WCI MOW

[DamonMBarnes 13]

I'll start this off by saying that Derrick Smallwood is a fantastic wrestler.  However, I cannot imagine how any coach in their right mind would vote for him MOW over Thomas Hoppes.  Derrick -- who was ranked first and expected to win -- had a fine tournament and took care of a #9, #12, and #13 wrestler in dominating fashion.  That being said, Thomas Hoppes as a freshman ranked 10th in a higher weight class pinned the #10 kid in the state then upset the #2 kid in the state while not giving up an offensive point. 

 

The only thing I can think of was that most coaches had already turned in their ballot by the time Hoppes had concluded his upset.  That's the only good reason I can come up with because the resumes speak for themselves.  If there are any coaches who would like to back up their vote I'd love to hear the reason.

[grappler-of-old 44]

MOW is a tricky thing.  Is it the best wrestler in the tournament regardless of if he is to win it, or is it the kid that pulls the upset.  Either way its not fair to the other kid.  The best wrestler in the tourney may win like he is suppose to and may never win a MOW because of it.  The kid that upsets another kid may never get that opportunity again. Tough decision.  I believe in the upset method in regular season and the best kid in post season. 

Just my opinion. 

 

[naplesme 58]

You made your own point. The most outstanding wrestler is supposed to be the most dominating wrestler. Smallwood was the most dominating which makes him the M.O.W. obviously. Your  138 pinned his way to the finals so he should have been considered before Hoppes. Just saying 

[DamonMBarnes 13]

4 hours ago, naplesme said:

You made your own point. The most outstanding wrestler is supposed to be the most dominating wrestler. Smallwood was the most dominating which makes him the M.O.W. obviously. Your  138 pinned his way to the finals so he should have been considered before Hoppes. Just saying 

You’re smarter than this. Should strength of opponent not be considered at all?  Based on this answer it doesn’t seem you think it should. 

However, in reality I have to believe you think it’s a factor. Both Hoppes and Smallwood faced the #10 wrestler in the state and both pinned. Hoppes also faced the #2 wrestler in the state and won without giving up an offensive point. Smallwood faced nobody ranked higher than #10. Surely that has to be factored into the equation, right?

[TWO!!! 4]

If strength of opponent is the argument then it goes to Dylan Gray from Caldwell. He beat what was the current #2 ranked kid (who had beaten the previous #1) in the semi finals and then beat the current #4 ranked kid in finals. 

In conclusion, there was a few kids we could debate that were worthy of the MOW. Hoppes and Gray are two of those kids (both title contenders) but nowhere should beating a #10 kid ever be a factor for the MOW. In my days, we pinned or teched the #10 kid anyway. No disrespect to any kid, I'm just stating facts from my era ('96-'00). 

[AllSport 1]

1 hour ago, TWO!!! said:

If strength of opponent is the argument then it goes to Dylan Gray from Caldwell. He beat what was the current #2 ranked kid (who had beaten the previous #1) in the semi finals and then beat the current #4 ranked kid in finals. 

In conclusion, there was a few kids we could debate that were worthy of the MOW. Hoppes and Gray are two of those kids (both title contenders) but nowhere should beating a #10 kid ever be a factor for the MOW. In my days, we pinned or teched the #10 kid anyway. No disrespect to any kid, I'm just stating facts from my era ('96-'00). 

With this being said no disrespect to Dylan Gray at all he’s a heck of a wrestler and 182 had 3 studs (Gray, Leavell, and Santiago) in it which he did beat both the other 2 studs. But from my point of view the refs took the finals match between Gray and Leavell into their own hands a little bit. 

As for MOW there’s always going to be controversy between who came out and dominated everyone but didn’t really have that much competition vs. someone who had to work hard to get their hand raised at the end. Mr. Barnes does have a good point when it comes to coaches turning in their ballots before even seeing a finals match. 

With that being said both Smallwood and Hoppes gave the crowd a show. Smallwood dominated and finished with the pin and Hoppes went out and shocked (Woodford) fans by taking down Bender (4-1). 

[TWO!!! 4]

AllSport, 

You are right about the Gray vs Leavell match. I understood the stall call to tie the match up but let the boys decide the winner. Gray could've gotten away for the win or let it go into OT. Barnes does have a point but i've been to tournaments and seen coaches go change their vote (factor in teams that leave early too). In this case, it didn't happen. At the end of the day, Hoppes will have plenty of opportunities to win MOW, I'm confident.

[LCalum 31]

152 was one of the toughest weights at the tourney as well.  Vasquez kid dominated Andreoni and i would guess that every coach had already turned in their ballot before the match.   I hate that they always “remind” coaches to get their ballots in 5 matches into finals.   Typically heavyweights have 0 chance to get MOW because of that. I thought the 182 match was going to be the one that determined MOW as well but the refs did put their thumb print on the match which likely changed many minds.  Hoppes and Smallwood were both very deserving as were a few other kids.  

[LCalum 31]

The 132 from Christian County won a great match, with class, despite his opponents actions.   I think he should be mentioned in the conversation as well.  

[Nike Man 292]

2 hours ago, LCalum said:

The 132 from Christian County won a great match, with class, despite his opponents actions.   I think he should be mentioned in the conversation as well.  

Merritt did a great job. Wrestled a smart match and was the better wrestler last night. They are now 1-1 with each other this year and both showed poor sportsmanship after their losses. They are both extremely competitive kids that hate to lose. Understandable. I’m sure Merritt got a speech from his coach the way Cardwell did from his. I feel confident that they both have respect for one another. Hope to see them go again this year. 

[naplesme 58]

12 hours ago, DamonMBarnes said:

You’re smarter than this. Should strength of opponent not be considered at all?  Based on this answer it doesn’t seem you think it should. 

However, in reality I have to believe you think it’s a factor. Both Hoppes and Smallwood faced the #10 wrestler in the state and both pinned. Hoppes also faced the #2 wrestler in the state and won without giving up an offensive point. Smallwood faced nobody ranked higher than #10. Surely that has to be factored into the equation, right?

You're right I am smarter than this. That's why I voted for Dylan Gray. You beat two of the top ten you get my vote. My explanation earlier was why some others might have voted for Smallwood.  I was cheering for Hoppes and was happy he won.  Let's just say we will agree to disagree on this particular subject. Hope Hoppes has a great season.

[enthusiast 14]

 All of the winners are up for MOW. A lot of times its a popularity contest. And a lot of times the kids that are hands down dominant don't get looks because they are so dominant.  It's not their fault that the competition is not up to their level..  There were about 5 boys that should have been seriously been considered. 

Congratulations to Derrick Smallwood.  I'm glad that a kid who was expected to win the tourney got MOW.