Well, they don't have it right because they are a team sport and as such, they don't have the individual accomplishments that wrestling has. The most stirring accomplishments I have seen in this sport happened at times on the back sides of brackets. I watched Roberson win five in the back to take third in the NCAA's. I saw a Nebraska kid do the same thing one year. Those are simply incredible accomplishments. I know that placing in the top eight in the NCAA's are immense accomplishments and on a smaller scale but to those kids the same, the state tourney is very much the memory of some of their athletic lives.

At Basehor we wrestle for seventh and eight and those are often matches between state placers and at times include some state champions. To get on the podium at that meet is a battle well fought. I don't think wrestling has much to learn from basketball. There is challenge in those matches. Like some of the rest of you I don't think much of the true second challenge but I don't dislike it enough to really care. I think placing six at state was one of the best things that the state did in my time in coaching. Many times it stimulated young wrestlers and gave them the motivation to move up on the ladder the next year. We are in the business of building memories for these kids and there is nothing wrong with that reward of accomplishment in my view.