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20-20 Hindsight: Part III: OWS Breaks down a Mythical Single Division State Tournament, Part III of a Three-Part Series (171-285 lbs)
It's gotta be the green shoes: Chris Phillips tries to finish a single leg against Nick Mills while Coach Sean Grosz apparently scouts the third place match. Photo Credit: Bob Tuneberg, Villager News
As a wrestling community in Ohio, we are used to thinking of the state as three separate parts- Division I, Division II, and Division III. But it wasn't always so. Prior to 1971, there was a single division of competition in Ohio. In many top states (notably, New Jersey and California) there still remains only one division.
Quite frankly, I fall on the side of those who would like to see a single division state tournament. Qualify 48 to state still- but throw them into a single bracket. The competition would be absolutely riveting. A great wrestler can be from any size of school- as the Monroeville contingent has demonstrated this year. I would keep separate team scores (like they do at the Medina and Brecksville Tournaments) and still have three team state champions, but only one individual champ. Gone would be the days of top wrestlers avoiding each other through "gentleman's agreement". Will it ever happen? Probably not. But the following is a look at how a single division tournament might "play out" in my view.
Couple of caveats first. When compiling these (or any) rankings, I tend to look at the entire season equally- thus, a win at the state tournament is of no more value than a win in a dual if the same wrestlers are involved. I do it this way for several reasons. Most importantly- to simply go on the order of state finish would be a highly unimaginative approach that could be put together by anyone in a matter of minutes, and not worth reading in my view. Second, the question underlying these rankings is "how they would finish" if I had to bet on it. In my experience, all top wrestlers are going 100% every time they wrestle, some just have the good fortune to be at the top of their game in Columbus, some don't.
What follows, at long last, is part III of a three-part series, focusing on 171-285 lbs. With no further ado:
read the article >
• Ohio Wrestling Site Junior National Freestyle Preview >
• Ohio Wrestling Site Cadet National Freestyle Preview >
• Alan Fried’s interview with Ohio Wrestling Site (part 2)
• Through Hell and Back: Alan Fried Perseveres through Post-Career Adversity and Gain new strength and wisdom
As a wrestling community in Ohio, we are used to thinking of the state as three separate parts- Division I, Division II, and Division III. But it wasn't always so. Prior to 1971, there was a single division of competition in Ohio. In many top states (notably, New Jersey and California) there still remains only one division.
Quite frankly, I fall on the side of those who would like to see a single division state tournament. Qualify 48 to state still- but throw them into a single bracket. The competition would be absolutely riveting. A great wrestler can be from any size of school- as the Monroeville contingent has demonstrated this year. I would keep separate team scores (like they do at the Medina and Brecksville Tournaments) and still have three team state champions, but only one individual champ. Gone would be the days of top wrestlers avoiding each other through "gentleman's agreement". Will it ever happen? Probably not. But the following is a look at how a single division tournament might "play out" in my view.
Couple of caveats first. When compiling these (or any) rankings, I tend to look at the entire season equally- thus, a win at the state tournament is of no more value than a win in a dual if the same wrestlers are involved. I do it this way for several reasons. Most importantly- to simply go on the order of state finish would be a highly unimaginative approach that could be put together by anyone in a matter of minutes, and not worth reading in my view. Second, the question underlying these rankings is "how they would finish" if I had to bet on it. In my experience, all top wrestlers are going 100% every time they wrestle, some just have the good fortune to be at the top of their game in Columbus, some don't.
What follows, at long last, is part III of a three-part series, focusing on 171-285 lbs. With no further ado:
read the article >
• Ohio Wrestling Site Junior National Freestyle Preview >
• Ohio Wrestling Site Cadet National Freestyle Preview >
• Alan Fried’s interview with Ohio Wrestling Site (part 2)
• Through Hell and Back: Alan Fried Perseveres through Post-Career Adversity and Gain new strength and wisdom
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