AAA and DII State Recap

[PurpleWrestler]

2 minutes ago, durdon said:

Was it fair that the TSSAA was not going allow Bates and Horst to participate for Beech this year since the school they were at that was co-op with picked up wrestling this year?  You have 2 high level kids who want to wrestle at D1 level and forcing them to be part of a brand new team would have hurt their development.  Sorry but the TSSAA rules forced that transfer. 

It would have been next year, not this. And no, that wasn't fair either. I'm not putting this all on anyone, but to say that this is an even playing field, its not even close. But, lets be honest, they went to a school that did not have wrestling, and were allowed to wrestle for another school. Maybe the change to the rule should be to allow the kids that have already participated in sports with the other school, so simply transfer as a student to that school. Thus you handle all issues.

[SportsTNFan]

39 minutes ago, durdon said:

Bowers, Miller and Pace were the year before.  So there were 3 that year and there is a back story on all 3.  

This year there were only 2 transfers. 

Thanks for the clarification! 

[LBJ6]

21 minutes ago, durdon said:

Was it fair that the TSSAA was not going allow Bates and Horst to participate for Beech this year since the school they were at that was co-op with picked up wrestling this year?  You have 2 high level kids who want to wrestle at D1 level and forcing them to be part of a brand new team would have hurt their development.  Sorry but the TSSAA rules forced that transfer. 

I’m not sure where that info is coming from, but it is not true at all. Station Camp currently has no wrestling program, and has never had a wrestling program. The latest thing I heard is that a new school will be being built in the future, and no new sports programs will be added at least until after that school is up and running. It’s possible that Station Camp adds wrestling, but it will be at a minimum 2 years from now. Both wrestlers would be out of school by then. I don’t blame their parents for making the best decisions for their kids, but it was not forced by the TSSAA.

[mtnrasslin]

1 hour ago, PurpleWrestler said:

Wysong and Miller both sat out a year, so I really don't have an issue with their transfers. The Bowers family moved across the state for personal reasons. But the other 2 transfers should not have been allowed. This type of move, gives these boarding schools a huge advantage that no one else can compete with. That along with the recruiting they are doing, just is way over the top. They brought in 2 new transfers and 3 new out of state recruits to make sure they won a title. Well, it worked, congrats. But does not show anything more than money can buy you just about anything. Except manners. Some of the parents, one man in particular, in the way they were acting during the 170 finals was ridiculous.

 

Is the point here that an athlete should be punished for wanting to improve their opportunities both athletically and academically? It may come as a surprise to many on this board but there is much more to the decisions and sacrifices these families make than  only wrestling. If a school wants to compete then compete. Penalizing a kid because his family chooses to improve his educational opportunities is a pretty cheap way to do it. 

 Regarding the 170 match, it brought back memories of FR/Baylor matches of old- the name Provenzano rings a bell. If you believe that last night one side acted with exemplary sportsmanship, both on and off the mat, while the other one did not, you are mistaken. 

Edited February 17, 2019 by mtnrasslin

[SportsTNFan]

23 minutes ago, mtnrasslin said:

Is the point here that an athlete should be punished for wanting to improve their opportunities both athletically and academically? It may come as a surprise to many on this board but there is much more to the decisions and sacrifices these families make than  only wrestling. If a school wants to compete then compete. Penalizing a kid because his family chooses to improve his educational opportunities is a pretty cheap way to do it. 

 Regarding the 170 match, it brought back memories of FR/Baylor matches of old- the name Provenzano rings a bell. If you believe that last night one side acted with exemplary sportsmanship, both on and off the mat, while the other one did not, you are mistaken. 

 

I remember that match very well and also remember the Ryan staff repainting two bathroom stalls after the racist comments and drawings were made by a Baylor fan or wrestler after the match. It was not a good moment for the school or the sport of wrestling in the State of Tennessee, but a lot of teaching moments off the mat on issues that we face in society by a small population of ignorant people. 

Edited February 17, 2019 by FRHSIrishVol

[mtnrasslin]

13 minutes ago, FRHSIrishVol said:

 

I remember that match very well and also remember the Ryan staff repainting two bathroom stalls after the racist comments and drawings were made by a Baylor fan or wrestler after the match. It was not a good moment for the school or the sport of wrestling in the State of Tennessee, but a lot of teaching moments off the mat on issues that we face in society by a small population of ignorant people. 

That's  a pretty creative and selective memory.

[cobrakid8]

1 hour ago, mtnrasslin said:

Is the point here that an athlete should be punished for wanting to improve their opportunities both athletically and academically? It may come as a surprise to many on this board but there is much more to the decisions and sacrifices these families make than  only wrestling. If a school wants to compete then compete. Penalizing a kid because his family chooses to improve his educational opportunities is a pretty cheap way to do it. 

 Regarding the 170 match, it brought back memories of FR/Baylor matches of old- the name Provenzano rings a bell. If you believe that last night one side acted with exemplary sportsmanship, both on and off the mat, while the other one did not, you are mistaken. 

He can improve his educational opportunities, but let's not even try to paint it that way because if it was wrestling wouldn't be in the picture! If it's for academics sit out the year to wrestle and there is no issues, if it's for wrestling come out and say it, I was a teacher and spent my time in both public and private, I had kids in public school that would whip private school kids academically, you usually get out academically what you put in no matter where or what school, but let's not pretend most of these were academic reasons. Now as for their school picking up wrestling I tried to look that up and didn't see it, although even a new program can do well, I don't see that as a reason to leave a school, heck I remember a wrestler at Lookout Valley that had NO other wrestlers and so he traveled to practice with Soddy Daisy and became a 2 timer and yet still wrestled under the Lookout Valley name, good wrestlers can come from anywhere. 

[JSamson7]

40 minutes ago, cobrakid8 said:

He can improve his educational opportunities, but let's not even try to paint it that way because if it was wrestling wouldn't be in the picture! If it's for academics sit out the year to wrestle and there is no issues, if it's for wrestling come out and say it, I was a teacher and spent my time in both public and private, I had kids in public school that would whip private school kids academically, you usually get out academically what you put in no matter where or what school, but let's not pretend most of these were academic reasons. Now as for their school picking up wrestling I tried to look that up and didn't see it, although even a new program can do well, I don't see that as a reason to leave a school, heck I remember a wrestler at Lookout Valley that had NO other wrestlers and so he traveled to practice with Soddy Daisy and became a 2 timer and yet still wrestled under the Lookout Valley name, good wrestlers can come from anywhere. 

Tim Voiles

[mtnrasslin]

30 minutes ago, cobrakid8 said:

He can improve his educational opportunities, but let's not even try to paint it that way because if it was wrestling wouldn't be in the picture! If it's for academics sit out the year to wrestle and there is no issues, if it's for wrestling come out and say it, I was a teacher and spent my time in both public and private, I had kids in public school that would whip private school kids academically, you usually get out academically what you put in no matter where or what school, but let's not pretend most of these were academic reasons. Now as for their school picking up wrestling I tried to look that up and didn't see it, although even a new program can do well, I don't see that as a reason to leave a school, heck I remember a wrestler at Lookout Valley that had NO other wrestlers and so he traveled to practice with Soddy Daisy and became a 2 timer and yet still wrestled under the Lookout Valley name, good wrestlers can come from anywhere. 

There is no doubt there are brilliant kids in public school doing amazing things academically. They've made choices and are excelling within those choices. However, at the same time, there are a lot of people making the choice to pay a lot of money for the perceived academic benefits of these private schools. If those benefits aren't there then a lot of people are wasting significant amounts of money. Either way, if a family believes there is value in attending these schools, and they happen to have a kid who dreams of college athletics, are you saying that the kid should have to give up a year of eligibility, thereby jeopardizing their college athletic opportunities, in order to transfer to the school of their choice? Other than Ad's and coaches who want to minimize competition I don't see how that benefits anyone, particularly the kids. 

[greendoor]

A great recap. Then magically another thread was transformed into a "transfer" discussion. The horse is dead, please stop beating it.

[bestsport]

3 hours ago, ScottOsters said:

What happened after the Reiniche match was shameful.  On the mat the match was a bit chippy. The Father Ryan wrestler was called for a head butt, and both wrestlers were very aggressive up high.

Reiniche won the hard fought match handily with takedowns, and the championship was well deserved.

His actions and reactions after the match were well below championship caliber, and should have been addressed right there on the mat. The sportsmanship was abhorrent. He made a veiled attempt to shake the opposing coaches hands by forcefully slapping at their forearms. A proper handshake was never offered whatsoever.  Baylor coach Nelson corrected him...he turned back, offered a half-hearted handshake, then turned and taunted opposing fans and alumni near the mat exit.

I wish him all the best and continued success at Cornell, including some lessons in discipline, respect and decorum. I'm sure he's a better man than evidenced by last night's post-match display.

First let me state I am Mason's Dad, and my perspective is obviously biased without trying. I do not know Parker Peterson at all. I couldn't tell you what kind of a young man he is....good or bad. However, I can say that during competition especially one that gets heated to the point referee(s) lose control, an athlete, coach and fan can get caught up in the situation and act/react in unfavorable ways and be judged by others only on those actions.

Last nights finals match was one of those matches. Both Mason and Parker appeared to get caught up in the moment and lose sight of what they were there to do...….and that's Wrestle. Parker appeared to be going backwards and/or circling the edge of the mat the entire 1st period. This of course got the Baylor fans excited and wanting a stalling caution. The strategy/style frustrated Mason of course because in his mind he had predetermined the outcome with him getting the early fall and ending his final High School State Tournament on a good note. The first head butt (rather intentional or incidental) really got the Baylor Fans going. And from the stands (which is where I sat) it honestly looked pretty bad. I could tell Mason seemed dazed and could only hope he keep himself in check on focus on the big picture. Unfortunately he had a momentary lapse and offered up a little shove at the end of the period to let Parker know who be was on the mat with. This in turn simply added fuel to the fire and got the Father Ryan faithful up in arms.

From here it just continued to escalate with (in my opinion) more brawling than wrestling. I'm all for hard hand fighting and aggressive wrestling to gain favorable position for a scoring opportunity. However, I didn't see really many attempts by parker to score only banging to keep Mason off balance and not in a good position to score. On the flip side Mason played into it and banged back trying to dig an underhook or utilize a hard snap, but not follow it up with solid leg attacks. Unfortunately for Mason he came out on the losing end of the brawl and suffered a couple more hard shots to face/head. Enough of them I feared the ref was going to stop the match due to Mason not fit to continue. This outcome would have most definitely been a tragic end to pretty darn good high school career.

Mason being hit with a stall call when working from top while parker smartly controlled his hands, again grew frustrated in addition to being dazed from repeated blows to the head/face, and determined against his coaches instructions (which were to simply ride him out and finish the match and limit the opportunity for more blows to the head) that he was going to let parker up and take him down. He did that, and got that crowd (both sides) more fired up.

The match ended and the score was 10-2 in favor of Mason. Neither Mason or Parker were happy with the results. I personally didn't see either wrestler do any gestures or unsportsmanlike actions after the match. I observed Mason recognize his cheering fans in an appreciative manner and give the freight train horn tug (that all of the Baylor finalists had done). I certainly observed him go shake Pat Simpsons hand as well as the other coaches. Now, I am uncertain if Coach Ben Nelson didn't see the original handshake or just didn't think one was enough but he made Mason go shake their hands again. I did notice Mason did not shake Parkers hand again as he offered one up as they exited the mat.

What happens next is a blur to me. I watched Mason leave the mat and go toward the fence where he was abruptly stopped by someone (which I was told later was a brother of an MBA wrestler...I wont name them), and that person blurted out derogatory comments directly at and to Mason along with some other dissatisfied fans including one on the Father Ryan coaching staff (not the two in the corner). This is when Mason reacted and completely lost control and had to be escorted back to refs lounge by another member of Baylor's coaching staff. I missed a lot of this as I was in the process of leaving my seat in the stands to get down there to be at my son's side and eliminate any further reactions.

Upon my arrival in the refs lounge, Mason was lying on his back. The bridge of his nose was bloody with tape on it, his cheek bone was cut and bleeding, and mouth was full of blood making all of his front teeth red. He was distraught and utterly confused as to why and how so many people hated him. He couldn't comprehend that grown individuals could be so hostile hanging over the railing yelling out awful things (things that I cannot repeat here) especially from a coach that he thought liked/respected him.

The saddest thing for me is I had no good response for him. There is not a good response to that question. Somebody else commented that the late Coach Jim Morgan wouldn't have tolerated his wrestler acting in such unsportsmanlike manner is correct, and neither would Coach Ben Nelson or any other Baylor coach on the staff. I personally don't think either Mason or Parker demonstrated unsportsmanlike manners while on the mat. I honestly don't think ill of Parker either. I truly think he simply had a game plan to survive against Mason early and still be there at the end with a chance to win. His strategy did come across as stalling for sure, and his aggressiveness did lend to pretty severe blows to Mason's head.

Its unfortunate and Mason most certainly did not want this experience for his last showing at the Tennessee State Tournament where he is a 5 time finalist and 3 time Champion. I hope and will do my best to turn this weird and terribly unfortunate incident into a positive learning experience for Mason moving forward.

And ScottOsters, I am absolutely positive that is exactly what Coach Jim Morgan would want!! 

[SportsTNFan]

28 minutes ago, bestsport said:

First let me state I am Mason's Dad, and my perspective is obviously biased without trying. I do not know Parker Peterson at all. I couldn't tell you what kind of a young man he is....good or bad. However, I can say that during competition especially one that gets heated to the point referee(s) lose control, an athlete, coach and fan can get caught up in the situation and act/react in unfavorable ways and be judged by others only on those actions.

Last nights finals match was one of those matches. Both Mason and Parker appeared to get caught up in the moment and lose sight of what they were there to do...….and that's Wrestle. Parker appeared to be going backwards and/or circling the edge of the mat the entire 1st period. This of course got the Baylor fans excited and wanting a stalling caution. The strategy/style frustrated Mason of course because in his mind he had predetermined the outcome with him getting the early fall and ending his final High School State Tournament on a good note. The first head butt (rather intentional or incidental) really got the Baylor Fans going. And from the stands (which is where I sat) it honestly looked pretty bad. I could tell Mason seemed dazed and could only hope he keep himself in check on focus on the big picture. Unfortunately he had a momentary lapse and offered up a little shove at the end of the period to let Parker know who be was on the mat with. This in turn simply added fuel to the fire and got the Father Ryan faithful up in arms.

From here it just continued to escalate with (in my opinion) more brawling than wrestling. I'm all for hard hand fighting and aggressive wrestling to gain favorable position for a scoring opportunity. However, I didn't see really many attempts by parker to score only banging to keep Mason off balance and not in a good position to score. On the flip side Mason played into it and banged back trying to dig an underhook or utilize a hard snap, but not follow it up with solid leg attacks. Unfortunately for Mason he came out on the losing end of the brawl and suffered a couple more hard shots to face/head. Enough of them I feared the ref was going to stop the match due to Mason not fit to continue. This outcome would have most definitely been a tragic end to pretty darn good high school career.

Mason being hit with a stall call when working from top while parker smartly controlled his hands, again grew frustrated in addition to being dazed from repeated blows to the head/face, and determined against his coaches instructions (which were to simply ride him out and finish the match and limit the opportunity for more blows to the head) that he was going to let parker up and take him down. He did that, and got that crowd (both sides) more fired up.

The match ended and the score was 10-2 in favor of Mason. Neither Mason or Parker were happy with the results. I personally didn't see either wrestler do any gestures or unsportsmanlike actions after the match. I observed Mason recognize his cheering fans in an appreciative manner and give the freight train horn tug (that all of the Baylor finalists had done). I certainly observed him go shake Pat Simpsons hand as well as the other coaches. Now, I am uncertain if Coach Ben Nelson didn't see the original handshake or just didn't think one was enough but he made Mason go shake their hands again. I did notice Mason did not shake Parkers hand again as he offered one up as they exited the mat.

What happens next is a blur to me. I watched Mason leave the mat and go toward the fence where he was abruptly stopped by someone (which I was told later was a brother of an MBA wrestler...I wont name them), and that person blurted out derogatory comments directly at and to Mason along with some other dissatisfied fans including one on the Father Ryan coaching staff (not the two in the corner). This is when Mason reacted and completely lost control and had to be escorted back to refs lounge by another member of Baylor's coaching staff. I missed a lot of this as I was in the process of leaving my seat in the stands to get down there to be at my son's side and eliminate any further reactions.

Upon my arrival in the refs lounge, Mason was lying on his back. The bridge of his nose was bloody with tape on it, his cheek bone was cut and bleeding, and mouth was full of blood making all of his front teeth red. He was distraught and utterly confused as to why and how so many people hated him. He couldn't comprehend that grown individuals could be so hostile hanging over the railing yelling out awful things (things that I cannot repeat here) especially from a coach that he thought liked/respected him.

The saddest thing for me is I had no good response for him. There is not a good response to that question. Somebody else commented that the late Coach Jim Morgan wouldn't have tolerated his wrestler acting in such unsportsmanlike manner is correct, and neither would Coach Ben Nelson or any other Baylor coach on the staff. I personally don't think either Mason or Parker demonstrated unsportsmanlike manners while on the mat. I honestly don't think ill of Parker either. I truly think he simply had a game plan to survive against Mason early and still be there at the end with a chance to win. His strategy did come across as stalling for sure, and his aggressiveness did lend to pretty severe blows to Mason's head.

Its unfortunate and Mason most certainly did not want this experience for his last showing at the Tennessee State Tournament where he is a 5 time finalist and 3 time Champion. I hope and will do my best to turn this weird and terribly unfortunate incident into a positive learning experience for Mason moving forward.

And ScottOsters, I am absolutely positive that is exactly what Coach Jim Morgan would want!! 

Thanks for the post!

Congrats to Mason and the Reiniche family on an outstanding career! 

Best of luck at the next level representing the State of Tennessee!