This years Bobcat Classic will be held Jan.
16 and 17 at Basehor-Linwood High School.
Here is the list of this years participants.It
should be a great tourney!

ACCHS(Effingham)
Basehor-Linwood
Blue Valley
Bonner Springs
Chapman
Columbus
Eudora
Fort Scott
Garden City
Glenwood, Iowa
Goodland
J.C. Harmon
Junction City
Lawrence Free State
Olathe North
Paola
Rossville
Santa Fe Trail
Shawnee Heights
Shawnee Mission East
Spring Hill
St. Thomas Aquinas
Sumner Academy
Turner

what classification are each teams? it looks like this could be the closest tournament of a true state championship with a well balanced mix of all divisions showing up for that tournament....I would like to know each classification of each team or even better the team placing out of how many teams at state from this past year...any teams projected to do very well? Top 5 for the tournament?

The same schools as last year with the addition of Rossville and S M East. Goodland returns after a one year absence. As far as classifications: Garden C., Junction C., Aquinas, Free State, Olathe North, and S M East are 6A. Shawnee Hts, Paola, K.C.Sumner, Turner, Blue Valley, Bonner Springs and Harmon are 5A. ACCHS and Rossville are 3A. (Rossville would be 4A if the Kaw Valley merger goes through) Glenwood, I think is in the middle of three Iowa classifications. The others are all 4A. This will be the fourth year for the tournament. Garden City won last year. ACCHS won the two prior years. Glenwood placed third and 2nd the first two years. Paola took 2nd the first year and Fort Scott took 2nd this year Goodland took third the 2nd year and Junction City took third this year. I wouldn't try to pick a favorite at this point but in addition to some of the teams that have done well before I would look at Columbus (among the top teams all three years) and Turner with lots of good kids returning, and oh yes possibly Santa Fe.

Glenwood is indeed a 2A (for wrestling) school in Iowa. The IHSAA has already released its classifications for next year, and their top-three grade enrollment is listed at 415 — roughly Rose Hill-ElDorado-Wellington size. They'd be a upper-middle sized 4A in Kansas.

Glenwood finished in a tie for twenty-second in 2A in Iowa last season with 26 points.

Glenwood is a school that usually has several open weights but several kids in the finals.

Anyone know why Goodland left Newton? Is it because the finals matches were too amazingly delicious for them to handle?

Man, that Bedore v. Hemmerling match was sweeeeeet. (But both of them are lucky I wasn't at 215, of course.)

A brief shoutout to the amazing Chris Jennings, who placed third in that tough bracket.

this is a way for goodland to get some ultra tough teams from all levels of kansas and an Iowa team as well, some teams leave tournaments after a while if it's not to the coach's liking on how it's run or if the degree of the tournament toughness starts going down the tubes regardless of overall placing...just look at the old St. Mary's tournament that used to be pretty tough...now it's non exsistent to my knowledge.

Yeah, like the Newton tournament didn't have some ultra-tough teams from all Kansas divisions. I don't think it was the middle of the pack Iowa team that sparked their interest. Give us a real answer to why Goodland ditched Newton.

Aaron:

Actually, the St. Marys tournament has been moved. Wabaunsee has picked it up and insofar as I know, most — if not all — of the teams there last year will be there in 2004. What's sad is that if the Kaw Valley board votes not to combine July 1, then St. Marys will have given up that great tournament for nothing.

Captain,
I'll give you a clue, facilities or lack thereof.

Not much in the way of seating, but Newton had 4000 locker rooms to choose from for sleeping, which is all wrestlers need. Oh, also some of the top schools in Kansas including Hutch, Manhattan, Ark City, Bishop Carrol, Clay Center, Salina South, etc. I'd rather have my wrestlers wrestle against the best (not saying Bobcat isn't extremely tough, because it is) and have no facilities than wrestle against lesser competition with the best facilities....

Plus, Newton had some deeeeeeelicious concessions.

Does anyone know where Hoxie goes during the Newton/Bobcat week? Seems like they should go to one of these two.

Hoxie's schedule is similar to Norton's and i think that they use their scheduling points for the Beloit tournament and have the Newton week off, while Norton goes to Newton and has the Beloit week off. Not sure on this, just a thought.

Glennwood is not a middle of the pack Iowa team They have finished in the top ten in Iowa two of the last three years I believe. Further as Takedown42 tells us every chance he gets the Iowa classifications are very different wuth a lot more schools in each class. I am sure he will respond further.

There was a rumor going around at state last year that Hoxie was looking to get in at Basehor-Linwood in the near future. Does anyone know the scoop?

I was Fanatic, but you did it for me. Thank you.

And yes, Glenwood is far from a "middle-of-the pack" team. Twenty-second out of 96 (2A schools) is far from that. They've been a consistant top-10 program since I was high school 30 years ago. No, they weren't top 10 this year, but everyone has a "down" year here and there.

This maybe be off topic, but...

I really don't understand why everyone thinks having a school from outside of the state is such a huge deal. I mean, of course Iowa is understandable when people talk about heightened competition, but I'm referring to schools from Missouri and Colorado. What's so huge about wrestling people from out of state? Kansas is a much better wrestling state than Missouri, Nebraska, or Colorado, but a lot of people always say we need to wrestle more out of state teams. I'd venture to say that Oklahoma isn't too far ahead of Kansas either. So what's the deal? (Again, sorry for being off topic, but no one would respond to a new thread.)

And man up, Goodland. Come back to Newton.

I don't think it is so much just wrestling somebody from out of state as who. With the number of tournaments wrestled today, you often see a lot of teams several times unless you travel pretty far or your opponents do. The best teams are more apt to travel for good competition. It increases the field of potential tough competition.

Hey Joe,
I have a suggestion. Take some of the money from this tournament and buy a digital scale.