I posted this under another topic a couple of days ago. Want to get it to the forfront for comment so reposting it under its own topic.

Wrestling community, especially 4A folks, have been beating a dead horse for years on combining 6A and 5A--supposedly unfair odds for 4A and 321A wrestlers-1 in 4- relative to 1 in 2 5A and 6A wrestlers- to get to state. Now someone advocates, best I can tell, to cut the number of 5A and 6A schools INVITED to attend a regional---or reduce the number of 5a and 6A regionals to 2--or recuce the number of 5a and 6A wrestlers at state to 8 per weight class.

Let me propose a change I have not seen on this forum. Revise 6A-5A-4A classes (for wrestliung only) to 48 schools in each class. Combine the largest 16 5A schools with the 32 6A schools for a new 48 school 6A wrestling class; combine the remaining 16 smallest 5A schools with the largest 32 4A schools for a new 48 school 5A class; combine the smallest 32 4A schools with the 16 largest 3A schools for a new 48 school 4A class. I think these 3 classes each with 48 schools provides for a better, more equitable split by enrollment numbers. Do not think taking the 16 largest 3A schools to 4A materially affects the 321A State.

Hold four 12 team regionals in each class, with 16 place brackets in each 6A, 5A, and 4A class. You would have to have 4 opens/byes in all opening rounds in each regional---happens in many 5A and 6A regional already. As for seeding at regionals--seed the top 4 in each weight-seed the remaing 8 entrants by a draw. Also, seriously consider haveing the 1, 2, 3, 4 top seeds have to wrestle the opening round. In each weight class place 2 opens/byes in the middle brackets of the top half, and place 2 opens/byes in the middle brackets of the bottom half. In this seeding system the top 4 seeds all would have an open round match. Have read complaints that top seeds getting opening round byes robs team points from the school of the top seeded wrestlers????? true or not??

The three 48 school classes levels the playing field and evens the odds on getting to State--at least in the three classes--does not address any inequity in 321A. If we are going to do something, it will have to be unique or KSHSAA won't consider it.

Does this make sense? Think about it!! Comments!!


Bill Mason Lansing