texas23

5 minutes ago, dwymer said:

How was this in any way a helpful comment? 

I was not trying to be "helpful", I was providing my observation of the event.

I am not sure about the hype part of this event.  I would probably pass on attending as a spectator.

1 hour ago, Ummmno said:

Nobody is questioning Cleveland's greatness. Nobody is questioning their willingness to wrestle anywhere. Nobody is questioning they have the best coaching staff top to bottom. Nobody is questioning their work ethic. 

 

All anybody is saying is that money plays a part in all of those points. 

Someone actually did question their willingness to wrestle anywhere,   Someone actually did question the work ethic as well, saying Knox was not engaged at the kid clubs, tournaments, etc. 

Seems like many of you think that money is the driver and not really the coaching.  Clearly, most any coach could take over a program and just put it on auto pilot.  However, in my observation, Cleveland made a strategic decision to start a kid club that ended up being named Higher Calling by Heath Eslinger.  That school and Alan Jones decided to hire Heath as the Head Coach and bring a method to how they could reload every year with a feeder program backed up with the kids club to help the Cleveland middle school.  It took time to put this strategy in place and start seeing results.  I think the plan was something like six years.  Did it take money, sure, but it took a plan too.  It took coaches to buy in and execute the strategy and the daily tactics of teaching kids.

Imagine where the Cleveland brain trust saw the blueprint for this.  All they had to do was look across town to see what was working.  It is not the money guys, it is the vision, with the execution.  Coach Phillips made this happen, Coach Yost made this happen and Bosken and Knox and even Coach Miller.  

The strategy does not work without the right decisions on who the coach is.  Knox deserves credit and so does Yost.  There is no auto pilot or cruise control on that ship.  Not over the time frame we have watched.  If it was one year and studs did not graduate, sure, but their run is beyond that, at least in my view.

Shoot, Soddy Daisy was a machine and somehow it got foul up and missed an oil change.  

Good thread discussion, just opinions being thrown around.  

41 minutes ago, cowcatcherII said:

Why didn't they wrestle Baylor last year? 

Why did they wrestle Father Ryan?  did they have a pulse?

9 hours ago, BobCorker said:

Now they admittedly never wrestle anyone with a pulse during the season; I suspect this is to protect their brand.

LOL.....really?

I guess we should stop saying "I was on the wrestling team".

That is an interesting manifesto, great first post under that screen name.

19 hours ago, cbg said:

In my youth teenage boys would fight and someone would get a bloody nose and maybe the occasional broken nose.  I stand by my statement that most of todays parents are helicopter parents and the result is kids are not allowed to make mistakes and settle their personal issues with friends while growing up.  Hovering adults are truly ruining todays kids.  

I think we are talking about two different things here.  

I am speaking of this particular match.  

I do wonder what mistake the wrestler made, the one that was on the receiving end of the sucker punch. 

this was not even close to what you describe, at least in my view.  

3 hours ago, cbg said:

1.  That was a horrific act of a wrestler being a coward in defeat.

2.  Was the lady on the mat a certified athletic trainer or mother?  Moms and dads have no business on the mat, court, field, ect... unless it is a terrible injury, and they are summoned by the official or coach to go to the mat.  Today's parents are much too involved and need to learn how to stay in the bleachers.  The officials and coaches know how to handle the problems.

I disagree with point two in this case.  The injury was a broken nose, but I think that was determined later.  

If the business model continues to work for each of these schools, then they will continue to do it.  If part of the business model is to not pay the significant portion of aid (like a 5th grader with potential) and to instead recruit (not a bad word, really) the 5th grader when they become an 8th or 9th grader that is now developed, well then that seems to be pretty financially smart!

The answer is:

Bryant Blackmon

· 2004 State Champion at Bradley under the Godfather, Steve Logsdon, finished 2nd in 2003

· Brings head coaching experience from serving as the head coach at Ooltewah HS and Greenback HS

· Wrestled with his brother, Rusty, at Oklahoma State for a year under legendary Cowboy coach John Smith on the 2005 National Championship team

· Spent time as an assistant at Walker Valley HS and most recently under Ben Smith at Bradley

If girls wrestling is anything like this back and forth, no one will watch it.  I would not pay to see it.

what perspective are they missing over the last 12 years?  

53 minutes ago, Raiders7398 said:

Except for Chad Laxton, Bradley has historically hired from the "Bear Family". If they stay in the family, then I would look at the following.

Bryant Blackman-Current Bradley Assistant

Alan Morris- Current Head Coach of Walker Valley

Heath Eslinger- Founder of "A Better Way" 

Shawn Cordell

Andy Morris- Current Assistant Coach of Walker Valley

Al Morris-Current Athletic Director of Cleveland High School

Adam Rains-Current Assistant Coach of Walker Valley

 

 

Tuner Jackson was not a Bradley person when hired.  Basically, 3 coaches since Turner and two were from Bradley.  

seems like Pete was second to Cleveland this year anyway.  

3 hours ago, cobrakid8 said:

some of the older McCallie and Baylor teams would have to be in consideration. I know Father Ryan and Christian Brothers have had some lineups also where not 1 of their wrestlers was a dud.  Maybe a few of the Bradley lineups in the 90's early 2000's and some really good Cleveland one's to be considered also. 

 

Very interesting question rideout

 

1993- McCallie was loaded. won against Bradley in finals with 9 of 13 weights 40-20. Team had Levitt and Wunderlich

for public schools that 1997 Overton squad who beat Father Ryan in finals was stacked: Casey Brewer, William Hadden, Tim Drinkwine, Brian Larimer, Clyde Clemons, Ethan Elzen, Eric Jordan, Derrick Jordan.  That was a good FR team and they ripped them pretty well 32-19

 

Casey Brewer = Brewster?

13 minutes ago, noonesfool said:

Texas, good to see you active again these days.How things change, when I started wrestling in Illinois in 1965 in the 6th grade you could apply pressure on a wing, drive a man’s head into the mat as long as your knee touched first, no headgears and riding time in HS. 
Today’s concussion protocols, safety rules that highly limit certain moves and a litigant society removes a lot of the discussion. I’m with you …. Cowardly? Having over a dozen concussions myself, I wished I had shown more thoughtfulness or as some call it…cowardlyness.

Hey, thanks for the shout out.  I was just kind of standing in the shadows and reading the posts.   The rules have changed and it is taken out of the wrestlers choice for continuing or not.  Cowardly, is a funny way to describe a high school wrestler that has already put themselves out there for the competition.   That is why I was laughing out loud when I read it!  

1 hour ago, 3rdperiod said:

Not calling the kid names.  It was a cowardly act, if you are not hurt.  I was sitting right behind the bench and he was clearly fine.  The fact that he wrestled the next match against Bradley (and won) proves it.  Its a bad rule.  If you have to injury default you should have to sit out the next match IMO.  Either way it came and bit him and Central later on.  Poetic Justice BAby!

Cowardly......lol.  really?  

55 minutes ago, Bump11 said:

Cleveland vs Bradley again. (yawn)

Get better, yawn.

2 hours ago, Ummmno said:

Yeah, thats it and thats the only reason. No other coaches care about their programs as much as Cleveland. 

 

No other rea$son$ at all. 

Maybe the weakest argument in a long time.  The dollar signs are cute though.

1 hour ago, PackMentality said:

Agreed on the atmosphere.  Just amazing for a high school match. Bradley may be able to flip 220 and HWT but those are probably the only ones.  One issue is that Bradley’s 3 hammers typically get them 18 points against most teams but against Cleveland they only got 11 last night.  Barring  Cleveland injuries, everything would have to go perfect for Bradley to get the upset … but that’s why they wrestle the matches.

195 could easily gone the other way too and could be flipped, based on what I watched.

Maybe the coaches that voted looked at a common opponent they have had (Bradley) and changed their vote based on those outcomes.  There is no science here.

It is not the coach.  Chattanooga is not going to attract the talent to compete with the powerhouse schools.  National champ J. Leen did not choose Chattanooga and he went to school at Baylor.  Unless his dad coached that team, no way he goes to UTC.  I am not sure how funding is going to attract the talent either.  It will help run the program, but great kids are not setting the bar at UTC to complete their dreams.  

And Ghouse is right,  set the metrics and measure.  The one win that was earned was UTC guy beating someone seeded above him.  

7 hours ago, Ummmno said:

Imagine if he won. Then it gets back that he cheated and wrestled a weight he wasn't allowed to wrestle. That looks bad on Cleveland and TN wrestling as a whole. He knew what he was doing. We just got lucky he went 1-2.

I feel lucky.