Hey, who agrees that 5A and 6A need to switch to a 2 regional system. The results speak for themselves. Just look at the regionals that let kids into the state tournment without winning a single match. Topeka Seaman had six weights like this. We had 2 weights at Maize where the kid only had to win 1 match.

I think it'd be better to combine 5a and 6a for a single state tournament.

I vote for combining 5A and 6A! Then we could have a state tournament in ONE location. Rotate it around, Ft. Hays, Wichita, and Topeka. Colorado, Oklahoma, Missouri, Wisconsin, Iowa, and I am sure the majority of others all have a single site for state. Why don't we?

Cokeley,
Do you mean that all classifications should be in one site or just 5-6A in one site?

I agree all the classes should be at one site, like MO, IA, NE, etc. The problem, and this horse has been beaten to death, is that we have no arena big enough. Face it, this is not a problem we can fix. Here is a solution, though. Have 1-2-3 and 4A at one location, say Wichita, and have 5A/6A at another, say Topeka. Location doesn't really matter, use Hays, Salina, etc. Wouldn't that be better than 4 half-full arenas like now? Just look at the three states listed- their tournaments are premier events that attract a large repeat audience that has no personal involvement. That has to be an improvement over our system.

Tom,

I propose to combine 5A-6A! That would make three state tournaments. 321A, 4A, and 56A. Three tournaments with 162 wrestlers each. 486 wrestlers, 1176 total matches. You need six full size mats and that would 1134 matches spread over six surfaces and then 42 finals on three. 189 Matches per surface over two days. You run 10am to 8pm on Friday. Resume at 9:30 to 4pm and finals would start at 6pm. This could be done in any of the facilities or cities I mentioned. Heck we run the Paola tournament in under 8 hours with 550 wrestlers in one 4A gym and an auxillary room!

I don't see the state combining 5A and 6A, so I think we need to make a more realistic suggestion to KSHSAA. I think they might go for the 2 regional system. I think if we can get enough coaches to push it, it may go through.

I think it would make for a great wrestling tournament to be able to not only watch whatever class your school is in....but to be able to see ALL classes! I enjoy watching tourneys that mix classes (which is about all of our tourney's). Plus, where we may very well be 3A next year, I'd miss seeing some QUALITY 4A wrestling! (Not to say 1-2-3A is any easier....just would miss it!)

Hibler,
Roy Oeser has been preaching this 2 regional system for at least 4 years now. I am assuming that is where this idea has come from since you coach with him. While I like the idea and think it would be alright for 6A and 5A, I think it has been on the ballot for the last four years at the regional rules meeting and been either ignored, turned down, or both. I don't know why, it just has. I don't think a vote on this website will change a thing. It's going to take emails, letters, phone calls, etc. to 5A and 6A coaches and Rick Bowden for this to happen. Either way I look at it this way... The best guy state week-end wins state in either system.

Coach Hibler-
What 6 weights are you referring to? I can only think of 3, and we have no control over where KSHSAA sends teams for Regionals. Is it our fault that the same 8 teams have gone to Regionals the past 3 years? Believe me, I would love for the KC, Topeka, and Wichita schools to be split up more evenly so mthat you don't have the "pud" regional and the "stud" regional. Is it also our fault that some schools don't have full teams? Or have great Sr. wrestlers who don't make weight? Please don't assign blame to a Regional host because their tournament is sending kids with losing records, or a bye, or wrestlers who didn't "earn" their spot at State. The same can happen in a 16 team regional, too. Kids with losing records can beat kids with unblemished records (Hello Elijah Madison?). The point is - Toe the line and wrestle the guy across from you. If we awarded State medals to the guys with the right records, more people would be going to easy tournaments than tough ones to "pad their stats". SHoot, why don't we scrap the whole Regional system and go to a 2 weekend Round Robin Tournament, where every weight class wrestles every varsity guy in the state for a true Champion? Best record out of 32 wins!

All classes could be at one venue. I think what would would have to happen though is to make each State bracket an 8 man bracketto make sure that the best 8 make it. Then copy what kids do and have a sub district and district. This guarentees that the wrestlers that have a 9-20 record dont make state as well as those who say are 15-15 who probably wouldnt see the placing side either. I believe that this would put a heck of a lot more signifigance on state qualifer status. Also there was a time when only the top 4 placed at state. I realize that flaws could be found, but if you get enough people around that can see the bigger picture than anything can get fixed

There used to be regional, sub state, and then state. Only eight made it to state in 5A and 6A. Honestly, with only 2.5million inhabitants, we should combine 5A with 6A and then 4A and 321A so that we only have two state champions. In Wisconsin they have three and they have more than twice the population of Kansas. Missouri has 4 classifications and nearly double the population. In the 50's and 60's we crowned only one state champ, then in the late 60's we divided up the state into two classifications, in the 70's we kept carving them up until we ended up with 6 classifications and four state champions. I have often wondered why this happened. No one should be able to just show up at a regional and be a state qualifier. That is embarassing to our state. Since not all of the brackets were made available I don't have access to the data but I was told that one of the 5A regionals had one bracket with 3, two with 4, and one with 5 wrestlers. To me this is very sad.

it is not a fluke to make it to state in 4A. That can be the case in 5A. Making it to state in 4A is an accomplishment in itself. When you come back next year and you are announced as state qualifier it means something, not in 5A. I 2 guys either win or place second in their regional who got it handed to them by guys from 4a with losing records. I say do something different than they are now, because it is not working.

So if you had two regionals for 5 and 6A would you advance the top 8 from each to the state tournament?

2 regionials, 4 qualifiers from each. reduce it to 8 state qualifiers total. 4A has one fourth of its teams go to state, 5A should do the same. Just imagine if 4a let half of its wrestlers go to state.

It is difficult to know what is the right percentage. Do you realize that many 6a schools have more students than a lot of 4a towns? There is a lot of talk about teams not being full, etc. but sometimes at these larger schools, the JV room has several guys who could qualify for state. I think 321a/4a v. 5a/6a is comparing apples and oranges.

If you look at the leavenworth regional at 189 lbs, there was only 4 wrestlers. I have seen this before numerous times. Usually it is at 103 or Heavweight. I also want to echo what was said earlier. 6 classe is rediculous. If one class was comprised of 1-3A, and the other was 4-6A, then I could see the need fow 16 man brackets. But if you want all 6 classes in the same venue then it would have to be 8 man brackets with subdistricts, and regionals thinning out the herd

That screws up the whole timetable though if you want to keep the tournament together. You really need 16 man brackets across the board.

Leavenworth 189 bracket was a fluke. Only 1 school had been open at that weight this year. At least one of the missing wrestlers suffered a season ending injury at League the week before.

How does that screw up the timetable?