coachknepper

Are there any math or science positions open for someone with a Master's in Engineering and a Professional Engineering license?

Way to go Blake!

Best things I saw (or heard about) at State: 1) 2 champions going at it for multiple state titles...CONNELL vs. BRUNNER 2) 2 Bradley wrestlers rise up to take State Titles (against all odds) 3) A Ravenwood wrestler who had "no chance" beat someone who most of us still think is one of the top wrestlers in the state. Later I saw said wrestler from Cleveland enjoying himself with the rest of his teammates as if he had in fact won the state title and being a class act. What a great kid. 4) Schuyler LaRue saving a man's life. He finished one match from placing, but in my opinion (no offense to Jacob Stevens of Soddy), he should have been voted Most Outstanding Wrestler...just a thought. 5) Scottie Boykin and Jacob Freeman raising their hands as State Champs. I am glad I was able to play a small role on their journey. 6) Absolute heartbreak and sadness by those that lost during the tournament. Why would I say that? Because it shows just how determined and dedicated these young men are to the sport and how much they care. 7) Being able to talk to living legends in wrestling such as Steve Henry, Al Miller, Gordon Connell among others. There is nothing better than being able to talk wrestling with these guys...their deep knowledge and love of the sport is untouchable in my eyes. 8) Seeing 3 Middle Tennessee teams break through and finish in the top-5 in Ravenwood, Beech, and Wilson Central. Very proud of the guys I get to work with in this area. 9) The crowds from Cleveland, Soddy, and Bradley...these people are excitable and exciting to watch at the same time. The passion is evident and they are very knowledgeable fans. 10) Amos Mason winning his 3rd title and 132nd match in a row. 11) Nick Patton coming out of "nowhere" and placing 4th at 138. 12) Christian Brothers winning a second title this year.

Making comparisons about wrestlers today vs. 15-20 years ago is like comparing Albert Pujols to Babe Ruth. Different time periods. For instance...when I wrestled in high school in Ohio, we were lucky to get 30-35 matches in a season and there were maybe 5-6 tough post-season tournaments. Today...there is more access to YEAR-ROUND training, guys are getting 100-200 matches a year, going to camps YEAR-ROUND, and starting at a very young age (ala Football, Baseball, Soccer). The sport has become more specialized and the training, weightlifting, etc...has become more widespread. Not to mention all of the TOP National Tournaments that have developed through USA Wrestling/NHSCA/AAU/NuWay. Yes, there were guys "back in the day" that would be top wrestlers and considered the BEST today, but it is REALLY hard to compare Wrestler A to Wrestler B unless they are the same age and weight and on the same mat at the same time. When I heard about the split in D-1 divisions I was against it (as I don't think we have the necessary amount of wrestlers to deem such a split). Going back to the Ohio reference, just 1 division in OH has the same amount of teams and wrestlers as the whole state of Tennessee (all divisions). Note: Approved by the OHSAA Board of Directors on June 9, 2011 Wrestling Team and Individual Tournaments Division Enrollment Schools I 400 and more 168 II 217 to 399 169 III 216 and less 169 Total Teams 506 According to the NFHS...Tennessee had 169 programs total with 4336 wrestlers as of the 2011-2012 season. Ohio has 506 and 11,581 participants. But I can also see the selling points on the split. Whatever we all here on CoachT think about it, the split is GOING TO HAPPEN...so let's deal with it and continue to build Tennessee Wrestling to the point where the argument doesn't matter since the quality level will be so high (hopefully that of a traditional wrestling state). Coach Knepper

A very dominating performance by Region 3 indeed. My hats off to Coach Ben Smith that got 2 of his kids into the finals and then took home state championships. I know he expects nothing less, but most would consider it to have been a surprise.

Please tell me where I have purported to be an expert? I am just tired of people running their mouth about those of us that put time and effort into doing these rankings and predictions with such words as "they don't know what they are talking about" How else would you do predictions without picking individual matchups? If kids are getting bent out of shape, maybe they are concentrating on the wrong things? Rankings and predictions mean, as I have always "purported", nothing.

Team Score Predictions (Current Rank) 1. Cleveland (#1) 4 Finalists 2. Soddy Daisy (#3) 2 Finalists 3. Wilson Central (#5) 2 Finalists 4. Ravenwood (#4) 2 Finalists 5. Beech (#2) 2 Finalists 6. Blackman (#14, 8 pts out of top-10) 0 Finalists 7. Walker Valley (#6) 2 Finalists 8. Clarksville (#7) 2 Finalists 9. Bradley Central (#8) 2 Finalists 10. Heritage (#9) 0 Finalists only 2 teams out of predicted spot really with Beech higher (+3) and Blackman lower (-8)

These are just my thoughts on some of the guys that I enjoyed watching in this year's tournament thus far that I really didn't know much about or get to see much: 106 Kevin Knier (West Creek)...can't say enough about this Sophomore...got outwrestled by Navarro, but was not really on anyone's radar to place coming out of West Creek. 126 Tucker Russo (Soddy Daisy)...kid is a NATURAL. I see big things out of him the next 3 years. 145 Nate Croley (Pigeon Forge)...I've seen him wrestle before but he really impressed me today with 2 big wins over tough opponents. Very Solid Wrestler that will do well in college. 152 Joseph Giattino (Stone Memorial)...this kid is one of the strongest wrestlers I've seen...came out of nowhere for me. 160 Tanner Reynolds (Ravenwood)...do I need to comment?? Wow...one of Ravenwood's biggest wins ever in my opinion (until tomorrow) 170 Derrick Tucker (Germantown)...beat a very tough Sean Kennedy this morning and almost beat Tyler Crane...another Solid Wrestler. 182 Clifford Terrell (Brentwood)...kid is an animal...very aggressive with his motion and handfighting 195 Billy Raulston (Walker Valley)...very smart wrestler...wins when it counts.

Tennessee's 3 Main Wrestling Rankings got it correct between 68 and 79% in a 32-man bracket. I would say that is pretty remarkable. But hey...we really don't know what we are talking about most of the time...

Hamm's Predictions (19 of 28 or 67.9% rate): 106 Cyree vs. Navarro 113 Debien vs. Madut 120 Stevens vs. Stevison 126 Oliver vs. Dodgen 132 Hamilton vs. Blackwood 138 Langford vs. Taylor 145 Freeman vs. Richmond 152 Dickerson vs. Bennett 160 Lopez vs. Sells 170 Crane vs. Solomon 182 West vs. Henry 195 Boykin vs. Shropshire 220 Satterfield vs. Kramer 285 Reagan vs. Podany

Bray's Predictions (22 of 28 or 78.5% rate): 106 Cyree vs. Navarro 113 Debien vs. Madut 120 Stevens vs. Smith 126 Oliver vs. Dodgen 132 Hamilton vs. Treloar 138 Langford vs. Taylor 145 Freeman vs. Richmond 152 Dickerson vs. Bennett 160 Lopez vs. Sells 170 Solomon vs. Crane 182 West vs. Henry 195 Boykin vs. Raulston 220 Satterfield vs. Kramer 285 Reagan vs. Podany

Semifinal Prediction Accuracy (37 of 56 or 66.1%): 106: 2 of 4 (I had Cyree vs. Kieta / Navarro vs. Musa) Mullin & Knier 113: 2 of 4 (DeBien vs. Cerrito / Madut vs. Houser) Sumner & Lozano (guess I'm not really a Beech fan) 120: 3 of 4 (Stevens vs. Insalaco / Smith vs. Stevison) Hackett (Beech too...oops, may lose my honorary coaching badge) 126: 2 of 4 (Oliver vs. Russo / Shoemake vs. Dodgen) Ream & Mullin 132: 2 of 4 (Hamilton vs. Kazy / Blackwood vs. Small) Lemons & Treloar 138: 3 of 4 (Langford vs. Hamilton / Sahutske vs. Richard) Feuerbacher 145: 2 of 4 (Richmond vs. Rippy / Simpkins vs. Freeman) Croley & Coder 152: 3 of 4 (Dickerson vs. Hamilton / Bennett vs. Garrison) Giattino 160: 3 of 4 (Lopez vs. Reynolds / Sells vs. Leyva) Clark 170: 3 of 4 (Crane vs. Kennedy / Alexander vs. Solomon) Tucker 182: 3 of 4 (West vs. Davis / Wilson vs. Henry) Valentine 195: 3 of 4 (Boykin vs. Begley / Raulston vs. Shropshire) Bain 220: 3 of 4 (Satterfield vs. Shotts / Sullivan vs. Kramer) Baker 285: 3 of 4 (Reagan vs. Keeley / Podany vs. Wells) Leavell State Placers Correct (57 of 84 or 67.9%): 106: 3 of 6 - Cyree, Musa (t-7th), Navarro, Crawford, Pelkey (t-7th), Kieta (t-9th) 113: 3 of 6 - DeBien, Madut, Cerrito (t-9th), Houser, Htoo (t-13th), Rose (t-13th) 120: 5 of 6 - Stevens, Stevison, Smith, Insalaco, Cox, Bromley (t-9th) 126: 3 of 6 - Oliver, Dodgen (t-7th), McCasland, Russo, Shoemake (t-13th), Armstrong (t-13th) 132: 4 of 6 - Hamilton, Small, Treloar, Blackwood, Hernandez (not in top 16), Kazy (not in top 16) 138: 4 of 6 - Langford, Richard, Taylor (t-7th), Williamson (not in top 16), Hamilton, Sahutske 145: 5 of 6 - Freeman, Richmond, Simpkins (t-13th), Rippy, Croley, Coder 152: 4 of 6 - Bennett, Dickerson, Russell (not in top 16), Garrison (t-7th), Warren, Hamilton 160: 4 of 6 - Lopez, Sells (t-13th), Solomon (t-9th), Reynolds, Leyva, Clark 170: 4 of 6 - Crane, Solomon, Kennedy, Rohrbaugh (t-7th), Alexander, Bennett (t-13th) 182: 4 of 6 - West, Henry, Davis, Wilson (t-7th), Valentine, Baltz (t-13th) 195: 3 of 6 - Boykin, Shropshire (t-9th), Raulston, Begley, Venuti (t-7th), Stukanov (t-13th) 220: 5 of 6 - Satterfield, Kramer, Shotts, Davis, Baker, Sullivan (t-13th) 285: 6 of 6 - Podany, Reagan, Leavell, Keeley, Wells, Evans Finals Predictions Still in Play (bold was predicted Champion): 106: Cyree vs. Musa 113: DeBien vs. Madut 120: Stevens vs. Stevison 126: Oliver vs. Dodgen 132: Hamilton vs. Small 138: Langford vs. Richard 145: Richmond vs. Freeman 152: Dickerson vs. Bennett 160: Lopez vs. Sells 170: Crane vs. Solomon 182: West vs. Henry 195: Boykin vs. Shropshire 220: Satterfield vs. Kramer 285: Reagan vs. Podany (20 of 28 finalists correct for a 71.4% rate)

For the record for those scoring at home, Beech now has a minimum of 4 state placers with the possibility of 3 more. It could just be that they are good after all?

Team Predicted Finish vs. Current Standings (in parentheses): 1. Cleveland (#1) 2. Soddy Daisy (#5) 3. Wilson Central (#4) 4. Ravenwood (#3) 5. Beech (#2) 6. Blackman (#8) 7. Walker Valley (#6) 8. Clarksville (#15-tie) 9. Bradley Central (#15-tie) 10. Heritage (#7)

Predictions vs. Reality thus far: Quarterfinal Predictions (85 of 112 or 76% correct) 106 6 of 8 in Quarters (Mullin beat Pelkey, Bussey beat #2 Musa) 113 7 of 8 (Verhulst beat #7 Whitaker) 120 8 of 8 126 4 of 8 (Sokol beat #4 Ocon, Ream beat #3 Shoemake, Ray beat #7 Armstrong, Mullin beat #2 Dodgen) 132 7 of 8 (Underwood beat Kazy) 138 6 of 8 (Patton beat #3 Williamson, Hargis beat Markham) 145 6 of 8 (Frazey beat #3 Simpkins, Frye beat Murray who beat Delgado) 152 6 of 8 (Wilson beat Huddlestron, I had Russell here, Giattino beat #2 Binns) 160 4 of 8 (Labbe beat Solomon 5-3, D'Allessandro in instead of Langford, Dooley over #6 Sells, Wilson over #7 Rainey) 170 7 of 8 (Payne beat Spangler) 182 5 of 8 (Yunis beat #8 Baltz, Russell beat #4 Meyer, Terrell beat #7 B. Brown) 195 5 of 8 (Martin beat #5 Greenwade, Kellum beat Fitzpatrick who beat Thompson, Bain over #2 Shropshire) 220 6 of 8 (Hayes beat Gaigher who beat #5 Erving, Gayng beat #6 Sullivan) 285 7 of 8 (Kennedy beat Cuddebeck who beat Benson) Guys remaining that I predicted would place (80 of 84, with a possibility of 78/84): 106 6 of 6 113 6 of 6 120 6 of 6 126 6 of 6 (Armstrong faces Dodgen in Consolations tomorrow) 132 4 of 6 (both Hernandez and Kazy are out after going 1-2 each), Lemons and Vaughn still in. 138 5 of 6 (Williamson is out after losing to Badon...I had Williamson winning that match...Badon won 6-4 in Sudden Victory), Feuerbacher is still in 145 6 of 6 152 5 of 6 (Russell is out after a disappointing 1-2 losing 3-1 to Brayon Garcia) 160 6 of 6 170 6 of 6 182 6 of 6 195 6 of 6 220 6 of 6 (Sullivan faces Davis in Consolations tomorrow...had that as a Consolation Semifinals match), McQuiggan still in) 285 6 of 6 Finalists left in contention to make finals (24 of 28): 106 #1 Cyree vs. #2 Musa 113 #1 DeBien vs. #3 Madut 120 #1 Stevens vs. #2 Stevison 126 #1 Oliver vs. #2 Dodgen 132 #1 Hamilton vs. Small 138 #1 Langford vs. #2 Richard 145 #1 Richmond vs. #2 Freeman 152 #1 Dickerson vs. #6 Bennett 160 #1 Lopez vs. #6 Sells 170 #8 Crane vs. #2 Solomon 182 #1 West vs. #2 Henry 195 #1 Boykin vs. #2 Shropshire 220 #1 Satterfield vs. #2 Kramer 285 #1 Reagan vs. Podany (no seed) All predicted Champions are still eligible to win

138 Nick Patton beats Ezra Taylor of Cleveland by fall in 5:48 and then beats the #3 seed Austin Williamson of Soddy Daisy 5-4...will face Jake Sahutske next from Beech

Nevermind...it appears Bristol has the same area code as I searched in my phone.

Sounds like a great club to get involved in for any Region 1 wrestlers! Kudos to Coach Farrara in this new endeavor. Would be interesting to know why the '423' was chosen. I know that is the area code for Chattanooga if I am not mistaken? Regardless of the name this kind of involvement should be applauded and will only serve to make Tennessee wrestling better. Coach Knepper

My reasoning for predicting the top-6 the way I did: 1) That is how is see them placing. 2) This is where from my coaching experience (17 years of middle school - college) I believe they will place. I worded it 2 different ways just in case you didn't understand the first one. I listed the 7-12 wrestlers to show the matches I was considering...you can trace them back through the bracket if you wish. These are the guys I think have a GREAT chance of placing...it all depends on their preparation for the tournament. I will not sit here and degrade one wrestler or another. I happen to respect all of the wrestlers that you have mentioned over and over. On any given day, any man on the mat can win...period. Rankings do nothing to change that. It is still up to the individual to compete at a top level to achieve state placement. In 2009, I watched a #1 seed at 125 in a National Tournament who was up 14-1 in the 3rd period get spladled and pinned by the #32 seed with 30 seconds to go. It happens. ANYTHING can happen. Based on statistical analysis, in-depth research of individual matchups/records, and where I think each wrestler is (mentally/physically), I picked the way that I did. I picked 4 wrestlers from Beech to place at state from a team that just won Region 7. I don't think that is unreasonable. I will give you an insight on how I chose the 285 match, which can obviously go either way but that has been dominated by Reagan the last 2 years (going 5-1 in head-to-head). It is very hard to beat a very good wrestler 3 let alone 4 times in a row, especially in very close matches, which the last ended 7-5 Reagan. I know both of these guys VERY well and love and respect their abilities and who they are as young men. They know me personally and know that it isn't a slight on their abilities that I picked one over the other. I went with my gut and chose Podany (THIS TIME). Those that really know me know that I really don't care what you think about me or my opinion. I do, however, care deeply about the sport of wrestling, the competitors themselves, and the State of Tennessee and its wrestling community. Please stop arguing about A beat B who beat C who beat A. The past is history and all that really matters is what these extraordinary athletes (by every standard) will display to us as fans, coaches, and fellow competitors over the next 3 days.

I'm not really sure what a "collage coach" is...is that similar to a Photography Professor? The fact that you don't even know who I am and what I do doesn't give you much creedance in my book quite frankly. Simple questions sometimes receive simple answers.

I don't have to justify anything whatsoever actually. Thanks for your input. I have no personal grudge against anyone. We work with most if not all programs in the Mid Tenn area as is expected from collegiate programs. The Reagan vs Podany matchup Part VII if it were to indeed happen will be a great match and either one can win obviously...otherwise, just vote on State Champions.

Montgomery Central, Clarksville NE

Antioch, Millington Central, Brighton, Oakland, Shelbyville, Fairview

Page and Wilson Central

MTSU also has wrestlers from Blackman, Kingsbury, Southwind, Arlington, White House, McGavock, Ravenwood, Rossview, West Creek, Hardin Valley, East Stroudsburg PA, Eastside GA, and have had Dickson Co, Clarksville, Overton, Siegel, Greenback, Riverdale, Houston, Glencliff, Smyrna, Coffee Co, Father Ryan, Warren Co, Hillsboro, Germantown, St. Benedict at Auburndale, Tullahoma, Franklin, Lavergne, Lebanon, among many others. What is your point?