Takedown Machine152

I love the State Wrestling Tournament. I love watching young competitors put it all on the line to achieve more than anyone expects, to lift up their respective teams, to prove something either to themselves or to others. Wrestling exemplifies hard work, sacrifice, commitment, and tenacity. The KHSAA has apparently committed to dishonoring all of these virtues. The format for the finals was ghastly. It took twice as long as it should have (the opposite of what was intended), the highlight wasn't on the finalists, the medal ceremony for each weight occurred moments after one of the soon-to-be podium dwellers lost his final match of the season. There was no time for athletes to collect themselves before being called to stand in front of the entire crowd. Champions had no time to hug their parents or savor the spotlight. This structure was the ANTITHESIS of what a STATE CHAMPIONSHIP should be. Now, with that said, Dallas Ochsenbein's duck under in the finals made all the KHSAA bull crap worth it. I want to relive that moment over and over again.

Austin Myers getting dinged for stalling in the finals was a bit of an upset... Just saying.

Don't forget Kyle Lawson and Mark Hall. David Carr is an outstanding wrestler, but he's no Mark Hall. That said, Zane Brown is a remarkable young talent and I'm excited to see his career develop.

You have entirely the wrong point of view on this. The state wrestling tournament is not about the spectators, or the coaches, or the parents, or about some guy who's not afraid to drive 2+ hours through snowstorms. It's about every competitor who's put his body through Hell for an entire season having the chance to perform in the state tournament. It's not about the "key players", IT'S ABOUT EVERY WRESTLER. The postponement was necessary to insure that every kid has the chance to compete, not just the "key players". Is this situation ideal? No, but waiting is better than the KHSAA telling dozens of kids "Sorry about your luck, but you just won't get to wrestle in the state tournament this year because you're living in a town that was buried by record setting snowfall. We appreciate the hard work and dedication you've put forth for the last several months/years, but you'll just have to come back next season and cross your fingers that we experience a mild winter. Oh, you're a SENIOR, you say? Well... good luck with the rest of your life." I think I've made my point.

Trae will have a great career, no doubt. It doesn't matter that the Big 12 tournament is only a 4 man bracket. What matters is that Trae and several other KY preps are representing our great state at the highest level of competition in collegiate wrestling. Trae works his butt off just like everyone else and it's great that he is instantly getting good results. Being competitive as a true freshman at any sport is a difficult task, but it is the toughest with wrestling. I'm proud to have watched him and excited to see him on the podium at the NCAAs in a year or two. Congratulations Trae.

My heart wants him to end up at either Penn State, or Ohio State. PSU because he's the perfect size to benefit from Cael Sanderson's style, and tOSU because I'd love to be able to drive up on a whim and watch him. My brain, however, tells me he'll be a Gopher or a Cowboy. No matter where he decides to go, I'm excited to see him develop.

14. Sheffer 120 Union Co. 13. Myers 220 Campbell Co. 12. Ervin 106 Union Co. 11. Erdman 126 Ryle 10. Meiman 160 Ryle 9. Heidorf 145 Trinity 8. Johnson 285 Dixie Heights 7. Miller 195 Simon Kenton 6. Frankrone 182 Trinity 5. Hurst 113 Woodford Co. 4. Barton 152 Trinity 3. McIntosh 170 Oldham Co. 2. Bindner 132 Fern Creek 1. Vazquez 138 Lafayette Team- Trinity 202.5 points Dark Horse- Elias Eqal Tates Creek

I think it's time for the wrestling community in Kentucky to put this conjecture to rest. Seeding is just not going to happen. While I believe seeding to be a good thing and support the idea, I understand that the khsaa is not going to allow it any time soon. There will be casinos on Kentucky soil before there is seeding at the state tournament. There will be peace in the Middle East before there is seeding at state.

Bad weather will potentially be the biggest upset at date this year. It's unfortunate that so many counties are facing massive amounts of snow. This will undoubtedly hinder practices all week and could even prevent some schools from traveling. I'm crossing my fingers that this doesn't end up being true. These kids deserve the opportunity to showcase their hard work.

I cannot confirm this, nor do I wish to incite the rumor wagon but I have heard talk that Landon was injured in a non-wrestling related accident. Again, if this is incorrect, then I was misinformed.

106- Saul Ervin over Adam Bender 113-Tucker Hurst over Jorge Vega 120-Bryce Sheffer over Zane Brown 126-Logan Erdman over Bobby Poynter 132-Keegan Duncan over AJ Bindner 138-Angel Vazquez over Bryan Spahr 145-Hudson Heidorf over Tony Ashford 152-Ben Barton over Jon Belk 160-Johnny Meiman over Nathan Haddad 170-Alex McIntosh over Eli Sowder 182-Tyler Frankrone over Elisiah Matthews 195-Elijah Miller over Kohl Dodd 220-Austin Myers over Zach Farris 285-Brandon Johnson over Luke Shaffer (heard Landon Young is out with injury, though not confirmed. He's my #1 if healthy)

On the top half, I think most or all of us expect to see Ervin vs. Tucker in the semis. I wouldn't be surprised to see Cagen Wallace from Wayne Co. make it to the quarterfinal against Tucker and keep it close. Also, Brandon Miller got the short end of the stick, but he's a very technical wrestler and I believe he'll make a good run through the wrestle-backs and finish on the podium. As for the bottom half, Adam Bender has a fairly clear path to the semis, likely facing Klein or Yenter. I won't be surprised at all to see Bender in the finals. 106 is a balanced weight this year, and I'm excited to see it unfold.

Okay, while most of you are opting for a more diplomatic expression of opinions concerning referees, the venue, the KHSAA, and so on, I am going to be genuine even if it's crass. The referees in Kentucky are mediocre at best. Period. We have had this discussion for eons, and to this day, the only thing that is consistent about the officiating at the state tournament is that the referees are inevitably out of position for VERY IMPORTANT calls. I mean, look at the final seconds of the second period in the Carr/Blackwell final. 6-4 Carr on the scoreboard and Trae catches David on his back with four or five seconds left for the easiest two-count in the history of wrestling, yet zero points were awarded. The score should have been 6-6 to start the third, and if anyone disagrees then you weren't watching the match. That is just one example of the monumental mistakes these referees make. We should expect the same level of excellence from the officials as we do from our wrestlers. I'm on board for having refs from Ohio or Indiana brought in for state. I'm done humoring excuses for Kentucky referees. I like the Alltech Arena in some regards, but it's not accomplishing what we want. I miss the dungeon in Frankfort. Yes, Alltech holds more people, but it isn't selling out and the acoustics are bad. There is a big difference as a wrestler in hearing crickets chirping because no one is there, and feeling the thunderous roar of a sold out crowd in your feet as you step on the mat. I had the opportunity to watch a live stream of the Indiana state finals while our finals were underway. Indiana gets it! They absolutely do it right. Each wrestler is spotlighted and recognized for his accomplishments for his season and career(i.e being a 5 time state champion, being nationally ranked, being a national champ or an Ironman finalist-yeah nicely done Kentucky, good job recognizing the greatest core of talent this state has ever witnessed on the mat... JOKE), the Indiana Pacers arena is standing room only with huge roars and chants from the seats, loud booming music, and so on. It's a spectacle boarding on theatrical, but those kids, no, those young men deserve all of that attention. We need a better stage for the state tournament. And now for the KHSAA. I won't comment on whether or not these people have any experience with wrestling because, well, I don't know any of them. But I will say that if any of them do have experience with wrestling, then shame on them for attempting to overhaul a tournament schedule that has been working for years. And if they don't know a thing about our sport, then they shouldn't impose their misguided judgement on a system that has been seamlessly executed since the Stone Age. And if the KHSAA is considering adjustments, then they should consult individuals who understand our sport and could give useful feedback before they just start wrecking our weekend. I love Kentucky wrestling and am proud to see how far we've come, but these competitors deserve better, the fans deserve better and until we make a concerted effort to enhance the product offered to those two groups, we will be a class below Indiana and Ohio and Pennsylvania.

Thanks for the reply. I agree that ATM will be successful regardless of his weight, just was curious about his thought process and the direction he is interested in taking after high school.

Just saw it. Thanks