OK Props to J.D. -- it was a hard decision. It is always a hard decision, to think that I just sit back and throw together some names is an insult! First and foremost understand that I wrestled in high school, albeit very poorly, but I was and am and always will be a wrestler and a huge wrestling fan. Without a doubt the decisions at 130 and 140 were extremely difficult. Honestly, the decision at 160 wasn't all that tough because Hausserman beat Gardner this year. They weren't in the same state tournament. Had Hausserman still be in 3-2-1A this year, I have little doubt that he would be a state champion this year. He wasn't in 3-2-1A, but he is the best 160-pounder from North Central and Northwest Kansas this year and those are the wrestlers that are considered for All-Area.
140, we eventually came to the conclusion that we would not make a decision and named both Eric Johnson and Shawn Drennan because there was no way to determine between the two of them. They had almost identical records, they have never wrestled and they are both state champions. Johnson had the intangible of being a two-time state champion but Drennan had the intangible of defeating Pyle at state. It was a draw, we went with a tie.
At 130 I went back and forth but decided that Lukas Zouzas was the top wrestler at this point in time but Travis Martin, Nick Johnson and Zouzas were all outstanding this year. We don't simply look at the state tournament, that is obvious by our selection at 160. But you have to give it a lot of weight. It is the most recent tournament you have to judge wrestlers on. It is the tournament used to crown the person who will forever be known as a state champion, which is undoubtedly the goal of every wrestler that steps on to a mat back in November. If two wrestlers meet up at state there is no way that I am going to go against the winner there. That is the most recent match, it is undoubtedly the most important of the year and when all things are considered there is going to be a lot of weight put into what happens at the state tournament. Therefore I put Johnson on the second team and Casual Observer's son, Travis Martin, on honorable mention. It was, and is, the proper choice for this year.

As for Les Brown's comments that we give extra weight to Saline County athletes, I have to disagree. When it comes to coverage we have to give extra weight to Saline County events, but when it comes to All-Area teams, we try to look at it on an even playing field. Zouzas was selected as the top wrestler at 130 because I believe him to be just that, the fact that he is from Salina South had nothing, absolutely nothing to do with it outside of the fact that Salina South is in our readership area. As for the selection of Wes Harding way back when, I can't speak for that. I was still in high school at that point counting lights inside some gymnasium somewhere as a referees hand slapped a mat once again. But for the past three years, the amount of time I have been in charge of selecting All-Area teams I have never, and I mean never, given extra credence to a Saline County athlete for an all-area team. Zouzas deserved it, he was on the all-area team.

Thank you for letting me vent,
Christian D Orr

Thank you for posting your message. I kind of knew that the state tournament did hold a lot of weight as far as the selections were concerned, and it really should, this probably was one of the more difficult picks of all at 130 and really if you think about it, it is just another opinion, but I have to honor that and know that there is no bias. That should put an end to this subject, it was getting to the point where it was not intended to be. Thank you very much again, and good luck to all wrestlers this summer and next year!!!!!!!!!

Mr. Orr, while I have long respected your journalistic ability (I was @ FHSU and in Hays at the same time you were) and also respect your opinion, I chose to stand by my comment. To your credit, as you referenced, the bulk of the experience I have drawn from began in the late 1980's - which was before your arrival at the Journal.

Would also throw out an observation. Nick Johnson has a proven ability to turn it up a notch at state. While he works hard all year, it seems apparent that his best wrestling is reserved for the season finale - eg 2x champ & 1x runner-up. Again, just an observation, but one that I find valid in this debate - since he does seem to come out on top when it matters most.

hi, this is Travis Martin, I was just wondering what the criteria was for all-area, now we all know, thanks, Nick and Luke are very good wrestlers and anyone could have been all-area, its just a paper, there are no complaits , thanks

hey wrestling fan 3645, this is travis m, if u knew me at all u would know that i think that i am far from untouchable, i get nervous just like everyone else and take everyone serious and no one lightly, someone is always out to get u, during the season my sister's name was 130tm and she was making comments about me, i put an end to that when i found out because everyone though i was talking aqbout myself like i was untouchable, if anything i talk about other oponents that are tough, u liked to see nick beat me at state, ok thats fair, i don't blame u, i have been in ur position too so i understand, i usually go for the underdog to, thanks now we have everything clear

just out of curiosity who were the picks for the all-area team. I missed that paper.

Could someone please post the all area wrestling team/second team/honorable mentions. I'm very interested and it's hard to get this information overseas.

Thanks

1SG Jim Moberly
C Co. 2-137 INF
CMR 457
APO AE 09033

I know what MO is feeling, I'm at college in Central Oklahoma and the people at the "high and mighty" Salina journal can't even get updated info on there site, especially in the sport of wrestling.

to get the all area team go to http://www.saljournal.com then click on search the archives, go to 2002 then 6 april then down to sports click on "to the victores the whole article is there.

To all those too cheap to subscribe and then whine on here about the fact you didn't see the all-area team, It is posted on the internet at this address:

http://www.saljournal.com/stories/040602/prep_genWrestle.shtml

To the Salina Journal:

I apoligize if you think I'm too cheap and whining because I wanted the info on the internet rather than subscribing to your paper.

I would think that payment could be considered being deployed overseas with an infantry unit at half my normal pay to protect among other things, freedom of the press.

I WILL NOT RENEW MY SUBSCRIPTION TO THE JOURNAL WHEN I GET BACK!

1SG Moberly
C Co. 2-137 IN

To the above post:

Thanks for all that you do. I guess sometimes people speak before they think. Please continue your outstanding job in protecting our rights abroad.

It's too bad that we are intellectual beings (somewhat) because if we were in the animal world, we'd kick SJ out of the herd......then probably eat 'em.

gibby

I noticed that Doug Campbell of Hoxie and Scott Wise of Plainville were named to the all area team. They are both deserving of this honor, however I think you may have overlooked one young man. Tyler Coleman of Remington placed 3rd at the 3A-1A state tournament. Tyler also beat Campbell and placed higher than both Campbell and Wise.

Coach Hasseltine...Remington is not in the Salina Journal coverage area. All other wrestlers and teams are.

MO --

The post most certainly was not intended for you but more for Aaron Sweazy who took a shot at us saying we can't get updated on the internet when it has been on the internet since the day it ran in the paper. I certainly do appreciate very much what you are doing for the entire country over seas. I certainly did not take your post as though you were whining, Sweazy's however, to me, it did seem as though he was. The information has been on the website since day one, he couldn't find it so he bashed us. I simply didn't think that was a fair comment on his part. I am sorry for offending you.

Thanks again, and sorry.

Salina Journal,

In the defense of Aaron Sweazy (who I personally know), the article was and is difficult to find on the Salina Journal webpage. You do have to hunt for what you are looking for, whether that is intentional or not, who knows. You can correct me if I am wrong, but I don't think there is a direct link to the preps page where all the articles on high school athletics are listed. When you do go to the preps page, all you find is basketball and football. Maybe that is what sells papers. I do not subscribe to the Journal, but I do read the paper, I most often pick it up in the morning before I go to school. Does that make me too cheap.

Keep it real Chris.

Brent Lane

Hey Salina Journal, you stepped up and did the right thing. Sometimes our pride gets in the way of us doing the right thing, but you did good. I remember someone once telling me that two wrongs do not make a right. We all need a little encouragement every now and then. One question though, why do you wait so long to put the all area wrestlers in the paper, it seems that basketball just gets over and the next week or so the all area team is in the paper. Thanks.

That's fine that Coleman did not get placed on the all area team if our school is not in your area. We are 1.5 hrs south of Salina. I see that Hoxie, Plainville, and Goodland have people on that list. I am certain that they are all farther from Salina than our school. But if the Salina Journal's coverage area goes that far east and west, and not south, so be it.

I was wondering that too? Could you define your area?
Thank You.

Our area runs basically from about Abilene all the way to Colorado and about 30 miles south of I-70 up to Nebraska.

As for why it takes so long to get the all-area team in the paper it is a matter of getting the time to get it put together. The Monday after the state wrestling tournament, sub-state basketball starts and then you go right into state basketball. I have to be at those events as well to cover those which does not allow me the time in the office to get everything put together, get the kids together for the photo and so on. This year we had intended to run the all-area teams one week earlier but when KU qualified for the Final Four we had to put it on hold a week because we needed the space out front to cover the Jayhawks. KU in the Final Four was obviously a very large story that couldn't be downplayed but I did not want the all-area teams to play second-fiddle to something else in the paper. We felt it was better to simply hold a week so that it could be the main focus of that day's paper.