Ok...I was looking at the thread on Top 10 wrestlers in the state and a bit baffled that a certain name was left off the list...while names like Zouzas, Kriegbaum, Garcia, Knox, Grater and others made the list of some...left out in nowheresville was a 3-2-1A wrestler by the name of Mat Gilliland of Hoxie...he's won 3 state titles thus far and it's hard not to count a guy like that on a top 10....so why is it that you think he doesn't get as much respect?

I think it is because every year there are several kids around his weight class in other class divisions that could beat him. However if you take those other guys mentioned they could dominate all the others around their weight class,and in other divisions unless of course they wrestle each other.

I think that is the reason also. I do believe he lost to Pruser, and Terrell beat Pruser in the state finals 7-0 or so. Yes Gilliand is good it's just that there are others who are better. Not quite top 10 material yet.

Pruser hasnt wrestled Gilliand. He was 130 last year, pruser and terrell were 135. You're probably thinking of Schippers from hoxie.

Regardless of who has beaten who, Gilliand has won when it counted most-- the state finals. He's done that for three years now and if he is "lucky" enough to fall into a weak bracket at state, eventually it would have run out and he will be beaten. But, until then, you can't take away from the kid's accomplishments on the mat.

Each wrestler that has been supported by his peers earned that support by excelling in the sport for at least one season. Colby should tell us a lot about how the "underrated " teams do against the bigger schools like the two Denver area schools, Kapaun mt. carmel, Hays, Santa Fe trail, etc. those teams can show way more than we can ever resolve here. we will see how the little guys do at that tournament against some of the 5/6A guys and then we'll know. THis is a dual tournament so that if there is anyone in mr. Gilliland's class that has any talent, they will wrestle. If mr. Gilliland wins, then it should be accepted that he is entitled to a little respect. If the guys from the big school win, then the abuse can continue.

What all teams are in that dual tournament again?

The redhead is my boy, and anyone talking smack on him prolly just wishes he was half the wrestler as gilliland. I wish I had half the talent he does in his pinky and I'd been great myself. Unfortunately I didn't, but thats beside the point. Gilliland has 3 state titles including 2 team titles and also won kids state and Reno this year. He's awesome and I'm looking forward to a spectacular year from him this year as well.

Mat was 30-6 as a freshman, with at least 3 (if not 4) of those losses coming at the hands of Norton's 2x champ J.B Harding. Mat went on to earn a win over the very talented Harding in the state finals that year. If my failing memory serves me correctly, Mat had a loss or two in the Beloit Tournament his freshman season too. But I can't remember to who - Charbonneau, maybe?

As a sophomore, Mat was 38-1 with his sole loss coming to Doug Hoover in the finals of the Hoxie Invitational. He then rattled off 35 in a row to win his second title that season. Mat did lose a 1 or 2 point match at kid's state that season to Earl Jones.

Last season he was 37-0, which is impressive to say the least when competing in the NWKL and picking up undefeated tournaments at the Colby Dual Tournament, Goodland Dual Tournament, Hoxie Invitational, Norton Invitational, Phillipsburg Invitational and Beloit Invitational.

Perhaps part of the reason that Mat does not get mentioned in this group by people who do not see him compete on a weekly basis is that his style is not flashy. He just goes out on the mat and grinds his opponent until he gets a takedown. And then he drills his opponent into the mat until he gets exposure points. He can beat you with a five point throw if he has to. But he is so technically sound that he usually has already done the same thing with a double leg followed by a basic half nelson before he got that far in his progression of shots.

And, while he can turn up the heat when he needs to, sometimes when he is done the final score of his match might be closer than one would expect. That score might surprise people reading the results in the paper, but those in attendance are able to see how he controls, smothers and frustrates a quality opponent. Mat can make a 4-1 or 7-2 match appear just as dominating as a fall or tech fall.

The best way in which to gauge how talented Mat truly is might be to watch him defeat a very talented wrestler and then observe what that opponent is able to do to everyone else in the bracket.

I have known Matt from the time he was just a little man and wrestled in Manhattan. This young man has been well coach over his years here and in Hoxie. Even as a kid Matt had the determination to improve day after day. He has the heart of a wrestling champion. Matt doesn’t have to prove anything to anybody. His peers will tell you that they want to compete against him, to be able say they wrestled the best the state has to offers. You don’t become a 3 timer without doing something outstanding on the mat. We just wish he still lived in Manhattan so there would be a couple state titles on our school walls. So give him BACK!!

hmmmm... 105-7 in three years with losses to Harding, Hoover , and (1or 2 points) jones....
I bet there are hundreds of wrestlers in Kansas that have that good of a record, eh? Likely that Manhattan start is responsible for most of his success.

Matt is a great wrestler and will more than likely be an undefeated state champ again this year, putting him in the elite class of the handful of 4x'ers we have. I just have a hard time putting him in the top ten until he proves himself at the national level like some of the other ones mentioned have. It would be nice to see him wrestle someone like Zousas, Hill, or Terrel this year. Oh well, I guess we will see how good he really is High School Nationals.

Good Luck to him, I hope he can silence all of us critics who, with out a doubt, have much less talent than Mr. Gilliand.

I don't think that he's unappreciated because that guy is a P.I.M.P.. He has under 10 losses in high school and is pretty widely known as a bad-a, so I'm not sure what these people are talking about. And yes, he is originally from The Hat, so he will be Nelly this year as well.

I would say so!!!
If you look at the rankings he isn't even on there?
I know there not done but wouldn't a three timer be the first one on them?
They have Lucas Zouzas at 135, that stinks!
I was hoping Jeremy Terrell and Zouzas could wrestle in the Senior Classic.
If Gilland goes 140 then maybe Jeremy could wrestle him at the Seinor Classic?

True Mat spent some time in Manhattan and this certainly influenced him, but his parents both grew up in Hoxie - so he is not a complete stranger to Hoxie wrestling.

His uncle Mike Gilliland was a 2X undefeated state champion in the early 80's.

And his dad, Doug, was in the running for a state title his too. Can't remember for sure, but I think maybe mono kept him from wrestling at state his senior season.

His Grandmother was my first grade teacher and I remember listening to the state tournament on the radio that year in her classroom.

Ahh.......those were the days - See Spot run and wrestling. Now that's a quality education!

Optimist Wrestling Forever Baby

Dear Les:

Speaking of "quality education", I must not have obtained one as I can not discern the following statement: What exactly do you mean?

As many of these rankings have been compiled by the high school peers of young Gilliland, I would say it has to do with lack of exposure.

While there have been fans who have complained about the combined 6A, 5A, 4A State Tournment, certainly one can not argue the athletes participating gain more exposure, as the attendance is simply higher, and the press from the larger metropolitan cities in Kansas provide coverage of the event.

Les, I never intended to say that Manhattan was his major influence; I was exposed to him at a young age and what joy. Matt does come from really good genes and the Hoxie connection doesn’t hurt. But as a child he had some very good practice partners, a stable of quality young coaches including his Dad. Also if you look at Manhattan wrestling as a whole there is a lot of western Kansas’s overtones in the high school boy’s style… Calculated, methodical, and pound you into submission.

parkwayred - No offense taken on my part, nor was my response intended to initiate any debate or hostility. Mat was certainly the beneficiary of the training partners and coaching he had access to while in Manhattan. I was merely pointing out that he has a lot of Hoxie heritage in him too.

Dear Mr. Salyer - My sentence was going to read .....in the running for a state title his senior season.... but that wouldn't have been quite accurate because Doug was pretty dog-gone tough during the prior years too, so I changed my wording a bit and left "his" in by mistake. Sorry to confuse you. Honest, it wasn't intentional.

Now for my penance –
1). I pledge to proofread better next time, Mr. Salyer.
2). I pledge to proofread better next time, Mr. Salyer.
3). I pledge to proofread better next time, Mr. Salyer.
…………
5000). I pledge to proofread better next time, Mr. Salyer.

When you say he is under-rated, I would have to ask by who? One or two guys who post their "opinion". I wouldn't call that a rating. Chances are they have never seen the kid wrestle. Everyone is entitled to an opinion and even I would rate people differently depending upon if I was rating the best technician? toughest kid? most competitive? most likely to win a match? different answer depending on the question but the best thing to do is include him in your opinion of the top ten. I don't expect I will even try to rate the best ten in the state and I have seen a lot of them. Even then it is pretty subjective, comparing weight classes etc.