Iwould suspect that the number of particpants has increased greatly, but so has the opportunity to medal. In 1971 there were two state tournaments and 12 weight classes, with only 4 awards given in each weight class, resulting in all the wrestlers in Kansas competintg for 48 state medals. in 1992 and now, we have watered it down to 4 classes, competing in 13 weight classes, for 6 awards, totalling 312 medals. so if there are 3 times as many kids wrestling out there, the opportunity to win a state medal is the same. The really sad part of this whole picture is that until the title 9 question is resolved, there are MANY more kids out there that would have been good enough to wrestle college in 1971 that won't get any chance at all. regardless of how you look at old timers Vs. young wrestlers, that title 9 deal is a crying shame.

My math is really goofed... must be my age. in '71 there were 96 medals total, compared to 312 now.

I dont know how to convey how good some of the old guys were except to say that wrestling has been around for nearly 2000 years. I doubt that the human animal has evolved so much in the last twenty or thirty years that there is a great deal of difference in them. Its just that some of us wrestled in that era and coached in this one and we know that there were awfully good wrestlers in both and that things havent changed a great deal in that time. Ido think that kids worked harder in those days and had a better work ethic. I know when I first started coaching it was far easier to get kids to work hard and be dedicated than it is now. Maybe that is good maybe that is bad I don't know but I can tell you that some of those kids in the late sixties and seventies were very very tough and I wouldnt want to have to beat them for a living now. Who knows, I don't but I know they were tough and I don't want them to be forgotten in this state.

i know they arent one of the best ever but what the heck, bishop carrol 2001-2002

Greenback, there are now 14 weight classes which is 336 opportunities to medal. Just tryin' to help.

Sorry, I don't know what I was thinking. add 24 more medals to the total-- that is 336 medals awarded now to 96 in 1971.

they are not the greatest team ever of course but they were pretty **** good, bishop carrol 01-02.vogel, dugan, seiler. a few state champs, 5 if im not mistaken.

Kyle:
Relax I know Hoxie was good in the 70's . The had lots of state placers. You make it sound like they were state champs in 70 71 72 73 74 75 they were not. only in 71 & 72. The 71 teams was much better than the 72 team. I don't think either was the best team in the 1970's. I think the best small school teams of the 70' were either the 76 Oberlin or 79 Sainty.

Hoxie had a team in the late sixties that had four or five state champs on it. I will find out which year it was but they had a really good team in there somewhere. I know Danny Winters was on it and they were darn good, certainly good enough to be on any list here.

1969 - (3-2-1A) Fisher, Roger [Norton] ( 95 lb. )
1969 - (3-2-1A) Pope, Wally [Hoxie] (103 lb. )
1969 - (3-2-1A) Lewis, Tim [Hoxie] (112 lb. )
1969 - (3-2-1A) Hill, Craig [Saint Francis] (120 lb. )
1969 - (3-2-1A) Winter, Dan [Hoxie] (127 lb. )
1969 - (3-2-1A) Mauck, Rex [Hoxie] (133 lb. )
1969 - (3-2-1A) Brock, Dave [Goodland] (138 lb. )
1969 - (3-2-1A) Horning, Quentin [Norton] (145 lb. )
1969 - (3-2-1A) Stanley, Jim [Oberlin] (154 lb. )
1969 - (3-2-1A) Walter, Gary [Saint Francis] (165 lb. )
1969 - (3-2-1A) Doherty, Mike [Paola] (180 lb. )
1969 - (3-2-1A) Dolezal, Alan [Russell] (Heavyweight )
1969 - (3-2-1A) Hoxie [Hoxie] (Team Champions Hoxie 78, runnerup St. Francis 59)

don't forget the 1970 norton team: Ficher, ankenman, madden, horning, madden. seems like I may be leaving somebody out but what a team that was. if you know any highway patrol people ask them about quentin horning-- he is no bigger than he was in high school but has handled some rather tough cookies in his tenure on the KHP--
after the State Tournament in those days used to be an invitational at Salina where the State champions ccame together-- sort of an impromtu grand state, anyway quent had his arm in a sling due to a shoulder injury and wrestled with 11/2 arms in that tournament, there was a wichita kid that everyone thought was pretty good, I believe John Lunt was his name, Quenton wrung him out in the finals.. relly tough guy.

sorry, mentioned Madden twice and forgot Ralph Hackney. His brother Cahrlie may have been better, but Ralph beat gary barton of Colby in the championship and thus was a champ, whereas Charlie was not.

sorry but Gary Barton graduated before Hackney wrestled. He graduated the year before Ralph was a state champion. Ralph beat a kid from Effingham i believe

This Ark City team was the best I have seen in recent years. They were oh so tough and had so many multiple state champs on that team that they have to rank very high on any list. They were as dominating as any team I have seen for a long time.

1991 - (5A) Travis, Brooks [Arkansas City] (103 lb. )
1991 - (5A) Schutz, Lawrence [Kapaun Mount Carmel] (112 lb. )
1991 - (5A) Goodale, Scott [Arkansas City] (119 lb. )
1991 - (5A) Doonan, Brent [Kapaun Mount Carmel] (125 lb. )
1991 - (5A) Ware, Justin [Arkansas City] (130 lb. )
1991 - (5A) Terry, Temoer [McPherson] (135 lb. )
1991 - (5A) Thaw, J.J. [Newton] (140 lb. )
1991 - (5A) Thaw, Justin [Newton] (145 lb. )
1991 - (5A) Beeson, Chad [Arkansas City] (152 lb. )
1991 - (5A) Hernandez, Chris [Arkansas City] (160 lb. )
1991 - (5A) Hodges, Aaron [Harmon] (171 lb. )
1991 - (5A) Kelley, Brock [Goddard] (189 lb. )
1991 - (5A) Koenig, Joel [Sumner] (275 lb. )
1991 - (5A) Arkansas City [Arkansas City]
(Team Champions Arkansas City 192.5, runnerup Kapaun 95.5)