mendez(freestyle)
Donnell Washington(freestyle)
Alara Boyd(Women's freestyle)
 
Olympics in Tokyo
Sarah Hildebrandt(August 6th-7th)
Kayla Miracle(August 3rd-4th)
Stevan Micic representing Serbia(August 4th-5th)
 
*Women's 15U, Cadet, Junior, and U23 Nationals are being held this weekend.

Big shout out to the ISWA. State was a great success and pleasant experience. Take what worked and implement it going forward. I bet it was expensive having it at fairgrounds, maybe a corporate sponsor or something can be locked up so we can keep it there. I'd gladly pay 10 bucks more per kid if that would help.