LancerM -

Maturity has nothing to do with the way the DeSoto coaches acted on Saturday. Your actions reaked of immaturity, however. If you are going to make accusations, why don't you tell the entire true story?
First off - the only reason you were standing ten feet behind us is because I had already had to ask you and a few others to move back off the mat a few seconds earlier. Then, because this upset you so, you decided to talk trash the rest of the match with comments like "Leif is done" and other similar, unsportsmanlike comments directed at myself, Coach Jones, and our wrestler. At the end of the match, I turned and did ask the group behind me if they had ever been to a wrestling tournament before. I did not say "you don't stand behind the coaches and yell for the other guy." What I said was, "you don't stand behind the coaches and talk trash on their wrestler." I also said that everyone needed to be in the stands as the tournament director had requested "at least 15 times". However, in our short conversation, I do not remember your question in response asking me if I had ever coached before - it does sound really cool, though, now that you have had time to consider a response. Instead, you simply said that you were cheering on your teammate. If that was your goal, then I guess we just disagree on what is cheering and what is trash-talking.

This scence could have taken away from an excellent, hard-fought match between two great wrestlers. Ryan, Coach Sonderegger, and the entire, current SME team showed nothing but class throughout the tournament and it is a shame that this event even had to take place. To avoid future conflicts, I suggest you find a seat in the stands (where there was plenty of room) along with all of the other spectators. I did not mean to "yell" at you like you stated I did. If I did, in fact, raise my voice too loudly for your taste, I apologize - the heat of the moment may have played into that.

Hopefully, not many were impacted by this scene and it did not take too much away from a quality finals match between Leif and Ryan.

Allen Terrell
De Soto High School