Mixing up regionals

I think it is time we looked at how we assign regional formats. It is time to move away from the geography method and do a method that tries to get the best kids to the state tournament. There are several states that do a "returning state point" system to help divide the teams up so the top teams aren't in the same regional. Coaches are putting together a proposal and if you have any ideas or suggestions we would love to hear them.
Thanks,
Tate Lowe-Dodge City Wrestling

Couldn't agree more Coach Lowe! Been needing to happen for a very, very long time.

Truth.

Randy Streeter
Free State High School

Good luck!

We have rankings published often. Just make sure the top 10 is split up 5 in each regional and after that everyone else can be geographical.

Do we use the pre-season rankings to do that, or do we do the top 10 returning state points?

Rankings may be tough with how objective they can be. I know a lot of time go into them but no one is perfect when there's not always a lot of crossing the state during the season. It may be easier to use placement numbers from the previous year. Or use both to some extent, similar to the way NCAA does their allocations.

Using returning state points is fine with me. It doesn’t account for talented incoming freshmen but that’s still a better system than what we currently use.

I agree with Mr Mann. We will need alot of luck. This issue has be pitched to Kshsaa for decades and has fallen on deaf ears! They say the travel, out of school time and the expenses to the schools warrant them not mixing sides of the state up. And in addition to that, you would be hard pressed to find very many teams from out east that wants to take their chance in the "Western Half Meatgrinder"!! At one time the west teams offered to pay the expenses for the East teams to come west. Not much traction there!!
Now in defense of the "East" They are much more competative than say 15-20 years ago. I feel alot of that is due to more year round wrestling and more workout partners available out East. And the "Western Wrestling" influence that has migrated eastward with more and more coaches from out west moving east to teach and coach.
What could we pitch to Kshsaa that would peak their interest is the $64 question!!!

I've never understood the travel argument. Lawrence Free State is currently having to go out west....two years ago they and Lawrence both had to go to Garden City. Not much difference between Lawrence and KC.

How they put the regionals together should be changed, especially in 321A. Instead of how they currently do it, they could designate the host sites in December, and then have a rough idea on what teams will be at what tournament. In January, you assign the teams, and spread out the numbers in each regional so it's balanced across the board.

This is a lot of reading but is how Nebraska splits their regionals got straight from their NSAA handbook, they have almost the opposite issue with the small schools in that they do not want to travel east.
Anyway
ENJOY


2021 NSAA DISTRICTS
1. The NSAA will use the returning state points to determine district placement.
2. If the wrestler is a returning qualifier, and is not competing with the team but remains in the school, those
points will remain with the school for district placement.
3. REPORTING TRANSFERS: Starting in the 2020-2021 season, any school that has a student transfer that
was a state qualifier that scored points in the 2020 State Championships, is now required to report that
transfer to the NSAA office no later than October 1, 2020. Email rhigdon@nsaahome.org prior to the
October 1 deadline and the NSAA will transfer the wrestler’s respective points to the new school.
For the 2020-21 season there are:
31 schools in Class A
49 schools in Class B
64 schools in Class C
85 schools in Class D
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4. The penalty for not reporting those transfers can result in the coach not being able to coach at the district
tournament.
5. Any state qualifying wrestler that transfers into your school from another state will bring any points earned in
their respective state championship to the new school’s total state points.
6. Districts and district hosts will not be determined until after the deadline of reporting transfers to the NSAA.
This includes out-of-state transfers.
7. If a student transfers out of a Nebraska school to another state, any points that individual earned will be
subtracted from the team’s total points.
District Assignment Procedure
1. Classes A, B, C and D, are divided into four districts.
2. If a school decides not to compete after district assignments are made, no change will be made in district
assignments.
3. If two or more schools decide not to compete, or two or more schools close, consolidate, or enter into a
cooperative agreement, the districts may be adjusted to restore a near equal number of schools or to take
advantage of a reduction in travel distance.
4. District host sites are determined by the NSAA office based on interest shown from member schools indicating
they could host. All schools will be informed once District sites and dates are finalized.
Class A:
1. The top 80 schools will be classified in Classes A and B.
2. Class A schools are the schools registered for wrestling with a total enrollment of 850 or more. The
remaining schools of the top 80 will be Class B.
3. All Class A schools are assigned to four districts using a regular serpentine method with returning state
points as the main means of assignment. If team(s) have the same number of returning state points the
school with the most returning state qualifiers will be seeded higher. If teams have no returning state points
a draw will be used to place teams. Once the State Championship is concluded no further circumstances
will be considered. The school with the most returning state points is placed in District 1, the next most in
District 2, the next most in District 3, the next most in District 4, the next most back in District 4, the next
most in District 3 etc., until all schools are assigned.
Classes B, C and D:
1. The western most schools will make up the B4 district.
2. The remaining schools would be placed in districts by using a serpentine method with returning state points
as the main means of assignment. If teams have the same number of returning state points, the school with
the most returning state qualifiers will be placed next. If teams have returning qualifiers but no returning
points, the team with the greater number of qualifiers would be placed next. If teams are still tied, a draw
will be used to determine the team placed next. If team(s) have no returning points and no qualifiers, they
will be drawn into the remaining spots to fill the 12 teams in a district. Once the state championship is
concluded, no further circumstances will be considered. The school with the most returning state points is
placed in district B1, the next most in district B2, the next most in district B3, the next most back in district
B3, The next most in district B2, etc., until all teams are assigned.
3. The next 64 largest schools will be Class C and would be in 4 districts of 16.
4. The 16 western most schools will make up the C4 district.
5. The remaining schools would be placed in districts by using a serpentine method with returning state points
as the main means of assignment. If teams have the same number of returning state points, the school with
the most returning state qualifiers will be placed next. If teams have returning qualifiers but no returning
points, the team with the greater number of qualifiers would be placed next. If teams are still tied, a draw
will be used to determine the team placed next. If team(s) have no returning points and no qualifiers, they
will be drawn into the remaining spots to fill the 16 teams in a district. Once the state championship is
concluded, no further circumstances will be considered. The school with the most returning state points is
placed in district C1, the next most in district C2, the next most in district C3, the next most back in district
C3, The next most in district C2, etc., until all 64 teams are assigned.
6. The remaining schools will be class d and would be in 4 districts of equal or near-equal amounts.
7. The western-most schools, making up 25% of all of class D, will be in the D4 district.
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8. The remaining schools would be placed in districts by using a serpentine method with returning state points
as the main means of assignment. If teams have the same number of returning state points, the school with
the most returning state qualifiers will be placed next. If teams have returning qualifiers but no returning
points, the team with the greater number of qualifiers would be placed next. If teams are still tied, a draw
will be used to determine the team placed next. If team(s) have no returning points and no qualifiers, they
will be drawn into the remaining spots to fill the teams in a district. Once the state championship is
concluded, no further circumstances will be considered. The school with the most returning state points is
placed in district D1, the next most in district D2, the next most in district D3, the next most back in district
D3, The next most in district D2, etc., until all teams are assigned.

I believe Colorado uses a similar method but only does it out to like 8 teams. They spread the top 8 teams out amongst 4 regions (1/8, 2/7, 3/6, 4/5 together) and then pick a central location for regionals and then do geography off of that.

The travel argument should be thrown out. Either way people are going to have to travel! Besides when we travel to Garden City for the Welton the next closest event we go to is 3 hours away. What about proposing central locations for regional sites?

In my previous post concerning travel. we all travel during the regular season. Especially out west. We try to do what is best for our schools. My take on the travel dilemma was not directed at the member schools during the regular season. It was meant for the post-season, where Kshsaa does not want to burden member schools with all the "Expenses" that would come from traveling and staying across the state. This way Kshsaa won't get blamed for to making the schools spend a bunch of money to go out west or travel out east. That way their hands are clean.
You notice that they are mostly mute on how we conduct our regular season schedule and how much the schools are willing to pay to go places.

This year both sub states were in the middle of the state. You could have easily mixed up east and west teams. Have two super regionals like talked about in year's past. Find two locations/facilities near the middle of the state, and mix up east and west teams. Take the top 8 out of each super regional. Then you would for sure not be leaving any potential state placers at home. But, please don't use Minneapolis as one of those sites again.

I agree with this completely. I also feel like the Western half of the state preformed poorly at state because they went through a meat grinder 3 weeks in a row. And most importantly, Minneapolis doesnt host again.

I love the idea of splitting up 321a. I like either 2 super regionals with qualifying 8 from each site like 5a and 6a does. That way the best 16 wrestlers are at the state tournament. Or 4 regionals and splitting the top 8 returning team points. If you were to split it it would be. 1 Hoxie/8 Uniontown, 2 Hill City/7 Beloit, 3 Silver Lake/6 Mound City JayHawk Linn, and 4 Norton/5 Plainville.

Mr Greendog, that very point of having two sub-states close to the center of the state and crossing west and east was brought to the head of wrestling at kshsaa right after they came out with the post season format. He replied that there would be no cross bracketing of west to east period. And he also stated that good kids are left home every year from all around the state and that we don't always get the best kids to state. So here we sit. Some how the power needs to be equalized, if ya know what I mean!

Not that this fixes the issue with mixing up Regionals, but....Sabetha does have houses for sale. We also have good schools and good paying jobs! Any of those tough kids out west want to move to Sabetha, we have a place for you!

Ricky Creek

This is

The super regional is probably the only way it can happen at this point. At least it would ensure all of the probable medalists make the tournament. Good kids will still get left home, but the quality of the state tournament would hopefully go up!

I agree Ricky Wellsville is located 15 minutes from Olathe and 30 from KC all the jobs you could want.

That's one idea!!