This year a Blue Springs [MO] wrestler was ranked #1 and was undefeated. He did something wrong. His coach and team held him accountiable and did not let him wrestle at the state tourney.

S. Hill made a mistake his So year. It cost him a trip to the tourney. I hated to see him miss it but i but he learned some great LIFE-LONG lessons.

Things like this is what teaches kids responsibility.

Going 'easy' on them and making excuses for them is really unloving. It can put them in an early grave and/or in jail.

Discipline your son, for in that there is hope; do not be a willing party to his death. (Prov 19:18 NIV)
A hot-tempered man must pay the penalty; if you rescue him, you will have to do it again. (Prov 19:19 NIV)
Listen to advice and accept instruction, and in the end you will be wise. (Prov 19:20 NIV)

My father and mother always told me,"You and you alone are responsible for your actions". I did not witness this event, but I have seen some in my day! I have even done some things in my life I am not proud of, but I was responsible for my actions, not mom or dad but ME!

I must say that sometimes I think "Westfahl" makes some dumb comments but here he is completely and totally correct. I did not see this incident but if this kid pushed his coach he never should have seen the mat again. I could say a lot more but Westfahl has said it better. Yes, I am old but about the time I would have pulled a stunt like that after my coach kicked my @@#$ my dad would have!

Dumb statements huh lolll. Well I guess I can take that, my wife says the same thing. This isn't my wife is it??? lol

Nick you didnt do anything but cry. There is nothing wrong with that. You didnt throw a fit, you just walked off and cried. I saw the whole thing and you and your coach did alright and I don't care what anybody says. It was honest emotion and I didnt see you do anything that warranted you feeling much guilt over except caring a great deal and it was all directed inside you not to the crowd or anyone else.

The tantrum in the first match maybe.;.. But nobody is talking about the match later on. The kid in the face mask is wrestling a great match. Knox was totally disrespectful toward him. Fiery competitor?? When the other kid got behind him and they were on their feet he didn't even fight it. Stood there with a look on his face like the other kid got lucky. Then to point to the crowd and hold up five fingers. Then when the other kid locks on to him and doesn't get up he yells at the ref. Come on guys.. Defend him.. please.

I DO NOT RECALL FIGGIE,BAYLOR,SPONSEL,BROWN,STEINMETZ,AND ON AND ON AND ON REACT TO A LOSS(MIND YOU FOR THE CHAMPIONSHIPS) IN ANY WAY SHAPE OR FORM. THEY ALL RESPONDED LIKE TRUE SPORTSMEN AND SHOOK,PADDED, AND WALKED OFF AFTER DEFEAT,WITH THEIR HEADS HELD HIGH,AND DYING INSIDE. SELF-ESTEEM,PRIDE,AND RESPECT,FOR THEM-SELFS,THEIR TEAM,COACHES,PARENTS,
ALWAYS SEEM TO PLAY A ROLE IN THEIR EVERYDAY LIFE,AND IN WRESTLING I WOULD ASSUME FROM SEEING THEM. LITTLE KNOX WILL LEARN, THAT TO GET RESPECT, FIRST YOU MUST GIVE RESPECT,WIN OR LOOSE.

IN2IT,

I don't know what you saw, but Nick did not do anything wrong. I was the opposing coach, and I think he showed a lot of emotion AND a lot of CLASS! It was a great match by both wrestlers, but if you think he over-reacted then you should tell us how you were acting after your state finals match.

Ryan Jilka
Goddard Wrestling

I was always taught that the only difference between a hero and a coward was how you responded to your fear, pain, loss, etc.

NONE of us have any control over the circumstances that life hands us. We ALL, however, have control over how we respond to those circumstances. How you respond determines whether you are a MAN or a punk....Period.

And one other thing...although Charles Sr. can be a pretty hard-boiled egg, I personally think he is a class act. Fight to the death, and then win/lose with dignity would be his motto. Be hardest on yourself would be another.

I have seen him severely chastise TOHK parents and wrestlers for bad behavior, and I seriously doubt he taught Jr. to act that way.

You all can not compare Charles and anyone else by the pure fact of the crowd. At no other time during the entire state tournament was their fans booing a losing wrestler, except for Charles. Put those kids in Charles's position and see what they do. So since I am still in a booish mood, boo on the fans that booed Charles.

The crowd didn't start to boo Knox until he refused to shake Gardner's hand and started to run off the mat. He got beat because he wasn't as good, not because the ref screwed him or anything of that nature. He and many other wrestlers from Wichita West have always acted this way, do the name's Thomas Rhodes and Michael Bradley ring a bell. It's a question of discipline and good sportsmanship which this kid obviously doesn't possess right now. However, I was impressed with the way Tristen Deshazer acted all tournament long. That guy is a little stud, and he was a good sport all weekend long. So don't try to put all the blame on the Wichita West program, it's all on the individual.

I'm not supporting his actions in the least, but don't you find it the least bit troubling that for the past few years, kids like Knox and Rhoades have their lives and actions put on a public forum for people to criticize, critique, and in some shape of form dismantle?

I have known both personally, have coached and worked with them. I would have both in my home, have dinner with them, and even let them stay with me.

However, there is that streak in them that makes you throw you hands in the air and scream.

The difference is that these are two outstanding wrestlers that many people want to see fail. Regardless of their child like demeanor (and we must remember, they are still kids), there are multitudes of adults out there that willingly act no better than a "bratty kid" and will openly boo them.

To me, that's a shame. Then again, maybe my parents brought me up a little bit better than to post my dissent of a kid under the faceless guize of a screen name to ridicule a kid. To the side, I'll may make a comment to both athletes, but I don't do it in an open forum.

Brent, you are absolutely right to defend Charles. I guarantee you there were people looking for a show with Knox during that match and he delivered. Sure I'm upset, but I take care of it my own way and will tell him how I feel when I see him this spring. I don't get on a message board and bash him.

By the way Brent, congrats on your finish.

And Tanner, congrats to you and I wish you luck in all you do. Also, thank you for seeing a situation about to unfold and preventing Charles' self distruction on the mat. You know, it's too bad that a senior in high school is able to show us a life lesson about preventing a disaster and takes control of the situation. The worst part is, some of us are too busy "placing blame" and are not able to see the bigger action unfold - a kid saving another kid in the face of a unforgiving adult crowd.

Jeremy Gibson
Seaman High School

Maybe that is the problem. People like you who think it is for the better of the kids to keep quiet about it and do nothing as a punishment. Don't tell me this crap about them being kids and that they will grow out of it. It is getting very old and will continue to get worse until something extreme is done about it.

that is bull let the kid wrestle if the worse thing he did was run off the mat without shaking hands who cares i bet tanner didnt you dont need to boo he felt bad enough to begin with if he didnt shake hands he would have been punished by the coach or even kicked out of the tournament he would learn from that

Don't lump Michael Bradley into this. He is/was an excellent wrestler and while he hated losing, he did it with more class than I've ever seen from Knox.

it was not how Bradley lost, it was how he won.

I have to agree with coach Gibson for the most part. I have wrestled on the same team as Toast (Knox), and let me assure you I never witnessed any unsportsman like act from him. He is a great teamate, who is quick with a joke and quick to console you after a difficult loss. I was always glad to have him around. I was not presant at the match, and I have heard two different tales, so I'm not going to make any judgements on his actions. Some people, it seems, are out to get him. Not all of his critics are rooting for him to fail, but there are a few who are. It is true that he should be held responsible for his actions, but it is also true that he is a junior in high school. All of us have messed up in life. Too many people it seems are taking this act too seriously. There are far worse people out there, not only in the real world, but in the wrestling world as well.

This year in one of the duals Iowa was wrestling there heavyweight steve mocco was given a closer match than he wanted. I think maybe he wasn't able to whoop his opponent like he thought he was going to and in return kicked his opponent after the match and was disqualified for a dual or something. I'm just saying everybody in the nation knows and loves Iowa and steven mocco and his work ethic but sometimes when we expect so much out of ourselves nobody is perfect and they sometimes do things they regret. Even though some of those great wrestlers sometimes lose it we still respct them and acknowledge their accomplishments, so why shouldn't we still try to respect knox sr. and jr. Everytime Iever talked to them they have always been as nice as can be and I competed against them all my life. Including their fans have been nice for the most part even when I used to wrstle their kids. They may get a little worked up but I think it makes it more fun and exciting, ya they've crossed the line from time to time but their only human.

I agree with K-dogg. Toast is an great kid! And so is Thomas. Ive wrestled with them for 2 or 3 years. And know that they are some of the nicest kids youll ever meet always smiling and joking around. No wonder they act like this! Some of the people in the stands act out way worse than the kids do! Why boo someone you think thats going to help them stop acting like that? Like coach gibson said they are great kids and will grow out of it. So how about next time they lose supporting them instead of booing see if that changes the outcome!

I can't beleive what all I have just read. But becuase I have I will respond. First and formost, there is never, and I mean never!!!!! a reason to act in an unsportsmanlike way such as not shaking an opponents hand, yelling at the crowd, whatever. It is a shame that there are clubs and teams in the state where the coaches allow such behavior. I hate to use Abilene as an example but I will in this case. I remember my friend Dustin Tovar losing in the state finals his junior year after being an undefeated state champ his sophmore year and being undefeated until that point his junior year. He had far more accomplishments than Charles and was in a better position to win state than Charles was in his match. He lost that match and as much emotion as I know he had he certainly did not throw a fit or do any of that. He lost with class and I guarantee that was a product of the enviroment he grew up wrestling i, namely the kids club, middle school, and high school, becuase none of the coaches in those three clubs would have allowed it. Another example is myself, my middle school coach would not let me attend the NCKL tournament my 8th grade year becuase I made a choice that was not right. I was heart broken but I certainly learned my lesson. After being undefeated my Junior year until my 1 loss at state I was extremly emotional, but I shook hands with my opponents and walk out of the arena with class. Now out of site of everyone I did get upset but Mr. Christner came and found me and I can honestly say that I don't ever remember him being more mad during the 10 years I've known him when he saw me feeling sorry for myself. But he encouraged me and I came back and got 3rd which is the best I could have done after that. So what is my point? Basically there is no excuses for this type of behavior. I don't accept that crap about how the crowd always boos a guy and he has a tough life and he has an excuse to be that way. No way!!! As a coach I will not ever, ever, let one of my kids act that way, if he/she does they are done for the tournament or in extreme cases the rest of the season. Some people around the state need to start accepting some responsibility for their actions and this starts with the coaches. One last thing this post was not meant to be directed toward Charles in particular but to everyone who displays this kind of behavior. Crying is an acceptable behavior provided it is done out of site to other people.