Takedown Report

High School News (2021) – # 6

TDR Editor’s Notes ; While high school wrestling has not started in North Carolina it has begun in many other states with modifications. Some of those modifications, adjustments and challenges are detailed in the articles below from the far west of Montana & Colorado, the south of Louisianna & Georgia to the east in Virginia and Pennsylvania and northward to Illinois & Ohio. Yet these stories apply to adjustments in other states. According to W.I.N. Magazine (an excellant resource) 29 of the 49 states with sanctioned scholastic championships will still be held in February and March. IN some states wrestling will not start until March while a few have cancelled a season or have completed their season. Will have numbers on each of them by our next posting of High School News. Keep on Wrestling! E-mail us at the Editor’s office at martinkfleming@gmail.com
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1 } – (Montana) Family ties: Wrestling captivates Billings West father, son, daughter
BILLINGS — Dividends are coming to fruition for Billings West wrestling coach Jeremy Hernandez. He said his Bears have seen a lot of progress in the past 10-12 years and that more than 50 wrestlers are out this season, a high mark for the Bears that includes a pair of state champs. One of the newest faces is also one of the most dominant: freshman Keyan Hernandez, a chip off the old block and, according to dad, even more tenacious. “He’s a Tazmanian Devil. He’s a lot tougher than I am,” Jeremy Hernandez told MTN Sports. “He has a gas tank, he just goes and goes and goes. He’s pretty technical and when he’s got to get funky, he’ll do some pretty crazy things. He’d have pinned me when I was a freshman.” Keyan showcased that gas tank opening his high school career earlier this month with a pair of pins over opponents from Bozeman High and Bozeman Gallatin in the 103-pound weight class. And he hasn’t lost yet with a 6-0 record, including five pins and a technical fall. … rest of story at _{^{https://www.montanasports.com/high-school-sports/wrestling/family-ties-wrestling-captivates-father-son-daughter?mc_cid=4ec9be6c16&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b}}

2 } – Making Sense of Wrestling’s Unwritten Rules
On Monday night, Major League Baseball and one of its endless list of unwritten rules were the talk of the sporting world when the San Diego Padres slaughtered the Texas Rangers. One of the games brightest young stars, Fernando Tatis Jr., was up to bat for San Diego in the eighth inning with the bases loaded and the Padres holding a seven-run lead. Tatis hit a grand slam after swinging on a 3-0 count, which angered the Rangers bench and considered a faux-pas by some baseball purists. The chatter carried into Tuesday and plenty of baseball players and writers weighed in on the situations, with many supporting the Padres superstar. 
All this discussion led me to wonder, what are some of wrestling’s “unwritten rules”. I turned to Twitter for some help and received a ton of great feedback. You touched on a variety of topics and brought up some issues that I would never have considered on my own. I’ve listed some of the tweets and given some real-life examples of these situations and/or my opinions on them. A few seem like no-brainers to me. Others have a lot of gray-area, like some of baseball’s unwritten rules. … rest of story at _{^{https://news.theopenmat.com/high-school-wrestling/making-sense-of-wrestlings-unwritten-rules/78738?mc_cid=27a5988c78&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b}}

3 } – (Ohio) Quarantines, opt-outs among the issues for wrestling teams adapting to COVID-19
‘Frustrating’ season keeps churning on as pandemic doesn’t relent
Change, it is everywhere. Like basketball, wrestling hasn’t been spared from COVID-19. Quarantines have shortened rosters and canceled matches, sometimes with little or no warning. Many teams have resorted to dual matches and dual tournaments, rather than larger invitationals. Athletes have opted out of competition due to safety concerns.
Yet, programs have tried their best to stay the course. Established Muskingum Valley League programs like New Lexington, Sheridan and Tri-Valley continue to enjoy plenty of success — the Panthers just secured their 25th MVL title — even as their usually rugged tournament schedules have been limited compared to past seasons. And that didn’t come easy for coach David Ratliff’s squad. … rest of story at _{^{https://www.zanesvilletimesrecorder.com/story/sports/2021/01/26/high-school-wrestling-teams-adapting-covid-19-changes/4161737001/?mc_cid=348fe62197&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b}}

4 } – (Louisiana) New Orleans area wrestling coaches say suspension of regular season could have been avoided
This all could have been avoided. That was the feeling Brother Martin wrestling coach Andrew Nicola had when he learned about the LSHAA decision Tuesday to suspend the high school wrestling season for close to five weeks. The suspension wipes out the rest of the regular season for teams. Nicola, whose team competed Jan. 15-16 at the Louisiana Classic tournament that the Louisiana Department of Heath said was the source of a COVID-19 outbreak, said he told organizers more than once that they needed to do something about the number of unmasked people at the Lamar-Dixon Expo Center in Gonzales. Nicola said the reminder announcements over the public address system were not good enough — that too many people did not follow what was being said. “Things were not handled correctly at the Classic,” Nicola said. “I told them they needed to fix it, and there was nothing done. That frustrates me beyond measure.” … rest of story at _{^{https://www.nola.com/sports/high_schools/article_8e491480-604b-11eb-b44f-87abf639f506.html?mc_cid=348fe62197&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b}}

5 } – (Montana) Havre’s Orion Thivierge weighs wrestling success with future goals
HAVRE — After winning a state championship at 160 pounds last season, Havre wrestler Orion Thivierge has already achieved one of his athletic goals. But as the Blue Pony junior will tell you, that doesn’t make future goals any easier to decide. A college career in wrestling would seem obvious until it’s not. “It was a dream come true, really,” Thivierge said of his first state tile. “It was awesome having all the fans there, and looking back it was a great experience.”
It was also a great experience for Thivierge’s dad, Tyson, who knows a thing or two about wrestling as the head coach down the street at MSU-Northern. “He helps me a lot. It’s nice to have him at home kind of just talk about stuff and fix little mistakes with him,” Orion said. “It’s really nice having him.”
But between their busy schedules, Tyson hardly ever actually sees his son wrestle. And this year, the State A wrestling tournament is scheduled at the same time as the NAIA nationals, so Tyson won’t catch Orion’s attempt at a state repeat. … rest of story at _{^{https://www.montanasports.com/high-school-sports/wrestling/havres-orion-thivierge-weighs-wrestling-success-with-future-goals?mc_cid=bf1f14c6db&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b}}

6 } – (Colorado) High School Insider: Strickenberger making most of opportunities
Jett Strickenberger has a lot of energy. And the wrestling mat is the perfect place for him to release that energy.  “I just get out on the mat and let it fly,” he said. “Wrestling is my escape and I just enjoy the opportunity to go out there and wrestle my hardest and see what happens no matter who it’s against. A lot of people, they study their opponent, they watch film. I don’t do any of that. I just wrestle my hardest and see what happens.” Strickenberger, from Colorado Springs, CO, is ranked eighth in the nation at 120 pounds by Trackwrestling. To say he has been on fire of late is an understatement.  He went 6-0 at the Tyrant Duals in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina on January 10, outscoring five opponents by the score of 60-16 and winning another by injury default.  In December, Strickenberger went 5-0 at the Christmas Sparty All-Star High School Duals in Wisconsin Dells, WI. That included a 5-3 win over 16th-ranked Christian Nobles (Minnesota) and a pin at 48 seconds over Reid Nelson (Minnesota), a University of Arkansas at Little Rock recruit.  In October, Strickenberger was named Outstanding Wrestler of the boys’ division of the Brian Keck Memorial Preseason Nationals in Des Moines, highlighted by a 3-2 win over third-ranked Joey Cruz of California at 120. … rest of story at _{^{https://www.trackwrestling.com/PortalPost.jsp?TIM=1611895063381&twSessionId=bjcjpwztut&postId=1009057135&mc_cid=8a92ee7e2c&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b}}

7 } – Mom & Dad: the heroes of wrestling
By Dr. William Welker, EdD
Wrestlers! If you haven’t realized it yet, don’t ever forget the emotional plight of your parents. It has been said many times that “Behind every successful man there stands a woman.” Let me take this one step “on-the-mat” further. “Behind every successful wrestler there stands totally-involved parents.” Moms and dads are the unheralded stalwarts of the mat sport. For wrestling parents, there is no greater thrill than to see their son or daughter win by a fall. There is also a heartrending down side as they witness their child (sometimes with tears in his or her eyes), being pinned or losing an important match at the buzzer. Because wrestling is such an extremely physical, one-on-one sport, parents tend to become quite stressed during competition, knowing their son or daughter must stand alone on the mat. But a parent’s personal ordeal doesn’t end at the conclusion of their off-spring’s matches. … rest of story at _{^{https://www.win-magazine.com/2021/01/28/mom-dad-the-heroes-of-wrestling/?mc_cid=8a92ee7e2c&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b#utm_source=feedly&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=mom-dad-the-heroes-of-wrestling}}

8 } – (Penna.) Double-amputee wrestler Deven Jackson not phased on journey to West Perry record books
ELLIOTTSBURG, Pa. (WHTM) — West Perry High School wrestler Deven Jackson has never heard of adversity. At least, he doesn’t act like it. The junior, coming off a fourth-place finish at the PIAA state wrestling championships in 2020, is a double-amputee. He had both of his legs amputated after battling bacterial meningitis at just eight years old. After giving up football, the game he loved, he turned his full attention to wrestling. “That’s one sport I can do, and no one else can take it away from me,” he said. Deven isn’t letting anybody take anything from him on the mats. Since the start of his sophomore year, he’s compiled an impressive 45-8 record. He’s a perfect 7-0 so far this year and on pace to make a run for West Perry’s all-time wins record of 113. Coming into high school, his personal goal was to reach the 100-win mark. “Right when I came into high school, I was like, I gotta get at least 30 or 25 wins every year,” he said.

Each one of those wins is more impressive, given what you think would be a natural disadvantage. … rest of story at _{^{https://www.abc27.com/sports/double-amputee-wrestler-deven-jackson-not-phased-on-journey-to-west-perry-record-books/?mc_cid=8a92ee7e2c&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b}}

9} – (Georgia) Wrestling is a simple math equation for Woodward Academy’s Jeff Ragan
Woodward Academy coach Jeff Ragan has built a powerhouse high school program in Georgia. If his calculations are correct, it will remain that way for years to come. … rest of story at _{^{https://www.trackwrestling.com/PortalPlayer.jsp?TIM=1611980660534&twSessionId=fsyrulnhln&videoId=1015918135&mc_cid=ad9f03475a&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b}}

10 } – (Ohio) High school wrestling: Vermilion’s Chris Bennett dedicates himself to sport to honor little brother who died
Wrestlers find a variety of ways to inspire themselves but the two biggest motivational moments in the career of Vermilion senior Chris Bennett centered on his shoes. “Sophomore year, Coach (Gary) Howell, it was his first year as an assistant coach, and he worked with me every Sunday during the summer during football,” Bennett said. “He bought me a pair of wrestling shoes, I had just met him, and he said I could only wear them in championship-round matches. That’s what really got me into gear, and then I just found the love for (the sport) and kept going.” But it was at the end of Bennett’s junior season, when greater motivation and inspiration were born out of personal tragedy. Bennett’s 14-month-old brother, Robert Eugene Bennett Jr., died in February 2020, just days before the Division II sectional tournament. “I wrote it on my shoes, I’ll never forget it,” Bennett said. “I wrote his birthday and I wrote the last day I saw him on my shoes … rest of story at _{^{https://chroniclet.com/news/249717/high-school-wrestling-vermilions-chris-bennett-dedicates-himself-to-sport-to-honor-little-brother-who-died/?mc_cid=ad9f03475a&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b}}

11 } – (Illinois) Joe Arroyo was a state champion at Grayslake North. At Parkside, he has his sights set on becoming a national champion
When Joe Arroyo arrived at Parkside in 2017, coach Corey VanGroll knew he could become an elite college wrestler. It wasn’t until Arroyo placed third in the 125-pound weight class at the 39th annual Midwest Classic during his freshman year that the Grayslake North graduate began to believe it himself. “I think that was the moment where he was like ‘Wow, I am good. I do belong with this group of people,’ ” VanGroll said. “That was the moment it hit him that he belonged, not only at Parkside but with some of the elite names in the country.” Arroyo, who went 44-1 and won a Class 2A state title at 113 pounds as a Grayslake North senior in 2017, has become one of the Rangers’ top wrestlers and a valuable leader since the Midwest Classic in December 2017. The senior is 3-0 this season and has his sights set on an NCAA Division II championship. Arroyo was an All-American and qualified for the national tournament last season but did not get a chance to compete due to the coronavirus pandemic, which also limited his offseason training this summer. … rest of story at _{^{https://www.chicagotribune.com/suburbs/lake-county-news-sun/sports/ct-lns-spt-college-wrestling-wisconsin-parkside-arroyo-st-012921-20210128-e4ypbavhenhg5oahjgbg346tv4-story.html?mc_cid=8a92ee7e2c&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b}}

12 } – (Virginia) HIGH SCHOOL NATIONAL RECRUITING SHOWCASE – VIRGINIA QUALIFIER SET FOR DOSWELL, MARCH 12-14
USA Wrestling has announced the sixth of its eight High School National Recruiting Showcase Qualifiers. The USA Wrestling High School National Recruiting Showcase – Virginia Qualifier will be held at Meadow Event Park in Doswell, Va., March 12-14. This will join the national schedule, along with the Pennsylvania qualifier set for State College, Pa. (March 12-14), the Arizona qualifier set for Bullhead City (March 16-18), the Utah qualifier to be held in North Logan (March 11-13), the Florida qualifier set for Orlando (March 12-14) and the Wisconsin qualifier set for Wisconsin Dells (March 11-3).
These events and the entire High School National Recruiting Showcase series, is open only to boys and girls athletes who qualify for the USA Wrestling Junior age division. Wrestlers must have been born September 1, 2001 or after, plus must be enrolled in grades 9-12. Athletes from any state may enter any of the eight qualifiers. The qualifier events will feature top High School boys’ and girls’ wrestlers from around the country. For the boys (contested in folkstyle) and girls (contested in freestyle), the top five place winners in each weight class in the eight qualifiers will earn a spot in the High School National Recruiting Showcase (which will be held during the weekend of March 26-28 at a location to be announced shortly).
Please note that state champions and National Prep champions (any year) who meet the age and grade requirements automatically qualify for the High School National Recruiting Showcase for both boys and girls (They do not need to attend a qualifier). All previous state champions and National Prep champions MUST PRE-REGISTER FOR THE NATIONAL RECRUITING SHOWCASE BY MARCH 1 to guarantee their spot. State champions are defined as state association sanctioned state champions for boys, and both state association sanctioned champions and recognized unofficial state champions for girls in folkstyle. … rest of story at _{^{https://www.teamusa.org/USA-Wrestling/Features/2021/January/29/Recruiting-Showcase-Virginia-qualifier-finalized?mc_cid=ad9f03475a&mc_eid=2ef7cbca4b}}

February 19, 2021 - Posted by The TakeDown Report | Uncategorized