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Does anyone know who won the three way wrestle off at 126? All three are great competitors and regardless of who won, they should be on the podium next weekend. Speaks to the depth that they have developed in Coal City!

I cannot answer your question.

However, when the day comes that we allow the JV to enter the regions and be given the opportunity to wrestle their way into the state tournament, the sport of wrestling in WV will turn the corner to improving participation.

A kid who loses in wrestle offs every week has to really, really want to be on the team. You need him to stay with the sport for next season's team.

However, what do they have to look forward to at the end of the season? Lose in wrestle offs to an eventually state champion and/or place winner? Their legacy is "I never made varsity, but my team mate was a three time state champ".

I think some coaches are scared that their JV guy will beat their varsity guy in the state tournament, thus losing a few team points.

Bear
I'm not sold on the jv idea. But I do understand how a couple more 126 pounders from Indy could improve competitiveness in their weight class. Indy has built such an attractive program at their school that they have depth in all classes. Awesome job! Kids in the halls want to be a part of winning. It's contagious.

Currently wrestlers who cannot start for their school have to work to get better. This is an important value being taught by our sport.

Or do what some parents do when their kid doesn't make varsity. They enroll their kid at another school. They accuse the coach or staff of favoritism. One thing you won't see these parents doing is hold their kid accountable.

Sorry I got preachy.

That's an AMEN Sally... accountable ! word seldom used anymore.

Sally wrote:Bear
I'm not sold on the jv idea. But I do understand how a couple more 126 pounders from Indy could improve competitiveness in their weight class. Indy has built such an attractive program at their school that they have depth in all classes. Awesome job! Kids in the halls want to be a part of winning. It's contagious.

Currently wrestlers who cannot start for their school have to work to get better. This is an important value being taught by our sport.

Or do what some parents do when their kid doesn't make varsity. They enroll their kid at another school. They accuse the coach or staff of favoritism. One thing you won't see these parents doing is hold their kid accountable.

Sorry I got preachy.

No problem. I am not a salesman. I share ideas and then move on. Your knowledge of Indy is very thorough. LOL!

Indy or South are perfect examples of good arguments for the JV team to be able to enter the regions. Both of these schools could have 3 to 4 top notch wrestlers back to back in the line up. Then there is one kid who can't beat any of these three. The JV kid is good. This same JV kid is better than most other wrestlers in the state. However, he cannot beat any of the bad dudes in the line up. This JV kid only has 4 years of high school. This one kid entering the region isn't going to hurt anybody. It will help him. Most of the JV wrestlers will not make it out of the region. In actuality, there might be 2 to 3 make it out of all four regions combined.

Good luck this weekend.

I agree Bearhugger I think anyone that is able to qualify at Regionals should be allowed to wrestle at the state tournament. If they are a JV and they are able to beat three other kids then let them enter I can think of one example and I am not saying names or teams but there is a young man that my son has wrestled all year and every time my son says he is getting better and better. He can not beat the starter but is close and now wants to quit wrestling and that's a shame because this is his first year from what I am told and if that's true then this kid has a ton of potential and would probably place the next two years at states.

If we want to put JV kids in then we might as well throw the JV football, baseball, basketball and whatever JV teams into the mix for the State playoffs. Putting JV in is ridiculous. Earn a spot and earn your way in. It doesn't always have to be at your preferred weight either. If someone is a backup wrestler for 4 years that is his/her own fault. They have not earned the right to compete. How do you think Kyle Dake and David Taylor feel sitting behind Burroughs. That's why Taylor moved up a weight class. Just tired of hear about JV wrestlers not having a chance to compete. If you allow them to compete, it takes away from what the Varsity kids have accomplished holding their spot in the lineup all year or in some cases losing it at the end of the year. What about those kids, is it fair to them.

mike.carman wrote:If we want to put JV kids in then we might as well throw the JV football, baseball, basketball and whatever JV teams into the mix for the State playoffs. Putting JV in is ridiculous. Earn a spot and earn your way in. It doesn't always have to be at your preferred weight either. If someone is a backup wrestler for 4 years that is his/her own fault. They have not earned the right to compete. How do you think Kyle Dake and David Taylor feel sitting behind Burroughs. That's why Taylor moved up a weight class. Just tired of hear about JV wrestlers not having a chance to compete. If you allow them to compete, it takes away from what the Varsity kids have accomplished holding their spot in the lineup all year or in some cases losing it at the end of the year. What about those kids, is it fair to them.

Football, baseball, and basketball all have players on the bench who get to go in and play in the real games. Wrestling does not have a bench.

Comparing West Virginia high school wrestlers to world class international wrestlers is ridiculous.

Look at the region brackets. They have more holes than Swiss Cheese.

If you fill in the holes with a few JV wrestlers, then they might not quit.

The whole concept IS about earning your way. You get allowed to enter the region and then you EARN YOUR WAY to the state tournament by wrestling the matches and winning.

In reality, the Varsity wrestlers should qualify. They are not losing anything.................unless their corresponding JV team mate takes them out.

The point of the whole idea is so a few exceptional wrestlers have an opportunity to wrestle their way into the state tournament and even place. There have been JV wrestlers who were better then 10 to 12 of the other wrestlers who qualified for the state tournament from other schools.

Anyway, go look at the brackets for every weight class in every region, both AAA and AA/A. Thank God girls can wrestle now. Otherwise, there would be even less wrestlers. This is the reality.

Enjoy the next two weekends.

Not speaking for or against JV wrestlers wrestling in the regional or state tournaments, but I was just talking with my 7 year old grandson today about baseball. He has played for the past 2 years and I mentioned to him that when I first started playing baseball (back in the stone ages when you had to be 9 to start!) we had about 25 kids try out for the team and 10 were cut to make the 15 player roster. Kids today do not understand the logic behind other kids not getting to play. Back then, we didn't need a psychologist when things didn't go our way and we got cut from a team, we just sucked it up and got better or moved on to another sport.

I have witnessed kids that have wrestled reserve for 4 years at South and stuck it out. I admire them for having a passion to compete and they got to wrestle plenty of varsity wrestlers from other schools in tournaments. I recall one recent graduate who beat one of the very best wrestlers in the state filling in for a varsity wrestler, but he just couldn't beat the varsity wrestler in a wrestle off.

In my mind, if a wrestler sticks around, usually their time will come filling in for injured wrestlers or by getting better and beating his teammate in a wrestle off. In any world, they will become a better man (woman) just by being a part of this great sport. It builds character.

Amen Gator! For what it's worth, I will never be for JVs being allowed to wrestle in Regionals/States.

Every other tourney...fine. The more the merrier!

Kids (and parents) need to learn that not everyone gets a chance!

I understand how people feel on both sides of this debate but let's say a kid in Region 1 is a JV and can beat the Varsity kids in the other regions why should he have to change weight classes. I am new to wrestling and my kid loves this sport and works as hard as anyone out there I guarantee it and my son is not on JV he is Varsity but I know plenty of kids on JV that are better than a lot of kids in weaker regions how is that fair, and there is no way you can compare baseball or even football to wrestling not even close. I know it would never happen but I would love to see one big tournament in the state that everyone can enter at what ever weight they are and see the results, but you know what they say about opinions.....this is just mine....

Wsaz s when it's not
Snowed out

Repoman1304 wrote:I agree Bearhugger I think anyone that is able to qualify at Regionals should be allowed to wrestle at the state tournament. If they are a JV and they are able to beat three other kids then let them enter I can think of one example and I am not saying names or teams but there is a young man that my son has wrestled all year and every time my son says he is getting better and better. He can not beat the starter but is close and now wants to quit wrestling and that's a shame because this is his first year from what I am told and if that's true then this kid has a ton of potential and would probably place the next two years at states.

Everybody gets to wrestle in the regions as long as they are varsity.

Most wrestlers these days are varsity because they are the only wrestlers on the team.

Most weight classes in the regions have very few wrestlers. This will be worse in AAA next season.

The point many people appear to be missing is that the JV wrestlers have to wrestle in the region and WIN at least 2 matches in order to qualify for the state tournament. If they accomplish this, then it translates into the fact that the JV wrestler beat 2 other kids from 2 other schools. You then truly get the better wrestlers into the state tournament.

Hunter Taylor at 126
Connor Gibson at 138
Haegan Harvey at 145
Will Cox at 152

Wow. Team Concept at its best!

masonbailey wrote:Amen Gator! For what it's worth, I will never be for JVs being allowed to wrestle in Regionals/States.

Every other tourney...fine. The more the merrier!

Kids (and parents) need to learn that not everyone gets a chance!

100% correct!