6A is online and the others will be done shortly.

Check out http://www.holton.k12.ks.us/tech/kwca


for state brackets

I think its pretty sad that the state still has sense on bracketing. Rankings have been there all year, and yet I have seen at least 1/2 the weights so far that match up #1 and #2 in the state in the semis. I know this happens every year but come on, it is a no brainer someone needs to do a better job than they are doing. The one thing that makes me more mad than anything is when you have on the other side of the bracket the #3 and #4 which cannot beat either one of the top two. one of those two will unbelievably make the finals and I personally say unworthy of it because they would not have beaten the #1 OR #2. Well thats my peace of mind. Good luck to all wrestlers.

Mel

Many of the brackets have the top ranked kids on the same side. We need to seed the brackets instead of throwing the regionals in at random. The only other option would be to allow a challenge for 2nd place from the backside champion, if they haven't met on the front side.

Chief I don't put to much stock into rankings. My son is in a weight class where there are 3 wrestlers rank out of five and he has beat them all one or two times he has wrestled the three kids that are ranked 3rd, 4th, 5th. My son wrestled the 2nd kid and lost twice, but has not wrestled 1st ranked. He did lose one weekend tourament were he did lose to one of them by 1 with less then 10 sec. but as far ranked wrestlers we don't need someones to seed the bracket because they are ranked.The 6A ranker doesn't see the whole state wrestlers and going on someones word instead of head to head match ups is a joke sorry I agree with you on alot of issues but this one is ran the right way. I agree with wrestle backs you should get a chance to go for 2nd.

Rankings aside, there is valid criteria including head to head match-ups that would help seed the brackets properly. There are three weights in 6A that will not have the top two wrestlers in the finals.

130 - Maple/Tanenbaum on the same side.
145 - Miller/Houlden on the same side.
189 - Baker/Long on the same side.

And who was the arbiter who determined the top two in each weight classification?

All these wrestlers are trying to find out who is Number One not Number Two. If Jake is going to win state he has to beat Kendrick. Vice versa for Kendrick.

There could be advantages to meeting a tough opponent on the first day. He may still be suffering from cutting weight, he will have had more matches, you don't have the added pressure and hoopla of a finals match, etc... I think wrestlers in the finals tend to wrestle conservative. If you have to face a tough oppenent then you might be looser and ready to let it all hang out in the quarters than in the finals.

I am in Barry's corner on this one... In all my years I have seen many kids that come out the second day looking like they were 15 lbs. heavier than their opponents. With the new weight rules I don't think it's as nearly as prevalent but I have seen kids running in full sweats on Friday night to make weight. I also know that laying around all day on Saturday can be a problem with some guy’s performance.

I would really like it if they moved the semi's to day two and everyone had to make weight one more day in the morning! Some of the best wrestling I have ever seen has been in the semi's.

I'm just happy for all the guys that made it! Good game and good luck! It's long old season and you are all winners!

Usually it's the guy who initiates the post. Not Abraham Lincoln, not Janet Reno, but the person who actually writes the post. Richard, it's OK to have an opinion. Don't be so afraid to say who you think are the best wrestlers. These posts are just that, opinions. It doesn't "determine" anything. Why do you feel threatened by them?

All good points Barry. However, it is the intent of every seeding meeting (when they have seeding meetings), to construct a bracket that provides the best potential for the two best wrestlers to meet in the finals. Not 2 of the best 3.

Was there a seeding meeting somewhere that I missed? I agree that in a perfect world the top 2 meet in the finals. But that isn't always the case. Take NFL football. If the top two teams are in the NFC they won't meet in the Superbowl. I think the way the brackets are drawn up is fine. Not perfect ... but fine. Like you point out .. in 6A all but 3 of the brackets have the top two guys on opposite sides of the bracket. That isn't a bad percentage. Plus it makes the semis a lot more interesting.

You proved my point. The top two teams in the NFC have byes and home field advantage. They don't play until the NFC Championship.

Good point Chief. They have seeding meetings for other tourneys. Why get unconsistent and not have one for the 'biggest' tourney?

I believe Coach Alley had a seeding plan that he floated around last year or the year before. Of course there will always be those that will pick any effort apart.

Chief, you missed the point on the NFC comment. Say the top two teams in all of the NFL are in the NFC. There is no possible way they will play for the Super Bowl. So then the best game would be for the NFC Championship, not the Super Bowl.

To be the best, you have to beat the best, no matter which round it is in. There are flaws in every sort of bracketing system out there. Especially when a seeding system is used. You just go out there, and wrestle.

dLancer,

The NFL example is apples and oranges. The teams are in different Conferences and by rule, are unable to compete in the playoffs. We seed wrestlers all year and then when it really counts at the State tournament, we randomly draw the brackets? Your point about beating the best to be the best is obvious, but it skirts the issue of setting up the best possible final. "Just go out there and wrestle" is also a sound bite that avoids the issue. To say that the reason we don't seed is that "there are flaws in every bracketing system", shouldn't keep us from trying to choose the best available process that we've found to be applicable all year, only to abandon that process at the State tournament.