fr81

I think people are taking too much away from Woodford based on what they lost. Richard Starks is a big loss. Chad Fyffe is also a tough loss, but was only here for a year. Rusty would have been one, but he didn't wrestle that much his senior year and WC still dominated. John Smith is another, but he was unable to place even in his senior year. Goodrich is also a state champ, but bumping Byrd to heavyweight (or perhaps putting Neal at heavyweight and keeping Byrd 215) should keep WC strong up top. There is no other major loss on Woodford's team aside from that. What do they return? Shane Parks - third place at 103; great shot at state title if he bumps up or can defeat Sullivan. Coty Lewis - three-time state finalist will definitely be there again. Harrison Courtney - I don't think much needs to be said here. Courtney was a big fave in '04 and took third, then came back this year and won state. It's not the last you'll hear of him. Will Starks - I expect to see him continue to follow in Richard's footsteps: undefeated in Kentucky junior year and state champ, followed by undefeated senior season and state champ. Matt Byrd - a car accident in the fall really hurt Byrd's chances this year; I expect to see him come back even tougher next year. Then you look at guys like Steven Butler and Blake Sheehan, who were one match away from placing this year and should be even stronger with another year of training under the Carrs, or a guy like Justin Mays, who's got a great amount of potential. Factor in the tremendous coaching and I just don't see WC not being the favorite heading into next year.

Jacob Murton won MOW. Not sure on the sportsmanship award, though I think it might have been Bryan Hall from Paducah Tilghman.

You realize that your analogy is nowhere close, right? You're comparing a 103-pounder defeating a heavyweight in a FOOD-EATING contest with a match between a 189-pounder and a 215-pounder. That's a 26-pound difference total (and as I'm sure you're aware, there isn't a weight class between the two). You can argue that Scherer would win, and that's possible. But to say that it is impossible for Richard Starks, a two-time state champion who wrestles one class below Scherer, to win against him is just incorrect.

Nine times out of 10, I take Starks. His strength is one of his...well, strongest points. I think he could bump to 215 and do just as well. This is no disrespect to Scherer, either, who I've seen multiple times and is a hell of a wrestler. I do agree, though, that you can't say Scherer is the best 215 we've ever seen. Whitaker was a beast.

This list will not be new, nor will it include anyone outside of Woodford County (I had tunnel-vision when I was in high school, though I'm much more knowledgeable now that I've been following wrestling in the state as a whole more closely the past three years), but here's how I'd rank the best wrestlers I've ever seen: While in HS: Joe Carr, Jr. Ian Horn Chris Dunn Josh Whitaker Michael Jackson Chris Valentine Outside of HS: Richard Starks I only put one on the second list because Richard has by far been the most dominant wrestler I've seen for Woodford in the past three years. Overall, I'd have to give the nod to Jacob or Jairus Murton, both of whom just have seemed unbeatable. But overall, the best wrestler I've ever seen is Joe Carr, Jr. Unfortunately, I missed out on getting to see Isaac Knable -- what years was he in school? Sounds like he was dominating in the years between my HS days and my wrestling-following days of now.

Right. That's why LaRue's section got really quiet when they had to wrestle the big boys in Woodford's lineup. Why don't we talk about how Larue took a 31-3 lead, leaving Woodford in position to need FOUR pins and two victories to win, and escaped 31-30 only because the 103-pounder avoided getting pinned. You can talk all the smack you want, and enjoy the state dual victory, but when state comes around, I bet you won't be crowing nearly as loud. Woodford will win the state team championship, no matter what happened this past weekend. Don't get too excited about what happened on Saturday -- it's like watching Louisville basketball fans get excited about their program in December before they fall apart in the winter (though the fall-apart happened much earlier now that they're actually playing in a real basketball conference).

As to the question posed originally in this thread, I'll say that Woodford finishes with four state champs out of six finalists. Champs: 112 - Lewis 145 - Courtney 171 - Starks 189 - Starks Second-place: 160 - Fyffe 215 - Byrd Shane Parks also has a very good chance, though Travis Sullivan is one tough wrestler. Those of you who haven't seen Shane this year don't really know how much this kid has improved. Same goes for Will Starks. I saw above where it was posted that Jones should've won the 171 match. I'm assuming this is referring to state duals against LaRue (don't know the name of Larue's 171, this is why I'm guessing), but if you think that Will Starks should've lost that match, I don't know what you were watching. He was controlling from the get-go and pinned the guy in the first period (maybe second period, my details are a tad hazy).

No, I guess not. But what kept them from being on top certainly wasn't anything to do with anyone named Starks or Byrd, that's for sure.