Maybe Guy should have scored in the first OT so he wouldn't have to worry about holding Sprigg down, kind of like what Sprigg did in the state championship last year????Just an idea.

Maybe neither of them had a take down in the entire match. The only points they had scored were from the second and third periods, one or the other getting an escape from starting on bottom. I'm not saying that Sprigg isn't a good wrestler, and I sure as heck am not saying that he doesn't have a lot riding on his shoulders, because he does. I'm just saying that in my eyes the matches that these guys have wrestled probably would have turned out differently if Miller had been on bottom in the second overtime.

Sprigg is good, Payne is better.

id take sprigg over payne. Miller is a **** good wrestler.

Michael if you were at HWT then I would pick you to win the Universe!

I wouldnt

Actually I thought the heavy weight div. was having an up year. There's a couple of sleeper's out there that I think will surprise you at state.

Mike Church Sr.

Caleb Payne won state at 275 last year and will repeat this year no problem

I have seen both Payne and Sprigg this year, and while both are excellent, I would take Sprigg. He seems to get better the more pressure you have on him. I sure wouldn't bet against him!

Is Payne a Senior? if so, maybe at the sr. classic there will be an opportunity to get them together. Its too bad that Mr. Sprigg has to wrestle devery single hvy. with a winning record two or three times before he gets the respect that he should have. I posted a few weeks ago that Norton has to actually beat the guys from the 5a and 6a camps before they get any respect and some thought the remark condescending. Well, here we go again, Sprigg is the guy.

Very well put Mr. Fairleigh. I think this year has gave a lot of people a wake up call just how tough the 321a schools are. As it looks now Norton is the dominant team of the state and before that Hoxie dominated for a number of years. What is it gonna take before these smaller schools get the credit they deserve.

I would call the Norton hwt the toughest in the state.

Rhino obviously hasnt seen Sprigg wrestle.

totally agree with you, buck 52. rhino just really has no idea.

I do not believe that any one with any wrestling sense has ever doubted the smaller schools. I know that I did not. One most only check the records to see that. But more likely, many people are probably tired of hearing them blow their horns all the time proclaiming how much better they are than everyone else. I know that I am.
With regard to dominance, this is the type of stuff that people get tired of hearing about.
Norton won state last year but were forth at Newton so no one could say they were absolutely the best. This year they did when Newton...barely. You cannot however say that they are the best team in the state, although they just might be. They have already lost to Clay Center even though they beat them at Newton, so how could that be dominance. Carroll beat Clay Center in a dual and at Newton but they barely lost to Norton at Newton, so once again were is this dominance that is spoke of.
To say that Hoxie was the dominator prior to that is as equally ludicrous. They lost several times throughout their "dominance", like to Manhattan so one could just as equally say that Manhattan dominated the alledged time period.
What about Turner, Abilene, Hutch, Emporia, Ark City, Columbus, Goddard, Goodland, Colby, etc. even other smaller schools like Effingham and St. Francis.

I think what people are saying is that smaller schools like Norton and Hoxie dominated the 321a circuit. For a school like Norton, who has (I'm assuming) less than 500 students, to be able to finish in the top 10 at Newton, is a testament to their domination. To put forth such great teams consistently with such small numbers is truly a great feat. Imagine what Norton or Hoxie could do if they had, say, Manhattan or Wichita's numbers. Many schools from Wichita have over 1000 students, yet the last Wichita public school I can remember that would hang with an average Norton squad is the WW team from the late 90s that had Gaylen Taylor, Earl Henry, et cetera.
I think that with their small school sizes, to compete year in and year out with the "big boys" IS domination--if not in final scores, than at least within coaching and preparedness.

A little off topic but, didn't Earl Henry go on to become a very good LB at Pittsburg State?

Norton certainly has fewer than 500 students. I would bet they are under 250 or right around there. We have right around 350 at Colby so I would guess Norton is around 250 or maybe a little less.

Yeah, he was. He was the captain for our Shrine Bowl team. He made fat jokes about me all week. I hate that guy.

To WSEWC:
As I stated earlier in a different thread Norton only loss was because their 140 lb. kid was sick. Otherwise they would of won the Clay Center Invite. Also, they were open @ 189 due to illness. At Newton, they were open @ 160.