wosbodog

Now let's not attack Centennialmom on her first post. bb didn't overlook us but others have. Some teams have deceptive records and get overlooked solely because of their more challenging competition. Some of the best teams get left out because of the district and region arrangements. Ravenwood, Franklin, Indy, and maybe even Hillsboro - all teams that didn't even make it out of their own district - could contend with the top teams in Tennessee. Not complaining though; those of us from District 11 should pride ourselves on having the best teams in the state!

I might not be there everyday but it sounds like a great idea. I'm new to the volleyball forum so I doubt a lot of people will know who I am, but I'd love to meet everyone. I'll probably be wearing a white headband. Right, when and where?

Before the season starts and we all get caught up in all the matches, this will be something fun to think about: In the last, say, 5 years, which school had the strongest team? In what year? I say Baylor's 2005-06 team 6 champs 10 finalists 11 medalists 3 NHSCA All Americans plus 1 former All American

Um...sorry, but what exactly does GPS stand for? Be nice everyone; some people starting to get a little hostile on this forum.

Let's see, Dragon Fly said: 1 Soddy 2 Ooltewah 3 Bradley 4 Cleveland 5 Franklin 1 Baylor 2 Ryan 3 Christian Brothers 4 Brentwood Acad. 5 McCallie Hmm... first off, I don't know about Soddy this year. They were the best last year but lost a lot of seniors. Ooltewah is definitely a possibility if they keep improving like they have been as of late. Bradley has a few studs- David Mang returning. Cleveland... yes, I agree, they seem to have a ton of wrestlers this year, but do we know if they are good wrestlers? And Franklin? Being familiar with their school I can give you a heads-up about their team. Franklin is going to be relying almost entirely on their squadron of seniors. Why is this? The Franklin studs come from Grassland Middle School. If you're from middle Tennessee you might remember how dominant GMS used to be. Grassland, coached by Rodney Cash at the time, was the feeder school for Franklin High School. After the 2003-04 season, Cash switched schools (and now coaches Brentwood Academy). Since then, Grassland hasn't been able to produce top-quality wrestlers like they used to. So Franklin's class of 08 is the last set of the Cash era studs. Oh, and Zarbo- I heard he finally did move, but I don't know for sure, just a rumor. I still say watch out for Ravenwood, Red Bank, and Tullahoma. Division 2: Baylor ranked top, Ryan second? Maybe. Statistically Father Ryan should be the best this year but it wouldn't surprise me at all if the red raiders took the title(s) again. I don't see how Christian Brothers is going to be that good this year. Brentwood Academy- I say third in the individual and maybe even first or second in the duals- all depends on how the cards play out. McCallie- yep. Don't ever underestimate them. They were getting creamed at the beginning of last season and then at the end they somehow ended up as one of the top teams. Well, my rankings are still up on one of the topics around here. I'll leave it at that for now.

Is there a list of the teams already scheduled to attend? By the way, Hamm, I'm confused about something. Don't feel pressured to answer this if you don't want to, but are two people using your name? I thought you were coach Rodney Cash of Brentwood Academy, but apparently you're also the Blackman coach? I'm just curious, that's all.

I agree, but the problem with forming a girls' division is the lack of competition. There aren't enough girls wrestling to have any effective tournaments; a girl could be a state champion without having to wrestle anybody. Trust me, I don't like it either. I remember being so terrified of facing a girl that every time an opponent team would come in, I would instantly run over and scope out everyone to make sure there were no girls I would have to wrestle.

This is like instant messenger now lol

Are you talking about Brentwood, Ooltewah, or Centennial?

So is Region 6 the toughest in the state?

A ref intervened because the fans were clapping too loud? That sounds a little crazy. I've never witnessed fans having a negative impact on the game. I can see why the loud screaming would get annoying, but doesn't it also raise the energy level in the gym and bring out everyone's school spirit? I was there at the Greenbrier game and saw how intense the parents were; they were the opponents but I still enjoyed all the cheering and rhythmic clapping because it made the game more exciting, and motivated our side to cheer for our own team even more. Being one myself, I think fans are an important part of the game. We should appreciate our charismatic fans who show their passion for the sport, right? C-C-CHS! /thumb[1].gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":thumb:" border="0" alt="thumb[1].gif" />

Don't get me wrong, I'm still planning to help train and coach the guys, and if I'm allowed I might wrestle at dual meets or at least pick up forfeits for the team. That's if they want me to. Probably the best thing I can do for my team is to work with everyone to help them get better. If I can help someone else be successful, that's as good as being successful myself. I can live with that.

I never say never, but the way I see it there is no middle ground. To me wrestling isn't worth doing unless I can do something really significant, like winning state. Even if I fail, it's the pursuit of that goal that gives it meaning. But my heart isn't really in this sport, which is why I quit in the first place, after my sophomore year. I spent most of that year hoping to get injured so I could leave without being considered a "quitter". I remember in my last match ever, at the 2006 state tournament, I was getting beat up by the 5th-ranked wrestler in the weight class. I wasn't even thinking about the wrestling; I was actually thinking about what I was going to eat (since I had cut a lot of weight) and also "thank goodness this is my last match". So I didn't wrestle my junior year, and that was the first year I actually enjoyed high school. Now a lot of the young guys on the wrestling team want me back on the mat; everyone seems to think I would do well. I kept telling them no, but then got to thinking as long as I can still do the things I love, like theater, there's no reason I can't wrestle on the side. But you guys taught me last night that wrestling isn't a sport you just do on the side. So I ask myself the questions: Q: Am I willing to work as hard as everyone else on the team? A: Yes. I've been jogging for miles at a time all summer, I can still get all the conditioning I need on my own, and I can give an extra effort on the days that I would be at practice. Q: Could I win state? A: Maybe. I haven't gained a lot of weight since my sophomore year. A lot of the top guys from last season are guys I have beaten, or guys I know I could have beaten. But it would still be a long shot. Q: Can I be as committed as everyone else? A: No. The drama club is my first priority. I would have to work around it. Q: Do I actually want to wrestle? A: No. I mainly want to win state so I can dedicate it to a girl I like. I also want to set an example for the younger guys who look up to me, and I want to leave my school a winner. As for my own interest, no, absolutely not. I never would have quit if I really enjoyed wrestling. The parts about the sport I like I can just as easily enjoy as a spectator. Well there we go. I don't know if those are the words of someone who really should be on the wrestling team. What do you think? As of now, I plan to just be in the drama club, but I will try to help the team as much as I can and I'll always love the sport. I seem to have sparked some interest. Sorry for making so many personal posts, but maybe this will help out other wrestlers who are in my shoes. Finally, I want to thank everyone. I do appreciate your concern a lot. I'm glad you guys are helping me out. wosbodog

You guys are right. Theater is my #1 passion. Looking back at how much wrestling has physically and mentally tormented me in the past, there's no way I can do both, much less stay healthy and happy. I love the sport, but I'm not willing to base my life around it. The reason I wanted to do it this year wasn't out of love for wrestling; it was more for my school. We've never had a state champion, and I wanted to leave a legacy by being the first. Most of all, I wanted to impress a certain female individual. But seeing the situation from another's perspective has helped me realize that's probably not a good idea. Reading your opinions and advice (even if it was just two people) really does make a difference. Yes, I will continue to be a fan and supporter of the sport, but I don't plan to wrestle. Thanks for helping me make a hard decision. That's going to do it for me tonight. I'll try not to be so personal in future posts.

Thanks

I hear ya. Since you're (CoachBray) a pretty important figure in the wrestling community, I'll take it a lot of people agree with you. In that case, forget I asked. I guess I won't be wrestling unless I can find time to be part of the team 100 percent. Thanks for stopping me from doing something wrong.

I feel like a heel for asking but I swear I'm not trying to betray my school or anything. Someone please tell me if you think I'm being unethical.

Well everybody, I'm considering returning to the wrestling mat for my senior year, but here's my dilemna: I've already committed to my school's drama club and I'm going to be involved in a lot of school plays and that kind of stuff pretty much year round. That's my first priority; absolutely nothing is going to stop me from doing it. The problem is that my coaches probably aren't going let me be on the team, since I could be missing a lot of matches and practice. Is there some way I could compete in region and state without being sanctioned by my school? Probably a dumb question but I have to try.

Right then - now for step 2 Here are my updated team predictions. I'm judging based on strength in the individual tournament. I've got lists of potential medalists for each team. DI 1. Franklin Dustin Ortiz Ty Zarbo- heard he didn't move after all Ryan Konz Wiley Davis Ben Heacock Walter Weller Carter McPhee Tucker Cathey 2. Bradley Logan Biddy David Graham David Mang Dean Pavlou Josh Disney 3. Ooltewah Chris Bradbury Cody Hood Jake Young Cody Sliger 4. Soddy Daisy Ryan Gardner Justin Hammonds Dustin Stewart Mikey Fuller Billy Zimmerman 5. Ravenwood Alex Kuball Robby Churchill Sean Ford John Warren Chris Wolfe Teams to watch for: Red Bank, Soddy Daisy, Tullahoma, Greeneville, Cleveland, Independence, Notre Dame DII 1. Father Ryan Jordan Lovelace Anthony Simpson Matt Brewer Patrick Marchetti Cody Austell Ryne Miller Michael Goodrum Kevin Mix Zach Hermann 2. Baylor Zach Watson Alex Manley Stuart Doster Bailey Whittaker Trey Stavrum Colton Popp Fritz Doster Oak Park kid ??!! 3. Brentwood Academy the die is cast Chase Brannon??? Zeno Dupree??? Clyde Boswell Andrew Lundburg Justin Cash Thomas Lunburg Tyler Brasher Jabari Tuani Ryan Carreethers 4. McCallie Taylor Silberman Mike Hooker Kendall Ray Chase Martino Gravedigger Nathan Hughes 5. Montgomery Bell Academy Mark Simpson Jeff Francis Daniel Todd Luke Bellet Ben Bartholomew Teams to watch for: Christian Brothers, Ensworth, St. Benedict Mind you this isn't anywhere near complete. There's a whole lot of freshman who can really do some damage but I need to find out where everyone's going to school. Individual rankings coming soon. /blink.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":blink:" border="0" alt="blink.gif" /> I stayed up too late--I have school tomorrow! Goodnight wosbodog

Guess I'll do this the same way I did on the tennesseewrestling site. I'll start off by posting a list of our returning medalists. Ready for some copy and paste action? Here is a list of the returning medalists for division 1 103 Jeremy Miller Matt King Justin Hammonds Ethan Farinella 112 Josh Jadoobirsingh Tee Boone Christopher Pipkin Dustin Stewart Zach Herndon 119 Logan Biddy Chris Livingston 125 David Graham Jacob Henley Cory Alexander Dustin Ortiz Cody Hood *David Mang, AL state champ 130 Mikey Fuller Hunter Daniel Blake Ridenour 135 Ryan Konz Anthony Grady??? Rian Burns 140 Dean Pavlou Nick Shields 145 Brett Shields JD Alexander??? Brad Weakly??? 152 Ben Heacock Joel Brimer??? Adam Hebda??? 160 Danny Tolbert John Warren Reece Wheeler??? 171 Jake Young Monterrace Reams Patrick Flynn Brad Robbins??? 189 Chris Wolfe Cameron Croy Cody Quick 215 Carter McPhee 285 Cody Sliger Robert Mycyck??? Zach Potter??? GL Waynick Caleb Leonard The ones with the question marks mean I'm not sure if they graduated or not. I probably won't bother doing a list for division 2 unless someone wants me to. Hope that helps.

Okay everybody, who wants to post their state predictions? Anyone's welcome to it. Duals and individual, both divisions if you like. If this doesn't bring some activity to this site I don't know what will. /dry.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid="

The Greeneville tournament was ranked as one of the toughest in the country, I believe.

This thing's the real deal guys /thumb[1].gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":thumb:" border="0" alt="thumb[1].gif" />

Sooo... it's still a hot topic. Guess I'll start another thread about it on this site. Do we want a unified state tournament or keep it the way it is with division 1 and division 2? If you don't know a lot about the reason for the split I recommend you check out the forum on tennesseewrestlingdotnet. It's not illegal for me to advertise other websites, is it? Remember to be polite. This is one of those issues that can start some real arguments. Trust me...

My guess right now is that we have our strange elimination system to save time and money. Double elimination probably takes longer to run than the current elimination method; that's the only explanation I can think of. Yes, it does seem like the TSSAA would make more money by having people stay longer. But I think it's actually the McKenzie Arena managers that make the money and I bet the TSSAA has to pay them rent for the use of their building or something like that. It might also somehow be better for the press and media coverage to have a shorter tournament. ??? Just guessing. But, as shehateme pointed out, there is some dead time at the tournament like during the breaks and stuff so it seems like we would have some time to spare.