Nainten

Just want to point out that no one I spoke with from Arlington blamed the loss on the Ref's decision to call unsportsmanlike. Yeah it was bizarre at the moment -- although we've seen this type of call before -- but Brentwood forfeited heavyweight knowing they would win it on criteria. If Arlington had been one up (34-33) the heavyweight match would have been wrestled. At that point it, in my opinion, it would have been a toss up on who came out on top. Point being that, even had the penalty point not been awarded, BW could have still won that dual.

I mentioned early in the season after Black Horse that this team was going to be a handful for anyone to beat and the Brothers did not disappoint. "Great job" to all the coaches, seniors and parents who all contributed to this championship season.

I don't think Coach Simpson would have thrown in non-starters at 126-145 if he didn't have the winner of Brentwood and DB in the next round. I also don't think that he went into the dual with the intent to throw those kids in there. I think that he was hoping Lewis would pin at 195 ; the hwt would pull out the win; and that Canon would at least get bonus points. Once those three things did not happen he knew the only reason to continue was to get the rest of his wrestlers some matches, and why risk injury to starters when you have another big dual coming right up. I do agree the optics of it are not good, but it was all strategic. I feel pretty strongly that had this been in the finals or a regular season dual he would not have done it. OW basically said as much but I just wanted to add that I don't think this was the pre-determined plan going in. Had things gone differently through the first six weights I think he would have continued competing. That said, this is all speculation on my part.

For those wondering; Friday, February 2, 2018 (All times CST) 12:30 PM Gates Open 1:30 PM Weigh-Ins (All Divisions) 2:30 PM Coaches Meeting 3:00 PM AAA Round of 16 (Meets 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8) 5:00 PM Division II Championship Quarterfinals (Meets 1, 2, 3, 4) A-AA Championship Quarterfinals (Meets 1, 2, 3, 4) 7:00 PM AAA Championship Quarterfinals (Meets 9, 11, 13, 15) A-AA Championship Semifinals (Meets 5, 7) Division II Championship Semifinals (Meets 5, 7) Saturday, February 3, 2018 (All times CST) 6:45 AM Gates Open 7:30 AM Weigh-Ins (All Divisions) 9:00 AM AAA Round 1 Consolations (Meets 10, 12, 14, 16) A-AA Consolation Quarterfinals (Meets 6, 8) Division II Consolation Quarterfinals (Meets 6, 8) 11:00 AM AAA Round 2 Consolations (Meets 18, 19, 21, 22) A-AA Consolation Semifinals (Meets 9, 10) Division II Invitational Semifinals (Meets 1, 2) 1:00 PM AAA Championship Semifinals (Meets 17, 20) AAA Consolation Quarterfinals (Meets 23, 24) A-AA 3 rd and 4 th Place Meet (Meet 12) Division II Consolation Semifinals (Meets 9, 10) Division II Invitational 3 rd and 4 th Place (Meet 4) 3:00 PM AAA Consolation Semifinals (Meets 25, 26) Division II Invitational Championship (Meet 3) Division II 3 rd & 4 th Place (Meet 12) 5:30 PM AAA 3 rd & 4 th Place (Meet 27) AAA Championship (Meet 28) A-AA Championship (Meet 11) Division II Championship (Meet 11)

Everyone has Arlington into he semi's, it seems, but Blackman should not be overlooked. They won't give up any forfeits and while Arlington is very strong in the middle of lineup, they definitely could see themselves having to overcome 18-24 points in forfeits and pins from weak weight classes. I think they can do it but it's far from given. Blackman is a quality team. They have finished ahead of Arlington, Beech, Halls (twice), and I believe, Heritage at the Wildcat and BC tournaments this season. I can easily see them getting to the Semis.

Congrats to the two time AA champ.

I believe Houston beat out Bartlett for 2nd in region 8. Should be Arlington and Houston.

I share your opinion.

The implication is obviously the winner was lucky to win it. Next time don't expect the same outcome. It's a statement that speaks to the hope of a future rematch with a different result. In that sense I don't have a problem with it. If there is no chance for a rematch at some point then, yeah, you are just drowning in shoulda, woulda, coulda's.

Arlington was short two starters. Not sure what impact they would have had on the final outcome. Probably minimal.

Palmer is a beast...terminator...buzzsaw...(please feel free to add on)...

Thanks for that list. Just want to add that Antcliffe was at 170 for the Deep South Bayou Duals over Christmas. I'd be surprised if we see him at 182 again unless Coach Simpson is trying to match/juggle lineups in a dual.

KG, I approach rankings the same way. This is not a knock on Coach Hamm, but one has to approach it like a job in order to really do rankings the right way. To anyone holding down a day job this takes an inordinate amount of time and attention. In high school where so many wrestlers like Mann often wrestle up until the end of the season it becomes an even more difficult task. It's not realistic to expect one person to keep accurate track of all the wrestlers at all the weights all the time in all three divisions. It's just not a one man job. Despite that I think the Pin-TN rankings are great because they are generally on target, and they spur discussion and debate amongst fans. They also serve to motivate those wrestlers who just missed making the list. So I too take them with a grain of salt but I appreciate the job Coach Hamm does. I don't get hung up on the order. For instance, I thought Austin Antcliffe was one of the better wrestlers at 182 this year (even though he is wrestling up a weight much like Mann). I was wondering if he would be recognized at some point and sure enough he has popped up at #6 in the last version put out. Mission accomplished.

Yes. Robinson thumped Harrison twice at states last year so it was good to see that he learned from his mistakes. And I agree that despite going 2-3 on the day it was a good outing. It very easily could have been 3-2. The team took a major hit this week with a bug that is going through the squad. Left them ravaged for their dual with Christian Bros. Hopefully everyone will heal up before the Bayou Duals in a couple weeks. If they remain healthy the rest of the way they will be a tough out at states for everyone but Cleveland.

Want to give a quick shout out to Jack Lewis at 195 who went 5-0 this weekend at Cleveland Duals while racking up wins against three of the better bigs in the state ( Robinson (McCallie), Reynolds (Baylor), and Gibson (Bradley)). Way to go, Jack. Keep it up!

These are unofficial: Baylor 54 -- Arlington 15 McCallie 55 -- Arlington 20 Bradley 33 -- Arlington 32

Are results posting anywhere on-line?

Just get one of the parents to Periscope it. Works like a charm.

CBHS took the annual Blackhorse team title by outpacing Brother Martin 308 to 299.5 at Houston yesterday. Arlington (201) and Blackman (191) rounded out the top 4 but they were a distant 3rd and 4th as evidenced by the point totals. The Brothers did it on the strength of 4 champions (Bowers-132, Doty-182, Brackett-195, and Walthall-220) as well as 4 other wrestlers battling back to win their consolation brackets (Anthony-126, Brooks-145, Hodge-152, Healy-hwt). Dayne Dalrymple-106 made it into the finals but could not quite close it out. This is a really well rounded team with depth and top-end wrestlers at several weights. They are going to be the devil to beat in a dual.

Some strong squads scheduled to attend this one. Should make for some interesting early-season matches.

Thanks for posting this, Coach. Arlington looks strong as expected despite a smaller contingent. Kingsbury looks to have a strong bunch of beginners which bodes well for the future. Gotta feel good about that.

If I had to guess I think you will see Antcliffe start at 182 and end up at 170 by February. If he stays healthy and continues on his development he will give anyone who hopes to medal, fits. I expect as a junior he will be place somewhere in the top six at 170 this year.

Assuming we are talking dual meet strength, Arlington’s status as a top ten team is tenuous. It’s not because of talent. They have really good wrestlers coming back – I think 3-6 potential state placers -- but they have rarely been able to mat a full squad and they lost 5 starters to graduation from last year’s team. There’s no one to replace Moore (184 placer), Roaten (220 placer) and Metcalf (hwt), and they still lack a 106 lber. That’s a lot to overcome when you face top teams in duals. This is assuming everyone stays healthy. What are the chances of that? In individual tournaments they have 6-7 guys who can deep into tournaments and get big points, but in the dual meet format I just think they have too many holes to fill to compete against teams that can show up with 9-12 solid wrestlers. **To be clear...when I say they don't any to replace Moore, Metcalf, and Roaten, I don't mean literally. I mean they don't have someone close to the same caliber who can step right in.

Soooo...seems to me H.E is doing about as well or better than everyone dating back to Jim Morgan, no? Not sure what the (5) and other 5 are supposed to be but regardless his numbers look good versus his predecessors. If so can we realistically expect more from him given what he is working with? I think I am not with Ummmno on this one to simply say it's on the coach.

Cbg nailed it with his question," Idk what the expectations of the UTC adminstration are regarding the wrestling program." In my opinion it all begins and ends with what the university's expectations are. That covers coaching, facilities, scholarships, endowments, marketing, and fundraising. After that you need the right coach. If you have the first eventually you find the second. If you don't have the first then it won't matter who coaches.