Bearhugger's Barometer - School is Open

[Bearhugger]

School is starting up in many counties and the three R's have grown to five R's (Reading, wRiting, aRithmetic, wRestling and we need MORE aRithmetic).

All of you can expect an interesting wrestling season for 2018/2019. From the northern panhandle to the coalfields………….from the eastern panhandle to Little Detroit………….we are going to see the “greenest” wrestling teams in ten years. Maybe 20 to 30 years.

Now by green, I do not mean “environmentally correct”. I simply mean many schools have much less coming back from the previous season’s squad.

We have fewer returning state place winners than before.

We do not have a 2019 graduate seeking his fourth state title.

High school wrestling in WV will be rebuilding across the state.

This creates major opportunities for kids to come out of retirement and get back on the mat and with a greater chance than before……..get on the podium!

I doubt we will have a stellar group of freshmen come in like we did with the Class of 2020, but there will be plenty of opportunity for this season’s freshmen to make their mark.

[csmith11]

Would be interesting to see a year to year chart of how many seniors placed and how high they placed. I did just a quick check in aaa didn’t look at aa but last year aaa had 28 sr that placed and 2011 only year I checked to compare had 34 sr place. I’d guess that high 20s into the low 30s is about normal.

[coach_williams]

@csmith11 I didn't look back at previous years (I may later), but you bring up an interesting point. AA/A had a lot of senior placers this year.

AA/A had 39 seniors place.

Key points:
* 8 weight classes had a senior champion (120,126,152,160, 170, 182, 195, 220)
* Of those 8 weight classes, 5 had a senior runner-up (152, 160, 170, 182, 220)
* 152 had seniors as 5 of the 6 placers (soph Malik Cox, Greenbrier West was the only non-senior)
* 138 had 4 seniors place, but a Junior was the champ
* 160 had 4 seniors place
* 170, 182, 195 & 285 all had 3 senior placers

So in AA/A it looks like the upper half of weight classes it will be a free-for-all.

In contrast, the lower half of weight classes had a lot less senior placers.

* 106 had one senior place
* 113 had no seniors place
* 120, 126 and 132 each had 2 seniors place

So that is only 7 seniors and 2 senior champions in 5 of the 7 lower weight classes.

[Truesouthfaninhunt]

School is starting up in many counties and the three R's have grown to five R's (Reading, wRiting, aRithmetic, wRestling and we need MORE aRithmetic).

All of you can expect an interesting wrestling season for 2018/2019. From the northern panhandle to the coalfields………….from the eastern panhandle to Little Detroit………….we are going to see the “greenest” wrestling teams in ten years. Maybe 20 to 30 years.

Now by green, I do not mean “environmentally correct”. I simply mean many schools have much less coming back from the previous season’s squad.



We have fewer returning state place winners than before.

We do not have a 2019 graduate seeking his fourth state title.

High school wrestling in WV will be rebuilding across the state.

This creates major opportunities for kids to come out of retirement and get back on the mat and with a greater chance than before……..get on the podium!

I doubt we will have a stellar group of freshmen come in like we did with the Class of 2020, but there will be plenty of opportunity for this season’s freshmen to make their mark.

Aint no “ rebuilding” on the South Side.. reloading maybe.

[csmith11]

For keeping it even for comparing greenest years I’ll go back to 2011. Aa . I count 42 sr places. 9 champs. 8 runner ups. 6 all sr finals. 103 4th 112 4th 6th 119 1st,2nd,3rd 125 1st,2nd. 130 1st,4th 135 4th, 6th 140 1st, 2nd, 4th 145 1st, 2nd,4th, 5th, 6th 152 1st, 3rd, 4th 160 2nd, 4th 171 2nd, 3rd 189 1st,3rd, 4th 6th 215 all sr 285 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 6th. I bet if you dig through the years you will find quite a few years that had even more sr place.