gogoplata89

Hello boys and squirrels, it's the waterboy, got that nickname back home in the sticks for being able to carry best water around town. I was on here fartin' around and noticed, there's no daggum Perry reginal preview, one of the toughest and some years is the toughest reginal around. I figured a Perry boy would hop on it but they might've gotten ahold of too many ripper magoos over at Robby's, you'll have that. Then I thought Money Mike Morgan would call up a guy that knows a guy that had access to the World Wide Web there on the East Side but I guess not, so I headed into town and fired up the ole Macintosh and came up with some picks to get chatter goin'.
Forewarning: it's been a cold winter and the lawnmower hasn't wanted to start some Saturday's to take me to some of these tourney's so H2H's might be tad off, but i did best i could on my dial up connection. Also, these are in order 1-4. Also, very sad to hear about Greenfield having to pull out, very well ran and respected program, and coach Holden is one of a kind that I hope sticks around for as long as possible.
 
106- Billerman, Dray, Smith, Getz- Think that Toby can get it done, but watch out for Dray to have a Dray Day with the seniority and thought process to possibly out witty him. Both should be at Bankers competing, within covid rules. 3/4- could go either way imo, should also be good.
113- Cottey, Leavell, Volz, Harper- Cottey is one tough son offa gun, Papa Cottey did swell raisin this one. I look for him to be under lights. BUT that Leavell kid is my darkhorse cause daggum he can wrestle, not sayin it but right on line of possible top freshman if I had to say. Dang good match there. 3/4- like that Volz boy, comes from school with cow pasture right next to football field that's right next to I-70 so know hes tossed some hay before. Both matches could go either way imo.
120- Perry, Keaton, Bullock, Berry- Experience and solid weight to be at glides Perry into 1st imo. Keaton can wrestle and should punch ticket, but jus not his time yet. Watch out for Bullock tho, he looks like he could carry a trick or two up the sleeve.
126- Lowery, Tichenor, Sparks, Alfrey- Tichenor is spaz enough from what I've gathered to pull a thing or two and do a thing or two and shock Lowery, but that Lowery fam are some brutes and he will be ready no doubt. Don't know much bout other 2 but Alfrey is my sleeper for the weight, but still gotta do the thing.
132- Pierson, White, Willis, Pardue- Whoever lowered these dang rankings on Pierson should have rights revoked, 3 time placer, wrestles every chance he gets, been thru it all, Eastside tough. Look for him to be under lights and put that respeK on his name. Them hips don't lie when he drags you into his territory bub and he can make anyone count ceiling lights. 
138- Hernandez, Goodwin, Glithero, Defreese- Say what you want but Hernandez riding high off 1st sectional title, big confidence boost/great week of practice/nice weight management is all a man needs to do it again this weekend. Beaten Goodwin before who's 1-1 with Glithero that Hernandez is 0-1 against. Like a Kentucky family love triangle reading that one, Hernandez gets it done. Defreese can be a sleeper tho. Honesty, i really do see all 4 potentially winning it or place in any spot.
145- Ross, Wilson, Goodwin, Mckivitz- When the devil went down to Georgia and came back with an L, it was actually Ross who gave him that L. We can talk bout this n that all day long but look for Ross to get it done and possibly be under lights, and before you say "but he's never even qualified", well neither did his good buddy Jajuan Anderson till last year...nuff said.
152- Anderson, Koontz, Hoyt, Willis- MATCH OF DAY HERE BUB. Go ahead and call the Warren biases, blah blah blah. Koontz is a mighty fine young man and love watching him wrestle, Anderson got that Eastside blood in him and will just have more grit this day im callin. Hope both are under lights this year so i can bet the house on one or other cuz these boys will put on a show, this match alone worth price of admission. 
160- Jones, Sheets, Hansen, Coleman- it's Jone's world and we're just living in it. Boy has talent and finally figured out how to combine it with work ethic and been rockin to the moon with Elon Musk ever since. As long as he eats his wheaties and his momma packs him a good lunch he should come out on top here.
170- Summers, Dale, Ortel, Dix- Guess you can call the Dix/Mosconi 1st round match my true first upset of day, so be it if im wrong. Like Mosconi and enjoyed watching the whole fam wrestling, just think Dix will have a trick or two come crunch time. Summers should have a nice summer day on beach Saturday if he plays cards right.
182- Warren, Sullivan, Peeples, Weisheit- Warren got a chip on his shoulder, got pressure of college commitment off his back (congrats on air force commit thats pretty daggum rad). Think he out experiences Keon here, but watch for the less robotic and more loose Sullivan to give him everything and then some. Should be a premiere match as long as both make it. Peeples and Weisheit no slouches either.
195- Filipovich, Hammond, Clevenger, Rodriguez- that Filipovich must live in an actual weight room cause he is who i think i am when i look in the mirror and flex to impress the mrs. Should clean house for senior year and make it back to the Bank but don't sleep on Ronin. Perry coaches and his pops will have him right minded and ready to go, boy is fun to watch. Clevenger and Rodriguez both have upset potential to either one though, along with Moises Sanchez.
220- Jordan, McClure, Lewis, Sandifer- insider info says Sandifer will get it done 1st round, may not know who he is but he actually handed a loss to a boy that placed very high last year in an exhibition match. So no one to take an ease on. Jordan and McClure could be a good one but Jordan should come away with it, solid partner in the room and battle tested during season should take care of things. 
285- Antone, Comado, Tucker, Greene- Antone is gonna Antone, has been fun watching him grow and develop over the years. Like watching a calf become a stubborn, hard hitting, well trained bull, just brings a tear to the eye. As long as the coach with the white beard, beanie and button up hawaiian shirts is in the corner, Franklin Central heavy's should be alright. Don't know much bout Comado but i'm sure he's been thru the ringer, heck just bein a Hornet is battle tested enough to get my nod. Could be a legit good heavy match of two schools right by eachother but somehow haven't met this year. Tucker with upset potential here too though.
 
Overall, gonna be a great day of mask wearin, social distancing, accidentally takin a drink with my mask still on and spilling it everywhere and watchin some good wrasslin'. FWIW, I got Warren sectional punching 32 thru, to Perry's sectional punching 23 thru. LETS GET AFTER IT FELLAS, hope to click back on here after a long day on the farm and see solid feedback and trash talk to me, liven up some bubs and lets get excited even if it is an odd crazy season, still great wrestling to be had. Waterboy Out.

Post them and keep the process transparent.

Comparing official high school events and some of the "club" level events operated by third parties is like comparing apples and oranges. At one pre-season club event I attended that had all age groups, duals and individual there were WAAAAAY too many people. Snot nosed tikes running about, grandparents in wheelchairs, people crowding the mats, etc. Even in a non-pandemic year, these things sometimes feel like a loosely organized prison fight.
 
On the opposite end of the spectrum, all of the official high school events we've participated in have been well organized. Attendance limited to immediate family (parents and siblings). Seating generally grouped by team, etc. People being generous, smart and giving each other their space. Host schools kept extra cleaning staff on hand to continuously wipe down commonly touched surfaces.  
 
With the regular season now over, I would suggest that what the Indiana High School wrestling teams, coaches, schools have pulled off this year was an incredible success. We did NOT hear reports of massive spread between wrestlers in practice, duals or tournaments. We did NOT hear any stories about getting fans in attendance sick.
 
Wrestling is a misunderstood sport even in good times. At a lot of schools, even our principals and ADs were skeptical about whether wrestling should proceed. But we did what wrestlers do. We looked at the rules, added our own common sense, stayed focused and disciplined. People didn't think we could pull it off, but we did. Not hanging a "victory" banner just yet, but just look at what we accomplished. We should give ourselves a little credit (because nobody else will!).

Next year's Team State will tentatively be held on January 8, 2022. (January 1 is a Saturday.)
 
Several changes will be mentioned in the Team State selection procedures document that will be out later this week. These are primarily being put in place to offset some of the impact that covid will have on teams' qualifying scores:
 
1. In 3A and 4A, exactly 6 of the 8 bids will be via automatic qualification, rather than 6 or 7. (Best 3 semi-state highest scores, 2 highest remaining scores as wildcards, then either the 4th semi-state "winner" if they are in the top 10 overall or a 3rd automatic wildcard.) The 1A and 2A classes remain unchanged in terms of automatic bids (10 of the 12).
 
Rationale: More flexibility for intelligently picking both the 7th and 8th teams in 3A and 4A with so many covid issues at play.
 
2. Only one of the two vote-in choices in each class will be made by the selection committee in April following the season. The final vote-in selection will be made in mid-December 2021 so that one team per class will receive a last-minute bid based on in-season evidence.
 
Rationale: Last-minute invitations after teams had to pull out this year worked well. Especially in a season that will still be so impacted by covid, this will give us the chance to do a trial run of inviting a few deserving teams based on in-season merit that may be hit by significant issues during the upcoming state series. It means four teams will have to pull out of event commitments at the last minute, but it feels like a sacrifice many will consider worth making--especially considering the unusual circumstances.
 
3. The vote-in pool for the April wildcard selection in each class will be expanded to consider certain covid-affected teams. Any team affected by covid that does not earn enough points to qualify for the voting process will be given a chance to present evidence based on a) individuals' in-season head-to-head wins or b) individuals' past season accomplishments that demonstrates they would have earned a qualifying score within 5 points of the first two available vote-in candidates. With this specific level of evidence, those covid-affected teams will be considered in the voting process in April for the next-to-last wildcard spot.
 
Rationale: Numerous schools that are clear contenders for spots are already being impacted significantly at sectional. Sadly, we imagine there will be others in the coming rounds. If results-based evidence for wrestlers who missed part or all of the state series because of covid can be presented, we want those kids' schools to be considered.
 
4. All schools in the state will be considered for the final spot in the event at the time of the December 2021 vote, regardless of their qualification score this season.
 
Rationale: This gives one final "catch-all" for recognizing one deserving team, previously uninvited because of covid or other issues, that should be in the event. With all that's happening surrounding this current season and the impact on next season, we imagine ADs and tournament directors will be flexible and understanding for 4 of the 300 schools in the state to make a last-minute change to their schedule. If it is received well by coaches and ADs, this procedure for last-minute bids for one school per class may continue beyond next year as well.
 
 

There is no way that we can’t social distance 224 wrestlers, about 200 coaches, 100 workers and refs and 1,000 fans at bankers life. 
 
Mask up, respect each other’s space, and make it work.
 
How is anybody questioning if this can happen? We all know that we have wrestling going on in smaller venues with a smaller space to people ratio.
 
Why is it ok to have a middle school 8 way dual in a single middle school gym with two fans per wrestler and not state in a massive venue with tons of space? 
 
There is no conformity. This is many peoples frustration. I can see why people think it’s faux-fear.
 
Also... if you are high risk or need to spend time with high risk individuals... please stay home. 
 
btw... again..  my dad is 69 and has stage 4 cancer. They haven’t allowed him a shot yet. I haven’t seen him in months. I don’t go around him because I coach and go to places like wrestling events. Can’t wait until he gets his shot soon! 
 
 

In an email read yesterday, the IHSAA stated that as of now all 224 wrestlers will not be allowed in Bankers Life at the same time.  This makes absolutely no sense to me and would love to hear the justification.  Look at these numbers...
 
Bankers Life holds 20,000 people at full capacity.  If they were told that they could only use 25%... that would be 5,000.
 
224 Wrestlers
896 in fans (4 tickets per wrestler on Friday, even less needed for Saturday)
448 in Coaching tickets (2 coaches per kid.  Obviously this number is higher than it needs to be due to the fact that the same coaches will be coaching multiple kids.  Just humor me on the number for now)
 
That is a total of 1,568. That leaves 3,432 in workers from Media, Officials, Gate keepers, Table help, etc......   
 
No "Parade of Champions" all on the floor at the same time...I get that, but football State finals had fans, Colts have fans...Let the young men have their day with their families!!!  Just my 1/2 cent on a Tuesday!

He looked very, very tough today. 

If a singlet makes that big of a difference, maybe they should move up a weight. 

If a singlet makes that big of a difference, maybe they should move up a weight. 

My sons college (Ohio University) has announced that the remainder of the school year will be online. All students have been asked to move out of the dorms ASAP. A prorated refund for room and board is to be issued. The state of Ohio has been a step ahead of us the whole time. I’m assuming that Indiana colleges will do the same. 

Jason Tsirtsis vs Devon Jackson Finals 2010 at 130 was a crazy match

To be a state champion it takes a lot of skill, hard work, dedication, and some luck to not be injured or sick at the wrong time.

Not to make excuses for anyone, but Cooper did have the flu. Great run by Hollendonner though. Great weekend in general. 

Not to make excuses for anyone, but Cooper did have the flu. Great run by Hollendonner though. Great weekend in general. 

Coaching at Indy nationals today and noticed SQ Brac Hooper from Carmel was wrestling and won Indy nationals after wrestling Friday night. Just thought it was awesome to see a kid going right back to work after his season was cut shorter than I’m sure he hoped. I would bet there were some others I just recognized him from one of our kids wrestling him frequently in the offseason. Kid is tough as nails and I respect him a lot for competing just after state.

Not to make excuses for anyone, but Cooper did have the flu. Great run by Hollendonner though. Great weekend in general. 

Mooresville basketball team is wondering where their warm up shorts are tonight.

Hope this works...if I remember right the camera missed some of the best action, but still worth a watch
 
Samuels vs Clark

Well, I have atleast 1 regional title to my name.... Therefore, I believe we can all agree that if I was not retired I would be betting favorite for Old Mans division at ISWA state..
 

Kind of makes you miss Caliboy

Not feeling like a multi quote, but multiple people have referenced NCAA, which is an organization that separates its champions into classes. 

What? Lol 

The best they could finish would be 1st and 2nd.  The 2nd place finisher will see a Semi-State Champ at the same time as a 3rd place finisher.....Saturday morning.

Kentucky, Hawaii, Delaware, and Vermont also...aka the wrestling powers.

Tell that to David Taylor (4x OH Div. II State Champion), Gable Steveson (4x MN AAA State Champion), or Spencer Lee (3x PA AAA State Champion). I wonder if their classed championships make them any less of a state champion. In Illinois, state champion vs. state champion matches make for great entertainment. If I can recall, the Dvorak Invite back in 2013 featured an undefeated then-3X, eventual 4x Illinois 1A state champion in Josh Alber of Dakota against an eventual 4x Illinois 3A state champion in Jered Cortez, and Alber beat him. That same 1A Dakota team also was nationally ranked at the same time OPRF and Montini were, AND they won Disney that year when they WHOOPED a nationally ranked 3x defending national champion Perry Meridian, a team from a single class state, 55-4, but they were 1A so it doesn’t matter, right?