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Best Kentucky Wrestler Ever?

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So with Brock being the first 5xer in the states history does that automatically make him the best to ever do it in Kentucky? Here are some of the guys I think of when i think of the best to ever do it in Kentucky:

Brock Ervin - First 5xer

Nathan Boston - First kid (I believe) from Kentucky (even if not originally) to be ranked #1 in the nation.

 

Joe Carr Jr - 4x champion 5x finalist among other unworldly accomplishments

 

Issac Knable - 4x champion

 

Harrison Courtney - 6x Placer; 4x champ

 

Travis Sullivan - 4x finalist 3x champ, broke all kinds of records at the time I believe

 

John Woelsifer - 2x champ, unlimited potential, one of my personal favorites to watch...

 

 

 

Anybody else got any thoughts? Who do you think is the best of all time in the state? If ATM finishes next year undefeated does that make him the best? If David Carr sticks around and wins 5x how does that place him in standings with Brock? Would national success be the tiebreaker? Anybody I left out? Thoughts..........

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So with Brock being the first 5xer in the states history does that automatically make him the best to ever do it in Kentucky? Here are some of the guys I think of when i think of the best to ever do it in Kentucky:

Brock Ervin - First 5xer

Nathan Boston - First kid (I believe) from Kentucky (even if not originally) to be ranked #1 in the nation.

 

Joe Carr Jr - 4x champion 5x finalist among other unworldly accomplishments

 

Issac Knable - 4x champion

 

Harrison Courtney - 6x Placer; 4x champ

 

Travis Sullivan - 4x finalist 3x champ, broke all kinds of records at the time I believe

 

John Woelsifer - 2x champ, unlimited potential, one of my personal favorites to watch...

 

 

 

Anybody else got any thoughts? Who do you think is the best of all time in the state? If ATM finishes next year undefeated does that make him the best? If David Carr sticks around and wins 5x how does that place him in standings with Brock? Would national success be the tiebreaker? Anybody I left out? Thoughts..........

Who is John Woelsifer? Sorry, I've only been in Kentucky since 2005. Where is David Carr supposedly going? Why do you say "if" he sticks around?

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Wolseifer was a legend in Kentucky wrestling, at one point he was ranked something like 52nd in the nation. Walked away from the sport his senior year. You gotta include the likes of John Fahy and Caleb Ervin, if we want to get crazy we can go all the way back to Dave Barnes even haha

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Wolseifer was a legend in Kentucky wrestling, at one point he was ranked something like 52nd in the nation. Walked away from the sport his senior year. You gotta include the likes of John Fahy and Caleb Ervin, if we want to get crazy we can go all the way back to Dave Barnes even haha

Walked away as in he didn't compete his senior year?

I just rewatched the Trae Blackwell/David Carr match. I think Blackwell wins 9 out of 10 times, but them again that was an 8th grader hitting a 5 pointer against a big time recruit. Is Blackwell a Univ of Oklahoma recruit? If so, that just adds to what Carr accomplished. He won't be touched again in Kentucky. Someone said he might be leaving. Where would he go? Last question, who is his dad? They discussed it on the broadcast but I couldn't follow it. Is his father Nate Carr?

Carr had a nice workout partner in Boston, but then again, so did Blackwell.

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So with Brock being the first 5xer in the states history does that automatically make him the best to ever do it in Kentucky? Here are some of the guys I think of when i think of the best to ever do it in Kentucky:

Brock Ervin - First 5xer

Nathan Boston - First kid (I believe) from Kentucky (even if not originally) to be ranked #1 in the nation.

 

Joe Carr Jr - 4x champion 5x finalist among other unworldly accomplishments

 

Issac Knable - 4x champion

 

Harrison Courtney - 6x Placer; 4x champ

 

Travis Sullivan - 4x finalist 3x champ, broke all kinds of records at the time I believe

 

John Woelsifer - 2x champ, unlimited potential, one of my personal favorites to watch...

 

 

 

Anybody else got any thoughts? Who do you think is the best of all time in the state? If ATM finishes next year undefeated does that make him the best? If David Carr sticks around and wins 5x how does that place him in standings with Brock? Would national success be the tiebreaker? Anybody I left out? Thoughts..........

Nathan Boston is a KY born native.

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Dave Richie from Caldwell Co would have to be considered in this topic. He finished 3rd his 8th grade and freshman year. Won three state titles after that while going undefeated those three years.

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I know there are numerous names that could be mentioned, such as Tendai and Knable from St. X.  A name I rarely hear is Don Blevins from Fern Creek.  I'm pretty sure he was a transplant from Indiana or Ohio, but I believe he won state 3x and was undefeated in the state of Kentucky for all three years that he wrestled here.  The years were 92, 93, and 94, I believe.  Maybe someone from Fern Creek can verify / correct some of this info.  He was a beast.

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Ian Horn in top 5.  All 3 titles won at an mid/upper weight. That means more to me than winning one at 103/112 with a bunch of freshman and soph challengers.

 

Well if you go by that then Livingston Merritt has to be in there. 6x placer 3x Champion ... 

7th Grade 5th @140

8th Grade 4th @ 152

9th Grade 3rd @ 189

10th Grade 1st @215

11th Grade 1st @ 215

12th Grade 1st @ HVY

 

1994 Quickest pin @ State

1997 Quickest Pin and most Pins least time

Holds Hoptown record :04 Sec Pin

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I know there are numerous names that could be mentioned, such as Tendai and Knable from St. X.  A name I rarely hear is Don Blevins from Fern Creek.  I'm pretty sure he was a transplant from Indiana or Ohio, but I believe he won state 3x and was undefeated in the state of Kentucky for all three years that he wrestled here.  The years were 92, 93, and 94, I believe.  Maybe someone from Fern Creek can verify / correct some of this info.  He was a beast.

Don Blevens was only a two time.  Fern Creek has not had a 3x champ yet.

 

Don't forget about Robbie Clarkson from Conner, four time state champ 1978-81. He may have been the first four timer?

I believe James Earl Hardin from Kentucky School for the Blind was the first 4x champ.  but there was only like 16 schools in the state at the time in the late 60's.

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That was a massive oversight on my part missing Stephen and Austin Myers, espically Austin who is breathtaking in how dominant he is.

The first four timer was a wrestler from Kentucky school for the blind pretty sure his name was James Earl Hardin or something like that. I read somewhere that David was Nate Carr's kid but I could be wrong. We could throw Livingston Merrit into the mix too, his is a name often thrown around.

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Myers,

For the love of god take your son to some national tournaments. I can't imagine anyone (let alone 6 guys) more impressive than Austin was this weekend (or season for that matter). Congrats to all champs and placers.

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This question always seems to rear its ugly head after the state tournament ends. I don't think you can compare a wrestler in the 80's ex. Robbie Clarkston to any wrestler in the 90's ex. Joe Carr Jr. to any wrestler in 2000's ex. Issac Knable to any wrestler in 2010's ex. Brock Ervin. 

 

All had very unique styles and wrestling was different then. Kids nowadays would smoke teams from the 60's, 70's, 80's and majority of the teams in the 90's. I'm excluding the CC team in the early 90's and a few of the Woodford County teams. Wrestling has evolved and our state has made great strides to bolster our wrestling programs. 

 

And to compare wrestling styles, accolades, and weight make this challenge even more difficult.  Do we look at one singular year? Do we take into account what they did after high school? Do we look a whole body of work? What are the parameters that allow us to compare these kids? 

 

I find this to be an impossible task...We are better off looking at the best wrestlers the state has produced by Decades more soever than using the term "ever".

 

And I'm glad you like the quote Tarzan, my grandpa always would say the "the proof is in the pudding". Had no clue what that meant until I was like 20 years old. 

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Just to throw another name out there, Willie Ennels was a 3x champ & wrestled for a 4th title w/a torn ACL & finished 2nd. I would say that resume deserves to be in the conversation, just my opinion.

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