OK Props to J.D. -- it was a hard decision. It is always a hard decision, to think that I just sit back and throw together some names is an insult! First and foremost understand that I wrestled in high school, albeit very poorly, but I was and am and always will be a wrestler and a huge wrestling fan. Without a doubt the decisions at 130 and 140 were extremely difficult. Honestly, the decision at 160 wasn't all that tough because Hausserman beat Gardner this year. They weren't in the same state tournament. Had Hausserman still be in 3-2-1A this year, I have little doubt that he would be a state champion this year. He wasn't in 3-2-1A, but he is the best 160-pounder from North Central and Northwest Kansas this year and those are the wrestlers that are considered for All-Area.
140, we eventually came to the conclusion that we would not make a decision and named both Eric Johnson and Shawn Drennan because there was no way to determine between the two of them. They had almost identical records, they have never wrestled and they are both state champions. Johnson had the intangible of being a two-time state champion but Drennan had the intangible of defeating Pyle at state. It was a draw, we went with a tie.
At 130 I went back and forth but decided that Lukas Zouzas was the top wrestler at this point in time but Travis Martin, Nick Johnson and Zouzas were all outstanding this year. We don't simply look at the state tournament, that is obvious by our selection at 160. But you have to give it a lot of weight. It is the most recent tournament you have to judge wrestlers on. It is the tournament used to crown the person who will forever be known as a state champion, which is undoubtedly the goal of every wrestler that steps on to a mat back in November. If two wrestlers meet up at state there is no way that I am going to go against the winner there. That is the most recent match, it is undoubtedly the most important of the year and when all things are considered there is going to be a lot of weight put into what happens at the state tournament. Therefore I put Johnson on the second team and Casual Observer's son, Travis Martin, on honorable mention. It was, and is, the proper choice for this year.

As for Les Brown's comments that we give extra weight to Saline County athletes, I have to disagree. When it comes to coverage we have to give extra weight to Saline County events, but when it comes to All-Area teams, we try to look at it on an even playing field. Zouzas was selected as the top wrestler at 130 because I believe him to be just that, the fact that he is from Salina South had nothing, absolutely nothing to do with it outside of the fact that Salina South is in our readership area. As for the selection of Wes Harding way back when, I can't speak for that. I was still in high school at that point counting lights inside some gymnasium somewhere as a referees hand slapped a mat once again. But for the past three years, the amount of time I have been in charge of selecting All-Area teams I have never, and I mean never, given extra credence to a Saline County athlete for an all-area team. Zouzas deserved it, he was on the all-area team.

Thank you for letting me vent,
Christian D Orr