I want to highlight a point about a regional from last year-to preclude it happening again this year.

The 5A Regional at KC Bishop Miege sent regional wrestlers to State who did not win a regional match, and several wrestlers who won only one match. Why? Lots and lots of openings in about every weight bracket.

Not fair to lots of wreslers in every weight class in every regional in every classification. Should have to work, and work hard to get to STATE.

Should be a provision that all state qualifiers have to have won at least one regional match. If no qualifier, than have a procedure to identify and select a non qualifing wrestler in the same weight class in another regional to fill the vacancy. Would also use such a procedure to fill out State bracket vacancies due to injuries and DQs at region.

Added. May also look at breaking up regionals that geographically have a lot of schools with small teams (i.e. lots of opens) by cross assigning/sending some of those schools to another near by regional. I will not mention schools or districts, but I think everyone knows who I am talking about.

I also know of a kid who ended the season with a 38-6 record. 5 of the 6 losses were to kids who placed in the top 4 at state and the other to a state qualifier. This wrestler went 3-2 at regionals and did not qualify for state.

i don't think that you will find a PERFECT solution, someone, somewhere will always feel slighted. i agree i looks bad when a wrestler makes it to state with a sub-par record. the problem is if you move regionals, or "break" them up there might still be a wrestler who wudda cudda shudda made it, but didn't. i think the system the way it stands is the best that it can be, you will always find a problem, be it with a certain team, regional, weight class, or individual, the main thing is the top 6 at state are still the top 6- that day. it is a cop out to believe anything else, if you wudda cudda shudda, doesn't put medals around necks or plaques on the wall, HARD WORK, AND PERFORMANCE DOES, THAT'S WHY WRESTLING IS WHAT IT IS.

If we are all satisfied with SuckerPunch's response then we should hear no more about the inequities and unfairness in getting to State as 1/2/3/4A wrestlers (one out of 4) and 5A and 6A wrestlers (1 out of 2).

For the next two years I am more concerned about saving programs that might be lost than making regionals equatable. Our sport along with others might be staring down the barrel of some very challenging times.

After wrestling 4A out West and coaching wrestling 4A out East, all I can say is "it is what it is"

We are getting closer! only two more responses to go! yea

here's a better stat for you, only the top 6 place,used to be top 4. it doesn't matter where you are from (east/west- big school/small school). sure the small schools have a 16 team regional, they also play one more game in football playoffs, but i don't see them lining up to call out hutch because they didn't play that extra game. if it sounds like i am comparing apples to oranges, you guessed it that's my point, that's what comparing east/west/big/small is. i never hear this argument after kids state when, east/west/big/small is all mixed. when the match is over, the smoke has cleared, the hand is raised, i'll bet it's just like tossing a quarter 100 times 50/50.

We could go back to 16 man regional, eight man state for 5A and 6A, seed the top four.

Not sure I understand a couple of the posts sinc my post about the 2008 BM 5A regional sending wrestlers to State who did not win a matc at region. My local HS had at least one, if not two, wrestlers go to state without a win. Still do not think that was fair to a lot of good wrestlers in all weight classes everywhere who wrestled down to the wire but got eliminated deep in the backside. Not everyone gets to State, but those who do should have earned it.

As for not having a repeat of the BM regional this season, split the 3-5 inner city KC schools with small wrestling squads to the other KC/east Kansas 5A regional, or perhaps assign one school to the Topeka/Central KS regional.

I am not knocking any of the KC inner city schools and athletes---my wife is a counselor at one of these schools. These athletes, coaches, and parents all work hard and support their programs in all sports. As I recall last year, it was not kids from these city schools who back-doored into State, it was kids from suburban schools with big squads who filled their team's opens with JV wrestlers--who then got wiped out in the first round at State.

i know that it doesn't seem fair, but you can't have an invitational state championship. you don't win matches unless you wrestle them. i know that some guys will go out and lose when they should have won, and others will win when they should have lost. i know that doesn't seem fair. i know that it doesn't seem fair to throw a jv kid in there and some kid on the other side of the state is a better wrestler than he is. bottom line is if you can't make it out of your regional you won't place at state. you are making a statement for the "other rans" i'm making sure that no one is taking anything away from a state placer just because they don't think life/regionals are fair. i'm not sure that you can come up with anything else, i know you make it sound easy, in your post. BUT WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO DO WHEN WRESTLER #1 FROM THE INNER CITY SCHOOLS GOES TO THE TOPEKA REGIONAL AND GETS BEAT OUT, AND WRESTLER #2 GOES TO THE KC REGIONAL MAKES IT IN, BUT IT'S NOT "FAIR" BECAUSE WRESTLER #1 IS 5-0 AGAINST WRESTLER #2? its the old argument to "prepare the child for the path, not the path for the child"

This would be so much more fun if the 5A and 6a were released!

We would have hard data to complain about. As it is now it is just last years frustrations.

i know they are "only" rankings, but chiefs rankings as they stand today (12-22), small schools have 72 and big schools have 69. two days ago it was big schools 73/small 70 (there are some ties). about as close to my 50/50 prediction as you can get.

unbelievably there are some things that "just don't seem fair!" for instance @119 8 wrestlers are from big schools, 5 from 5a, 3 from same regional(if they stay the same from last year). here we got some kid ranked in the top 3 all class that may be lucky to get 3rd at his regional.

i don't understand the complaints because i believe (in all aspects of my life) that things will all come out in the wash.
now- if you don't use stain fighters (hard work/ dedication) your clothes WILL be more stained the the fellow who did. now who can we blame? i know the washing machine company.

Made it back from Western Kansas and the Snirt- Snow and dirt!

I wonder if our glorious leaders have made it back to work and will release another update on why they have not found a place to hold 6a and 5a regionals?

If 5A & 6A don't have Regional Assignments, why not let everyone qualify and duke it out at the new Intrust Arena? Seriously, put a 32 man bracket per weight and go from there. Seed by regions (North, South, East & West)and record. Determine a "true" champion. What do you think?

I would be all for the 5 & 6A schools finding the snags in the downtown parking system prior to my attending an event at the new arena.

Lets do it!

lets do something!

Why not let another school that isn't that classification host it? I mean if the class itself doesn't want to host it, why make them?

Class 5A – Saturday, February 20, 2010

Kansas City-Turner High School – Garold Baker & Peter Sierant, Regional Managers
Kansas City-FL Schlagle, Kansas City-Harmon, Kansas City-Turner, Kansas City-Washington, Kansas City-Wyandotte, Lansing, Overland Park-St. Thomas Aquinas, Shawnee Mission-Bishop Miege

Newton High School – Brian Engelken, Regional Manager
Andover, Great Bend, Hays, Hutchinson, McPherson, Newton, Salina-Central, Salina-South

Tecumseh-Shawnee Heights High School – Warren Watson & Rob Dennison, Regional Managers
Bonner Springs, Emporia, Gardner--Gardner-Edgerton, Shawnee-Mill Valley, Tecumseh-Shawnee Heights, Topeka-Highland Park, Topeka-Seaman, Topeka-West

Wichita-Bishop Carroll High School – Slade La Munyon, Regional Manager
Andover-Central, Arkansas City, Liberal, Pittsburg, Wichita-Bishop Carroll, Wichita-Kapaun Mt. Carmel, Wichita-West, Winfield