Alex, Andale really didn't step it up, they just did what was expected. They have quality over quantity, and it was not really a surprise for me that they put four in the finals. State tournaments are tough enough that quality counts over the numbers game. You can win a title without finalists, but it's rare. Abilene wasn't even on the top 10 board on Friday, but managed to come through the back door better than Colby or Goodland who qualified about the same number of kids. That's where the numbers kick in. Ulysses, for example, put three of their five in the semis', and may have looked to the casual observer like they were making a run, but didn't have the numbers coming through the back to stay there.