slingshot

All I can say is that the loss to the Bears of Bradley Central must have really stung the IrishDad. Why else would a grown man treat another team with such disrespect? The Bears travelled 6 hrs. each way to face new competition, and came away with 4 wins and a championship. All that this guy can do is attempt to take away from their performance. I mean, where's the love? Your beloved Irish "gave them two pins due to injury"?? They can't hang with Franklin?? They've already met and defeated Franklin once and now they can't even hang? How about just one compliment old sport? Or at least something that isn't negative or insulting to the fine effort of my "Beloved Bears". Do you have it in you? C'mon, bite on a bullet or something and write something with a little class.

RegionX, Bradley's first trip to the West was actually in '93 when they travelled to Germantown for the State duals and finished Runner-up.

Demean them ? First check out a dictionary, then tell me exactly where I demeaned anyone.

I certainly didn't create this thread, so I can't tell you exactly what the author intended. But when I first read it, the image that came to mind was the kid who stuck it out through many years and hundreds of brutal wrestling practices, working each day toward his dreams, both during the season and year round. Fighting his teammates in practice, his weight and the sacrifice that our sport demands. Yet in the end, he falls short and must bear that disappointment. The kids who gave up the sport after their freshman years are probably good guys and were gifted athletes, but I choose not to think of them with the same admiration and empathy as those wrestlers who loved our sport above all others, stuck it out, paid the price, yet still fell short. True, the others never placed, but then again, they chose to never give themselves the chance to become a State placewinner. The others went down swinging.

Once again, Walkenvol implies that somehow Bradley is falling short in fully developing their wrestlers. This time, by letting them compete in the varsity spot they've earned rather than practicing with a teamate. ??? Several years ago, it was because they would not wrestle certain private schools, thus they just couldn't possibly get enough competition to make them tough. I'll bet Legman remembers those good old days. Let's see........13 State Titles in the last 14 years... M. Keller at U of Nebraska R. Blackmon at Ok. State Q. Gibson at UTC M. Creagan at Duke B. Blackmon at Ok. State M. Bailey at Cumb (Ky) S. Cordell at West Va. Hurry Walkenvol, hurry!! Help Coach Laxton save Bradley wrestling before it's too late!

Is it just me or does it seem awful quiet in Smyrna? Soms, you've always got plenty to say about your extreme confidence in your "picks" and that "gut" of yours. Don't tell me that walkenvol has had your number all along. You've been very quick to jump on the Franklin bandwagon, so thrill us with your take on the Cleveland Duals (and not all the same old "it's a long season, just wait" crap because there has certainly been no talk from you before about waiting). "Franklin is HERE and they ARE the team!!" Well ??................................................................................... (imagine the sound of crickets chirping in Smyrna)

"Bond is very tough on top and can ride just about anybody in the sport"?? Just about anybody in the SPORT?? Are you serious? Hey, let's give Bond his credit. He's pretty tough on top, but... How about the 3X State Champ from Penn.? How about the 2X All American from Great Bridge HS? How about the sectional champ from Calif.? Has he ridden those guys yet? Maybe he could travel down to UTC and ride Coach Brands, I mean, he's in the sport. When we exaggerate someones abilities, it tends to take away the credibility of all of your compliments. Let's let him ride his way through the Senior Natl's first and then make such a statement. I know you didn't mean any harm and were only trying to be complimentary, but claims of great ability should be reserved for those who have actually proven greatness against "anybody in the sport".

sorry about the repeat. Didn't read all of the earlier pages until after posting. Feel kinda stupid now. I'll try again later after I recover.

Shawshank Redemption. How about this one... "Buzzards gotta eat, same as the worms"

funny.......Bradley did "much more poorly" than Soms thought last year. 5 in the finals, 5 Champs, and 9 placewinners. In the last 3 years, probably had 16 or 17 in the State finals, with over 25 placewinners. Yet Soms feels that this team somehow let their retiring coach down?? I think Steve would argue that point with you. Smyrna's coach should be so lucky to have such a letdown. That's what teams do. While some fall short, others pick up the slack and are able to get those points back. It's called the reality of team sports. Their win last year was a dominating team win. Every guy on the team scored points and every wrestler and coach owns a piece of that trophy. They did not do "poorly".

A couple of guys from Bradley that come to mind are Jason Kazy from 1993(who , as a Senior was ruled too old by a week according to the old eligibility rules....he'd be eligible now) and Craig Bennett from 1999. Both of these guys were pretty dang good, yet never placed at the State Tournament.

Rabbit- The reason people "jump" you is because you seem incapable of complimenting your boy without insulting someone else. Your clear accusation is that Quinn is not good on his feet, but Kyle is a regular Cael Sanderson. Tell you what. You look quite a bit heavier than you were in high school. Bring your wrestling shoes to the challenge cup and we'll let you and Quinn go 25 or 30 takedowns. You'll quickly realize that Kyle is not the only local wrestler who can embarrass someone on their feet. See you there!

fwc, you seem very interested. What would you recommend? I have a feeling that whatever the process involves, it will be second guessed to no end. Give us your ideas.

Pokey, you make good points and even add a little humor. Ever think about stand-up comedy or at least a debate team?

A small herd of studs, but all near the same 2 weights... 25-30 yrs of wrestling experience tells Coach Connell that a State title is possible, but the herd must be seperated, so he does what he feels he has to do to maximize the teams chances. That's called being the Coach. Imagine for just a moment that young Manley, with his 2 state titles and OW award is able to defeat Marable who had no state titles to date. Very possible, huh? Now Spencer would be a three time champion and with just one of those earlier McCallie OT losses back, the big blue captures another team state title. (remember, we're imagining...) Now Coach Connell is the ultimate coach. He is the master field general leading his team to victory through pure coaching genious. Hindsight is 20/20 my friends. As each of you begin your post with "I would never doubt or second guess Coach Connell", that is exactly what you are doing as you ramble on about how you would have or will handle it differently in the future. Coach Connell is a good man and a great coach. He has been producing Champions since before 99% of us ever saw a wrestling mat. Coaching is difficult and often thankless. I'm quite sure that this has been harder on Coach Connell than most of you can understand. If you feel that you have all the answers, go back to school, get a teaching degree, find a job and a team to coach and ask Coach Connell for a dual meet. I'm sure he'll find you a spot on the schedule. In the mean-time, give the man a little respect. He's earned it.

Shotred52, I hate to quibble and point out the obvious, but it's hard for someone to take your obvious wrestling knowlege too seriously when you refer to the 2nd "round". Unless they were boxing, I'm quite sure that a person of your complete knowledge of our sport knows that it's actually the 1st, 2nd and 3rd periods. Just here to help. Please continue educating us.

Wrestleone, Do me a favor. Go back to page 3 of this thread and read Coach Moormans' post. Then go to page 4 and read the third post after his. Hey!! that's me ! Do you see the part where I'm appreciative of his post ? Do you sense the friendly nature of my post ? That's because I really respect his comments and the way he takes "the higher road"..... I'm a huge BRADLEY FAN !! Thanks for making my point for me. Folks like you assume what you would like to believe about others and then pass it off as fact. Don't pretend to know anything about Bradley wrestlers, fans or coaches until you truly know us. Success breeds contempt. We're actually a pretty nice bunch of people.

I can't help but sense the potential for some further Bradley/Cordell bashing. Before it possibly begins, let's clarify something. Shawn Cordell has wrestled the Tennessee State Tournament 4 years. During those 4 years, he owns a record of 19-1. He has never wrestled a single match in the consolations. He is a four time finalist He is a three time State Champion. That is what Champions do. They prepare, then compete, then wait to be critiqued by those who never approached their level of excellence. On past threads, he's been called lucky, a staller, over-rated, etc. What a pity. He's a great wrestler, kid and student and a great ambassador for our sport.

Coach Moorman, Well said. What a fine example for your present wrestlers and those you will coach in the future. While some folks choose to let their emotions get the better of them, you have chosen the higher road and instead decided to focus on the great accomplishment of your wrestler. Well done.

Congratulations to Coach Logsdon and the Bears from Bradley Central. Looks like they are turning up the heat for the trip to the "big dance". Also, a special Hats Off to Blake Tinsley for a job well done. See you in Chattanooga.

wtkvol, I don't have an axe to grind but one part of your summary seemed a little off to me, so I made a few phone calls. According to the match stats, Bradley actually won the battle of takedowns 16 to 14. And in the "lower weights" from 140 down where "Parkview was a little better on their feet", Bradley actually won that battle by a count of 14 takedowns to 4.! Other than that, I really enjoyed your accurate account of the match.

Thanks for the info, mom. However, it's not exactly a State tournament as you imply. In reality it is a relatively small tournament with only local TVAC teams participating. A State tournament would include wrestlers from Knoxville, Memphis, Nashville etc. This tournament is basically the 3 Cleveland area middle schools with a few private schools from Chattanooga. ...more of a "district" tournament, but just the same, very important to those participating. Good luck to all.

TennRanker and Messenger: Unity... Nothing can break down a program quicker than silly quibbling. Please end this before it rubs off on others. Years of hard work can be undone if there are divisions within a program. Now is not the time, so please......

NOT ONLY DID RYAN ENSMINGER BEAT THE #2 RANKED 135 IN THE STATE (HERBOLD), BUT HE ALSO DEFEATED MARK FULLER, WHO FINISHED 5TH IN THE STATE LAST YEAR, IN TWO STRAIGHT MATCHES.

THANKS FOR KEEPING THE HOME FOLKS UP TO DATE ON THE BEARS, SLY. HOPEFULLY, THE NEWS TOMORROW, WILL BE JUST AS GREAT. WHAT A TEAM!!!