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luvswrestling55

Who is the best HS wrestling Coach in the state of KY?

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How many times did rusty parks win it? Too often the award goes to the coach of the team who wins and woodford won a lot under his direction. Although I was never sure who the official head coach was, parks or carr. It always seemed like a co-head coach situation.

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How many times did rusty parks win it? Too often the award goes to the coach of the team who wins and woodford won a lot under his direction. Although I was never sure who the official head coach was, parks or carr. It always seemed like a co-head coach situation.

speaking of co- head coaches or just a top asst, I've always said coach Headley at henry clay is the top at that. He's gotta go down as one if the best to never be head coach.

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Parks was head coach and handled ALL coaching duties beyond the instruction during practice (which he also helped with but Joe Sr led all the drills and showed how the move should be done). Rusty planned all the matches and travel and lineup changes and kept up with his wrestlers weights and informed the parents of their roles. I mean he consulted everything with Joe but Rusty ran the show.  He started the state duals idea too.  

 

This is from his HOF induction: http://www.kywca.com/linked/r._parks_bio.pdf

 

 

Parks tells a great story about going to a Dan Gable  coaching clinic with Joe Sr. when they first started coaching together. He was aware of the Carr legacy (although this was before Nate's NCAA wins) and they were in a room full of coaches and Gable started to discuss a certain move or takedown and he stopped mid sentence and said  "Why am I up here showing this move when the best technician in the nation is sitting right in front of me"  He pointed to Joe and he got up and showed the move how he learned it and teaches it.  Rusty was floored and knew right then how lucky he was to have this guy as his asst. coach.

 

I'd say now, currently, the answer is Union County.  Their coaches are the best at making champions and consistently battling for team titles.

 

btw:  Honorable Mention to Upchurch.  I know the criticisms that he spent half his season wrestling out of state against teams that could barely field teams...and there is some merit to that. But he is in the top 20 in the nation for ALL TIME WINS (from 1983-2011 he had 642 wins.....from 1979-2006 Parks had 582).  Wayne County never had teams that could've challenged those top Woodford teams but he also didn't have Carr as his asst coach and considering the demographics of where he coached just having a team was a big accomplishment. Wayne County is the 45th poorest county in America with a median income under 20,000.  Those kids have a lot more on their minds than winning wrestling matches.  I've always had an immense amount of respect for Upchurch and all that he was able to accomplish considering the circumstances.

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From top to bottom Union probably has the best staff but there are several fantastic coaches across the state who don't have the staff Union does. Also the whole head coach I think Coach Walls, Coach Ervin, and Coach Hoehn have all won coach of the year. Even when that happens Robert Ervin was still on the staff under Walls and Hoehn (Hoehn was an assistant under Ervin as well). 

Other great coaches currently active in Kentucky include (but are not limited to) Bankemper at Campbell County, Hitchings at Fern Creek, Carbin at Hopkinsville, McCoy at Male, Ruschell at Ryle, and Roth at Walton Verona

 

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Union county has to have the best staff. They have many quality coaches from young guys who can wrestle in the room to coach Robert Ervin and tim ervin who are incredible coaches. Union county currently has 4 D1 wrestlers that are currently wrestling that have learned from them. Coach Elam is a great new assistant this year he was a former state champ and on two state championship teams wrestled at campbellsvile then comes back to coach. He brought coach cooper as well who wrestled with him placed 3rd at state and wrestled at campbellsville then both came back to union county. Coach heohn was a big 10 champ wrestled at the university of Missouri that's a nice resume as we'll

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Missouri is not in the Big Ten, used to be the Big 12 that only had Ok St, Mizzou, Iowa St, Okla, and Nebraska... still and accomplishment to win that conference. Nebraska has since been replaced by WVU.

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I would have to get behind my coach. Healey changed the way I wrestled. He is probably the best clinician for light and middle weights. I do agree the Joe Sr is a impressive coach. The Fletcher Carr coaching tree moved kentucky wrestling ahead light years.

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This is such a broad topic because there is so much criteria involved. I will say though, at a camp, Dan Gable stood up in the room and said Joe Carr Sr probably have forgotten more about wrestling than most HS coaches even know. There are a lot of coaches in this state that has made alot out of nothing (ie transfers, top flight feeder program, school traditions) that have been successful. Some coaches are great clinicians like Bankemper, Patterson , Barnes and Carr. Some coaches have a great knack for the big program and can coach like Hitchings, McCoy, Canter, and Ervin. And there are coaches that can take athletic beginners and get a lot out of them in a 3/4 year period like Coomes, Ploessor, Perrin and Headly. So take your pic, any of these coaches you probably cant go wrong with and there is a lot of coaches I haven't seen or worked with.

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Best all-time- Parks/Carr, results speak for themselves and much has already been said about each individually. However one couldn't and didn't have the success they did without the other so it's hard to split them up.

Current- there isn't a program that has dominated like Woodford used to so it's hard to say. One thing about Headley and Henry Clay though... they've had the most state champs without ever winning a team championship. Sounds back-handed but is actually quite an achievement.

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It would be cool to recognize all of these guys above during the state tournament. Why just one ? All of these coaches have advanced the quality of wrestling in the state of KY.

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Criteria =Bankamper = has been around since Bedrock High was the state champs they have /he has won Major tournaments in both Ohio and KY has been NHSCA coach of the yr recently ,He coaches multiple sports he avoids major Drama his team does well and his wrestlers end up at the next level.I would say he and the Union coaches do their extra part in the off season at nat tourneys.

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I think you have to have Russ Riegel in this discussion he had loads of success and NJ and and a lot at HC. He has 800+ dual meet victories, state titles in NJ and has also had some great teams here in ky, multiple state placers in KY and a few state champs, hundreds of collegiate wrestlers in all divisions and really kept a consistent program at HC. Not to mention he is in the wrestling hall of fame in Stillwater.

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CUTiger184, if you keep doing what your doing, you will be in the KY wrestling HOF!! You are doing an excellent job at HC! I've been a fan of yours for as long as you have been wrestling. Now as a Coach, you are continuing your success. Congrats on this past weekend. Keep the momentum going the next few weeks.

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