Yep mouse, you're correct - sleeping in a car sitting up for 12 hours is so much better than sleeping in your own bed.
I would also like you to pull up where I have posted about how we "seek" out the best competition. Dont post it if you cant back it please. I can put my foot in my mouth on my own without you making things up! Also,do your research on Colorado my friend. Taylor had returning state champs in his bracket, multiple other state top ranked kids, and the Nunez kid from New Mexico had put a loss on Taylor the last time they wrestled. His finals match was Colorados returning state Champ that was undefeated this year and finished last year with a record of 42-2. Yep, I guess he went in there because it was a cakewalk.

Ricky Bobby - Have to address your suggestion while I've got a good blood pressure rolling as well.
That is an idea...Surely in your next post your going to suggest that Gentzlers leave their team hanging this weekend and get out to Garden City as well. I know you'll want Beasley and Miller to jump in on the way by and since they should have room I know you will expect Deshazer to catch a ride also since they are all right there together. Really its not too far from Smith Center and Osborne so Rogers and Floyd can hook up with Madl and Anderson on 1-70 when they drive by.
OR a 2nd idea could be:
Moeder and Cokely can participate at the same tournament with their teammates and help them try to win a team trophy for all of their hardwork during the season. It seems to me that they are in the same wrestling room working just as hard as Taylor and Ryne are.

Solid post Tim. Go Thunder at SMN!

Mouse, all I can say is YOU HAVE GOT TO BE KIDDING ME!!!!!!!!!!

No one is more disappointed about the decision than I am. I have a plane ticket that takes me from LA to GC this Friday so I will be there. I grew up in Liberal and lots of my friends and my old coach make the drive to GC to watch Ryne as it is the only time he is near there.

For the record, they would miss two more days of school to attend GC. That would bring the total to nine missed days this month and I have a hard time putting up much of fight against staying in school this Thursday and Friday. Last time I checked the primary reason they are there is for academics, not wrestling. On top of this Coach Medina suffered a fractured orbital socket on Monday and is under strict orders not to travel, scream, blow his nose, bend over fast, etc.

For 13 years I have taken Ryne to find the best competition possible. Heck, he has 11 losses in HS so I think it is quite insulting to even hint that there is any competition dodging going on. This summer, due to a KS scale snafu, he was .4 over for GR in Fargo. He had a good chance at winning it at 130 but being nearly five under and a bit demoralized didn't leave him with much of a chance at 135. Did he sit until FS? Heck no! He went out and gave Ellis Coleman all he had during what I could only describe as a mat molesting. There is no running going on!

Two years ago only Ryne went to GC and many anonymous posters complained because our whole team didn't go (at that point we didn't have a single wrestler, other than Ryne, with more than 1 year of experience!!). Heck, just a couple of weeks ago Gary Seibel jumped on SJA because it seemed our team was only about two guys. Now it is ok to split up the team just because a few of you cowards (that is the only name I am going to use if you can't put your name on your post)want that? To what end?

My son and Taylor work hard and our families sacrifice much to help them work towards their goals. I am proud of the personal sacrifices they have made and it makes me sick to know that there are people that want to tear them down on this forum. They read this CRAP and I think it is time to stop all of the speculating and attacking. The decision was beyond their control.

Travel is tough on athletes, don't kid yourself, just ask any major sports team. How often do you hear how hard it is to win on the road? These are just kids you are talking about.

Before you throw stones, add up the miles your school travels and the days of school you or your team has missed. I will venture to guess they are not even close! Heck, Blue Valley doesn't even leave the metro area! Take a poke at them and your school before you insult our boys with these false accusations.

Good luck to everyone no matter where you are wrestling this weekend!

Perhaps the most "run to competition" wrestlers in the state. Which is why they are GREAT and will get "GREATER" .

I guess the two winks at the end of my first post were overlooked by some (complete sarcasm in that post)! Also, I never said you in particular. I believe my post said you guys plural which means more than one.

quote from mr johnson

The top two wrestlers in Kansas that seek out the toughest competition are Ryne Cokeley and Taylor Moeder.

I do have experience on long bus rides, I grew up in western KS. There is no such thing as a short ride for us. I guess riding a bus to KC, Topeka, Liberal, Paola, Phillipsburg, Wichita, and Garden City are all short trips. I did not realize a 65 mile trip was a short one and that would be our shortest trip in sports which would be to Hays, Hutch, or McPherson.

Anyone with half a brain would know that sleeping in a car isn't even remotely close to the same as sleeping in one's bed. You people get fired up over stuff way to easily!

I commend your son and Mr. Cokeley on searching for tough competition. I just would of liked to see them at this tournament, but as was stated in a previous post by mfe "What business is it of anybody other than Will and Tim, and the son's where they wrestle?"

As for being a coward, Mouse is my name. I have been involved with wrestling for 19 years from wrestling to coaching to officiating and anyone who has wrestled me has known me as Mouse. If you do not know me by Mouse my real name is Jared Chansler.

After watching the St. James kids for the first time at Derby its very clear that they dont dodge competition! They even go as far as to go up in wieght to wrestle the best competition they can find. Most high school kids worry about how tough thier bracket is while these kids find the toughest bracket and throw themselves in the middle of it in order to become better. Mouse should change his name to rat for posting such a statement.

I just wanted to see good wrestling And like mouse I didn't say anyones name. But I do know that Cokeley is the best at 145 and I wanted to see him wrestle Doizer in the championship match, just to see who would win. Taylor on the other hand I know would win this tournament, just from reading what he done at Newton. So please do not speculate that I was saying that these boys run I just wanted to the outcome at 145Ibs thats all

2coach - Taylor would have been a heavy underdog to Trujillo of New Mexico, and Snider would have been a slight favorite over Cokely.

Really, man those boys must be really awesome then. I would've liked to seen Cokeley and Doizer go at it. And Mr. Moeder I really was'nt meaning to sound that your boy was running from anyone cause I was not good luck to you guys and can't wait to see your boys wrestle...

Sorry that I hit a nerve with anyone for even suggesting that SJA split its team up to wrestle at Garden City this weekend. It just seems that this year teams in the smaller divisions are splitting up more than they use to just for the purpose of seeking out competition.

At the beginning of the year Norton went to two varsity tournaments and split the team to seek the best matchups. They performed quite well as I remember bringing home hardware from both tournaments. At the end of December Halstead sent its 3 best wrestlers to Bishop Carroll where Soward took 4th and the Thibaults both finished 2nd. To start the new year off Lamar from Silver Lake headed south to Derby where he showed his stuff and gave Daniel DeShazer all he wanted.

I would compare the situation similar to when ole' Frenchy, Jean Girad, left Formula 1 racing to come and meet me in the oval of doom, NASCAR. It really would have been nice to see those marquee matchups at 130 and 145 with the Colorado and New Mexico boys.

who did cokeley lose to in colorado

wow, what a bunch of bull. i have three sons who wrestle for st. james, one who started as a freshman now a junior, just now getting over mono. twins who started as sophmores, seniors now. they have taken a beating and lost a few matches and won a few matches. the experience they have gotten from the toughest schedule in the state will pay off. missing garden city, one was not the decision of the wrestlers them selves. but in retrospect probably a much needed break for most of the team. hopefully they can go to a local tournament, well rested and wrestle well, and wrestle at a high level due to what they have been trough. lets all remember that when we make our comments, we are talking about the young athletes, not grown men. thank you, bill vielhauer

Travis Himmelman from Conifer, CO.
He is a very solid kid who does very well on the national level and a Colorado state champion. He used to be in Taylors weight and they went back and forth. He grew along with Cokely and now they have gone back and forth as well ever since. He will most likely be a prime Div. 1 prospect his senior year.
If the weather permits, those that attend Garden City will get to see him there. He will be a force in that tournament at 140lbs.

ulysses isnt goin school was canceled

This thread is amazing. I know there was some sarcasm, but for those that think Moeder and Cokely (or SJA as a whole) are dodging anyone is humorous. I have no dog in the fight, but I think every reason given for them pulling out is legit. I only wonder why the schedule wasn't looked at prior to the season. If it's because of the injury to coach...good enough for me.

I can't speak for Coach Means, but even when I was coaching we discussed the fact that GC was just tough on our kids at this point in the season. At the time we had a several weeks of Thursday duals with 2 day tourneys following them. On top of that we were always questioned on why we didn't go to Newton, which would have been four two day tourneys in a row. Couldn't do it all, and can't please everyone.

Good luck to all that are lucky enough to wrestle this weekend!