Sounds to me like Mr. Westfahl is a little too caught up in his high school days. (Just my opinion.) I looked at his bracket, and it was a very tough bracket indeed. However, I believe four of the six placers his senior year came back the NEXT year, as well as a placer from 189 who moved to 215 (Frandin), and a new state champ altogether in Hemmerling. (I may be a year off, I'm not sure.) So, Mr. Westfahl, contrary to what you implied (but never actually stated), your 215 senior year was not the "most impossible bracket ever." (Again, you never actually said that, but that was the flavor of your post.)
I think perhaps you should stop living in the past, and leave Mr. Venegas alone. There's no way to tell about his shot on Niederee (sp?) and if that would have worked at 215, because obviously Venegas would have been quicker too. I think before you get on here and talk all this junk on Venegas, you should realize that you yourself didn't place, and even for a high school graduate, your punctuation, spelling, and grammar is usually off. Sounds like a hasbeen is jealous of a very deserving state champ. (Just my opinion.)