gutwrench1 was a volunteer youth wrestling coach in Wyandotte County (Kansas), as well as a high school coach in NE Kansas.

To be sure, gutwrench1 comments were controversial however, as I recall, gutwrench1 resume included earning NCAA Division I All-American status and gutwrench1 may still hold the record for most wins in a season at his alma mater.

While I can not speak for gutwrench1 I feel confident in saying he would be pleased to see quality wrestling on both sides of the border.

Gutwrench1 was often very controversial (he definitely really upset me with a couple of his zingers) but he also had some great posts and I have to admit that he also was a major inspirational factor in that big 2006 Metro Classic victory. His topics on what it takes to become a high school state champion were some of the best topics and posts that I have read on this forum. I miss those types of posts from him and even some of his less controversial but still biting motivational posts for our Kansas Metro wrestlers and coaches as they prepared to battle the Missouri Metro wrestlers and coaches before the annual classic.

Just crunching a few numbers!

In the 17 years this event has been wrestled, there have been 229 matches competed. Missouri has won 123 and Kansas 106.

Kansas has been represented by 54 different school and Missouri, 43. (Kansas by rule, is allowed a wider radius than Missouri is, because of the difference in population)

Kansas schools that have been represented, 10 or more times:

school W/L

Blue Valley 5-6
Blue Valley North 7-3
Paola 7-3
St. Thomas Aquinas 4-8
Wyandotte 5-5

Missouri schools that have been represented, 10 or more times:

Blue Springs 11-8
Kearney 4-6
Lee's Summit 5-7
Oak Grove 15-8
Oak Park 20-4
Park Hill 12-7
Platte County 10-5
Raymore-Peculiar 7-7

I'm not sure what this all means other than this ... the Missouri side, has the traditionally stronger teams in the Metro.

What do you think?

Randy,

You might be using last year's numbers but Aquinas is now 5-8.

As far as what it all means though. Yes Missouri has some traditionally very strong teams that have done very well in this event. Oak Park, Oak Grove, Park Hill, and Platte County have led the way for them. Those teams still have good programs.

Overall though the margin of matches is not that great and I think the dual team margin is only 9 to 8 in favor of Missouri. Here is what I like though. First we have won 3 of the last 4. Not by big margins but still we have won three close duals out of four. Also I really liked that the overall energy of the Kansas crowd and even attendance seemed stronger on the Kansas side. I also like a resurgence that I am starting to see in our area of year around wrestling at the high school level. I think things like Baker University starting a college wrestling program in our area, Will Cokeley's barn, the freestyle program that has been going at St. James Academy, the summer wrestling folkstyle league, the Aquinas program is starting a freestyle program on March 30th, the return of experienced good ex-high school wrestlers like Alex Red Corn, Clint Slyter, Adam Venegas, Josh Carroll to name a few as coaches with their youthful energy and enthusiam are all contributing to this resurgence. You may disagree with me but I did not feel that Missouri was as dominant over Kansas on their feet as they were a few years back during their dominant period in this event. Another thing I like is the committment of the Kansas side organizers and coaches who are doing a great job in putting Kansas' best team possible on the mat and getting them ready to win.

In summary I am optimistic that Kansas will have more than its share of success in the next few years in this event and I think we are maybe starting to see a resurgence in the development of the old East Kansas Wrestling Club in our area.

I just think it runs in cycles and we have sort of evened up a bit with them. I am under no illusions about the MO side though, they will be back and they will remain tough there are just so many traditionally strong programs over there that it will swing back and forth for enternity or as long as we do this thing. I am totally impressed with the job our guys (coaches that worked with the kids) do readying them for this particular match and the style of the Missouri kids. I really think that has been the biggest difference in us the last four or five years. Hey we needed to make a comeback to keep it interesting and we have. Hopefully we can stay at it but they will be right back, I don't delude myself. I have gained much respect for the Missouri kids and coaches and I say that grudgingly lol.

Let me echo what Randy has said, Missouri coaches and athletes are top notch. Kansas coaches have done a great job getting our team ready the last few years, but the Missouri guys will bring their "A" game every year. I am encouraged with Kansas' ability to compete well with our eastern neighbors the last few years when their programs have been producing some of the top high school wrestlers in the nation.

An absolute mystery as to who might win is one of the reasons this event has become so popular. Of course, a state to state rivalry that is over one hundred and fifty years old and a sport that is extremely combative in nature doesn't hurt either.

Gary Ulmer

Looking at the wrestlers for next year on the Missouri side
from Park Hill:
Allan Waters 119 this year 1st 3X
Caleb Friedly 135 3rd
Johnny Eblen 171 2nd
Hayden Bock 189 2nd
predicting they all move up one weight. All were in the finals this year except for Friedly

I'm sure to miss many Kansas wrestlers but here are some that may contribute to the Classic next year.

Trevor Boyer - MV - State Champion
Parker Madl - State Champion
Lucas Vincent - State Champion
Todd Curtis - GE - 2nd
Nick Pearch - BV - 2nd
Bryce Hood - LOU - 3rd
Tripp Hiller - OS - 3rd
Cullen Demerest - LS - 3rd
David Blazevic - ON - 3rd
Mark Kolmer - EMP - 3rd
Jake Walker - STA - 6th

Eric,

Emporia is outside of Kansas' allowed reach (70 miles), but it would be nice. However, likely the above will be a great group to start the committee thinking for next year. Maybe Kansas can indeed pull off another win.

Gary Ulmer

Gary,

I thought it was 100 miles? Has that changed? Silver Lake is 84 miles?

Eric,

No! 70 miles as the crow flies. Driven in a car Silver Lake is 84 miles, but an arc drawn from KC puts Silver Lake right on the line depending where you place the point of the compass and use a big leaded pencil. It is not a exact science for Kansas or Missouri (theirs is 50 miles), but Emporia is about 90 miles where ever you put the compass. Emporia would be a good source of talent, but a bit of a stretch.

The 70 vrs. 50 mile difference between the two states is to even up the school and student population differences between the two states.

Gary

70 miles from where? Who has the demographic data to support the student population balance? It is a great event but in NO WAY a true measure of Kansas Talent versus Missouri Talent. Their BEST metro area wrestler didn't even compete last week.

Sabetha KS has had several wrestlers in this tournament. I think its a hundred mile arc.

If Bailey would have wrestled 135, Missouri could have picked up an extra three points at the most since they won 135 anyway, so Kansas would have still had a narrow one point team victory. If Greg Curtis wrestled for Kansas, he may have also picked up Kansas some extra points that may have caused a bigger swing in Kansas' favor since Kansas did not win either of the 171 matches.

In general though, I agree that this meet is not a true measure of Missouri talent vs. Kansas talent. First of all it is a KC area metro meet not a state wide meet and second it is just for senior year class wrestlers. However, it was good to see three of our non Kansas state champions win their matches against Missouri state champions. Maybe that does indicate that Kansas City Kansas metro area wrestlers are not that far behind their KC Missouri area peers.

missouri won 6 of the first 8 metro classics. they also showed dominance with back 2 back 2 back wins from 03-05. kansas is 5-4 since 01 and 3-1 since 06. not saying there is a major swing in power but u can see kansas had made great strides since 1992. i agree with husker, from here on out these duals will be hotly contested. really dont believe we will see missouri win 6 of 8 again. or kansas for that matter. we're getting better kansas wrestling, and i'm proud of the efforts by all kansans

I probably should leave this alone but I wade in anyway. For those of you who seem to have some underlying beef with this meet IE: "Their BEST metro area wrestler didn't even compete last week" and other comments about mileage and underclassmen and on and on, we are what we are and what we were tasked to be from the beginning, a match of senior wrestlers from the Kansas and Missour side of the metro. Both teams have had kids from time to time that did not want to wrestle and that is fine. They have gone to Maryville and Clinton, we have gone to Silver Lake and Sabetha, sometimes we have to to make matches. We are not Junior Nationals, we are not a state wide dual, we are what we are and what we will continue to be. I think it has made for a wonderfully competive event that has been great for lots of kids. Sometimes you need to take things for what they are and not for what they are not. I know that seems difficult on here.

You know, Randy, sometimes you impress the hell out of me, but don't let that go to your head.

Everyone has to have a hero, I realize that.

You are right Coach Neil! About it going to his head. But Randy is also right. The meet was never meant to be a "measure" of Kansas wrestling, but instead it is and was meant to be a show case of metro wrestling, seniors at that. Once in a while we have a wrestler who cannot or will not wrestle and so does Missouri. Most of the time the seniors in the metro and its surrounding communities look forward to being asked to compete in this splendid event. Likely, Kansas could put together a better team if the whole state was included and so could Missouri, but as Randy says "It is what it is".

Gary Ulmer