If anyone watched the finals match between Sutton-Kearn and Strawn..Was the ref in the right for calling the stalling with 1 second in overtime..In my opinion sutton-kearn was going most the match and strawn was stalling..but I might have missed something

Did not see that match, but did see one earlier in the day when the official awarded a stalling point with 3 seconds left in regulation in what was a tie match. The coach sitting with me said "Thats a tough call, I think he should let that go a few more seconds, and let the wrestlers decide it in overtime"..

Watching this match was excellent. I was hoping for the double OT, but at the same time felt that the stalling call was correct. The last 20 seconds of the Match it seemed like Kearn was ready for his choice in the double.

thats probably some of the biggest crap I have ever seen, It's like an unwritten rule that you don't call stalling in overtime, especially with 1 second left... No doubt in my mind that Kearn would have won, because he would have gotten off bottom no problem.. and I don't think it was stalling i think he was using his head, and making a very smart move. That is my opinion on the match!

I saw a double OT match where all the top guy did was clamp onto an ankle and refuse to let go. The bottom man was kicking like a donkey trying to get free. The top guy just clung to him and wasn't even trying to take him down. Looked liked stalling but it wasn't called and the bottom wrestler (Averson) lost to Mundy.

I have not bothered to come on here and log on to make a comment for years. But, I want to congratulate Sutton-Kern for an outstanding performance in that match. Maybe some people want to believe that a very good wrestler and nice kid by the name of Strawn won that State Championship, because the guy wearing the striped shirt took him to the center of the mat and held up his hand. I will not give a title to the class of idiot that made that call that determined that match. He would surely be a disgrace to the term "official". I and most of the others watching that match know that Sutton-Kearn was not awarded points he had earned earlier in the match. He had a reversal and backpoints coming and never got anything when he reversed Strawn and held him on his back for long enough to get 3 backpoints, if it were awarded same as in other matches in the day. Then, another obvious take down took place, and the two bungling striped shirts had to conference on that call before finally giving him the very obvious points. During the entire match Sutton-Kearn was attaching and taking the match to Strawn. He was the obvious aggressive wrestler throughout the match. On the other-hand, Strawn looked winded and was trapping Sutton-Kearns hands in tie ups..and clamping down on them so Kearn could not get his hands out to hit a move. That was the most obvious stalling call there was if you were going to call stalling. Sutton-Kearn was doing everything he could do to get his arms free from Strawns grasp and every time he would pull back, Strawn would step with him..to hang onto his arms, taking advantage of his much bigger height, to keep Kearns from hitting a takedown shot. Now, if you are going to call stalling, it had to be on Strawn, he was the only wrestler in that match that was not consitantly aggressive. If they, infact, called Kearn for fleeing the mat, that is even more crazy. He was doing everything he could do to keep Strawn in the middle of the mat and hit takedown moves on him the whole match. I bet that 90% of the people watching that match know that Kearn actually won that match, as I do, if it had been officiated impartially and honestly and professionally. It was NOT! And, I think it is a real shame when other officials are laughing and going over to that idiot that made that call, and congratulated him after the match. They should have been ashamed that he actually represented "officiating". There were several officials in that tournament who should never be hired to officiate even a kids tournament. They would show favored, inconsistant calls in matches, like when a kid on the bottom works for 15 or 20 seconds to get himself in position to make an escape, and as soon as he does it..and starts to make his move to get out, the official would blow the whistle and call it a "STALEMATE". But, the 2 officials in the 189 Championmatch did such a disgraceful job, no other official should ever want to be associated with them. No school should ever hire them if they want good, honest, by-the-rules, unbiased and fair, respectible officiating. Congratulations to Sutton-Keans...a STATE CHAMPION to all of us who understand and watched that match. We know who the obvious winner was.

Chucknoller: To answer your question it was not fleeing the mat that the official called it was stalling on Kearn, which was the second, and Strawn was awarded a point. The warning occurred earlier in the match when Strawn was running a spiral half, which Kearn was fighting off and was warned for stalling another bad call.

mtisch: Well said; however I don't think that stalling should have been called on either wrestler.

This was the most action packed match I have watched in a long time. One wrestler would hit a move in which would send the match into a scramble of counters some Strawn won some Kearn won. I mean what a great match to watch and then an official in my opinion over stepped his bounds and decided a match that he didn't need to decide. It was like watching a great action packed move and then it ends before anything was decided. Not only did the official ruin a great match he sucked the excitement and atmosphere out of the gym.

On the other hand I didn't think Strawn deserved to be booed on the medal stand because he wasn't the bonehead that screwed up. He is well deserving of a medal I would think he even felt a little cheated.

Thats crap you cant take anything from strawn its not his fault that the ref made a bad call. and him getting booed for that made me sick.

mtisch:
Let me start by saying I was there and I am an unbiased observer not rooting for either wrestler. With that in mind consider the following:

I think you may be reacting with a little too much emotion regarding your criticism of the official. He is a very good official and he made a very tough call. It's one thing to criticize the call, but to question his skill as an official is way overboard. I honestly don't know if I could make that call even though it was obvious Sutton-Kearn was backing out of bounds on 3 consecutive times.

Answer the following questions for me: At the end of the 2nd period, when Strawn was on his back... How much time was on the clock? Was there any time at all? Was there 5 seconds? I was there and I honestly don't know. The assistant referee missed the end of the match and another alert official on the side stepped in and stopped the action.

Secondly, to criticize the officials for conferring at the end of the match to send it into overtime is asinine. That is the reason for an assistant offical. They are there to get it right and I don't care what you say, it is very important to have an assistant official in matches of such importance for that very reason.

Both wrestlers wrestled an extremly tough match and it is a shame that anyone had to lose. You can criticize the call, but trust me the officials on the mat are experience good officials who will definately keep the turn of events in mind the next time they encounter a similar situation. It took alot of guts to make that call.

I agree, Strawn is a great wrestler and a great kid. It was not his fault that the officiating was so bad in his match. Yes, I am sure he does feel cheated having to accept a win like that. As much as I like him and his awesome wrestling ability, quickness and agility at his size, I do believe that in this match he was outwrestled for once. I believe that Sutton-Kearn was consistantly aggressive all match long. There was not one second I ever saw Sutton-Kearn doing anything to stale action in the entire match. Ont the other hand, it was very obvious that Strawn was locking Sutton-Kearns hands and arms up in tieups to eat time off the clock on several occasions. So, if anyone should have received a penalty for stalling it was not Sutton-Kearn. I watched their regional match also. They wrestle very tough. I think they are both great wrestlers, but I do not believe this match should have actually been that close if earlier points had been awarded correctly in the first place. And, since Sutton-Kearn was cheated out of maybe as many as 5 points in one ealier reversal and backpoint situation, then kept coming and working his butt off to keep coming from behind, only to have the striped shirts abuse the sportmanship ethics of the whole activity is a disgrace. It is too bad there is not a board that could remove those kinds of people(pretending to be "officials") from participation in sports. They are a disgrace to all the ethics we are trying to teach young men and spectators in all sports. To take the opportunity to win away from a kid who worked so hard to overcome such awful abusive "officiating" lack-of-ethical conduct, is really a big disappointment to all of us who like to see the results of the sport..not the ego of an idiot in a stiped shirt who, obviously has no respect for the rules and ethics of the sport.

I believe the OFFICIAL ETHICS RULES state that an official is not suppose to make a discretionary call that will take the match away from the competition on the mat, in the closing minutes or seconds of close matches in important tournaments. Is a STATE CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH an important match? The only wrestler that did any stalling activity in the match, won because stalling was called on his opponent, who was always aggressive throughout the match...so the call was wrong. Was that a "discretionary call"? Was that call made in the closing seconds of an important match? Did that call determine the outcome of the State Championship match? Because if that call was a "discretionary call" made in the final seconds of a close match in an important tournament, IT IS A BLANTANT VIOLATION OF THE OFFICIALS CODE OF ETHICS that is distributed to all Kansas Officials and that they agree to abide by. That is why I think the 2 sriped shirts in that match should never officiate even a kids tournament in Kansas again. Because it is a violation of the OFFICIALS CODE OF ETHICS to even make that call. Guts...yes that guy in the sriped shirt has guts....and no ethics and brains and respectibility for anything but his over-blown ego. It is a disgrace for other officials to pat him on the back and support him for being so unethical.

sutton-kearn was stalling several times in the match that were not called and should have been had the refs been reffing the match and not watching it. they awarded 4 or 5 points after time had expired in the second period. Strawn won fair and square.

You know its comments like this that really make me mad as an official. I didn't get to see the match so I don't know what I would have called had I been there. But when people say things like this, it really makes me realize why there is so much complaining about officials.

It happens because spectators and coaches ASSUME
that there are exceptions to rules, and that there are "unwritten rules". There IS however a rule in the rule book that states that officials shall do their job to the spirit of the letter. Bascially saying that we don't make our own rules we follow the ones in the rule book.

In the judgement of the official on that mat Kearns was stalling, he recognized it and awared like he should have. If he was looking at the match and saying in his mind "Gee I think this guy is stalling.... but there are only 10 seconds left in the match im not going to call it" Then he has not done his job PERIOD.

Alright mtisch, I've got to correct you. I think your taking this way overboard. This ref is in my opinion one of the best in Kansas. I know him and know he definitely didn't want to make the call. I also know both Jesse and Chris. Chris over the years has become a pretty good friend of mine and I have a ton of respect for all the people on the mat. (officials included)

Now about the match. I was on the floor, pretty close to the action on the mat. You may have even seen me jumping around at the end of the second and third periods in the Newman shirt and OSU hat in front of the Abilene crowd.

During the first period, with 40 seconds left, Chris was called for his first stalling. After getting takendown he just hung out on bottom while Strawn worked to break him down. I think he deserved to have the stall called against him.

At the end of he 2nd period, when you say there was up to 5 missed points. Chris got the reversal points, and in my opinion thats what he deserved. There was only 10 or 11 seconds when Strawn got the takedown, and I really don't see it possible for Chris to have gotten the reversal fast enough for back points. I was standing next to Isaac Wall, and he started counting down out loud from 5 seconds, and Chris got the reversal right when Isaac said 1, which means there was not enough time for back points.

Now at the end of the 3rd period. Chris threw an insane headlock with only a couple of seconds left. BUT, Jesse scrambled out of it and ended up on top out of bounds . This is what the refs discussed. Did Jesse get the reversal, did Chris never have control, when did time expire. I feel they called it the right way and gave the takedown to Chris and that was it.

Now for overtime. The first 15 seconds were definitely action packed, with Chris scrambling out of a near takedown. After this, Strawn shot, Chris locked up somewhat of a front headlock and let Jesse push him out of bounds. They went back to the center, same thing happened and they came back to the center with a short amount of time left. This time going back to the center though, the ref told Chris if you do that again, I'm going to have to call stalling on you. As soon as the whistle blew Chris just held on and got pushed around again. So the ref had to call stalling. I talked to the ref of the match for quite a while afterwards, and he did not want to make the call. But he had to.

In an awesome display of sportsmanship, Chris agreed with the call. Noone on the mat wanted it to end that way, including Jesse or the official but it did and everyone needs to accept that. The ref did not decide the match, the wrestlers did. I agree with every call made in the match.

Congrats to both wrestlers and job well done to the officials. It was a great, exciting, and intense match.

Nigel I just hope mtisch isn't anybody from your hometown. It is embarrassing that someone says a stalling shouldn't be called in OT...maybe a fall shouldn't be called either then.

I do not have a problem with a stalling call anytime if it is a good call. This was, however, a great match ruined by a horible job by the official. That official is a total joke and sucked all weekend. He has short man's syndrome that wants everyone to notice him. Guys like that official RUIN this sport. Period.

Curtis-

i really enjoyed your detailed explaination of what happened. Thank you.

Curtis: I don't know if I agree with you somebody gets me in a front head lock and an under hook when I am on my feet I am not going to push into him at all because the result would have been me being tossed to my back. It wasn't like he just ran out. Strawn locked him up, Kearn slowly moved back trying to avoid getting tossed Strawn trying to gain position. Then came the bad call.

If this is one of the best officials in Kansas then we have some serious issues. This is the same guy that in the Peterson Dooley match called Dooley for fleeing the mat because Peterson hit a stand up and started running straight out of bounds. He said Dooley pushed him out and dinged Dooley for he point. Which by the way screwed Dooley out of a state medal. Two calls costing two Concordia wrestlers.

I must have been close to Curtis, because I was on the floor between the Ulysses and Abilene sections...I did not hear any conversation between officials and wrestlers, but if they had been verbally warned to stay in the circle and stepped back out, then in my opinion the call was justified. NO ONE in the gym, officials included, wanted to see the match end that way. Both of those kids have great futures in the sport, and it would be great to see how they could do at Nationals in a few weeks. It was the best finals match that I have ever seen at 189, and that covers quite a few years.

Anybody who thinks that call was even decent has no clue what wrestling is. The call was bogus and the officiating in that match and many others at Salina was horrible.