Judging from the team scores in the last couple state tournaments, the answer remains "no". However, I believe slowly, but surely Eastern Kansas is making more of an impact in 3A wrestling. Here's why:

* Better kids programs: You see a lot more kids from small town Eastern Kansas kids wrestling clubs doing well. Building a strong kids program is vital.

* Better coaches: It's true. Incidently, how many of these coaches are former Western Kansas wrestlers? A lot. 3A Eastern Kansas wrestlers now know what a cradle is and how to apply it

* More interest and fan support: Every year it seems like a few more people from Eureka, Silver Lake, etc make the State Journey to Hays to support their teams.

* More kids. While Western Kansas population is shrinking, Eastern Kansas maintains or grows. This translates into more kids in school and larger wrestling participation. It can come down to a numbers thing.

My belief is Western Kansas will win State again (Norton) but Silver Lake is close. But because they're doing well this year doesnt mean they'll do well next year. They have some good seniors...can they reload like the Western Kansas schools? We've seen very good teams (Effingham with 2 state titles) and individuals from Eastern Kansas, but can multiple teams maintain long-term success?

no

I beleive it could happen with the right coach and town.

Not this year, next year maybe with Silver Lake but Western Kansas will have the upperhand for at least another decade as a whole, there will be good individual teams throughout there but St. Francis, Norton, and maybe Hoxie again will rise, but i see the quality across the state getting better as more people start to discover how much better wrestling is than basketball, Nick Newell of Beloit finally realized that after 3 years of basketball and how he's on his way to a State Place for sure and maybe a Title, his only loss this season is to Taplin, so just goes to show what once wrestlers turned basketball players can do but back to the topic Western will lead the way in 321A for at least another decade but that will slowly dwindle

Ale

Such arrogance could be your downfall...

The teams may be as good but the fan base and coverage will not be like it is out west. As good as our team is (Trail) we do good to get 1/4 the croud of a basketball game. Some of that is our fault but east is basketball country. Disappointing yes. I'm impressed with the fans out west. I was in Norton this summer and ate breakfast their at a local diner. I made a sarcastic comment about their wrestling coach (just to get a reaction) and the old codger's wanted to fight me!
Be careful what you say in Norton! Did enjoy myself with the old gents.

Some interesting thoughts but the answer is still "no". At least not for another decade or so. Occasionally eastern KS comes up with a good team and sometimes even a great team (ACCHS). But they have yet to produce even one school that consistently places in the top 5. Last year the top 5 placers were all from the west (4 from same league). If it becomes a numbers thing the school will no longer be 321A so the question is moot. I do not wish to put anyone down here but western KS as a whole is still on top by a long way and I do not see that changing.

It can be done and has been done. everyone should remember when Beloit , with a concentrated program and a great coach, beat up on the competition in both 4a and 123a like a red headed stepchild. then the coach left, the interest waned a bit, and Beliot has never been the same. Still, Beloit proved that domination of the western schools for several years in a row could be accomplished. I don't see it happening soon, but somewhere out there is an eastern fledgling group that just needs the right guidance and support and it can happen. NW Kansas dominates because they have such a concentrated traditional support for the program, but they don't have a patent on it and the right coach can start the right program anywhere.

I may have misinterpreted the original message on this post and if I did I apologize. If the question is "Can a single town from eastern KS compete year in and year out with western KS teams" than the answer may be "yes" as Beloit did 20-25 yrs. ago. I took the original post to mean "Are eastern KS teams/programs gaining on the western KS powerhouses?" If that was the meaning then the answer is still "no".

The example that I used (Beloit) is historical proof that 1 team can indeed overcome the NW Kansas dominance, and if that were extended over more than the 7 or 8 years that it took beliot to do it, then other teams in the same area/league would have gotten better, as well. Did Abeline make Clay better? bet you could start a real smashup argument there as to who got good first, but I remember those towns as being really good in the sixties and seventies when I wrestled. I also remember Douglass being good, and Effingham, and Columbus. In my opinion the dominance that western teams have in 321a could be seriously challenged in the next 4 to 5 years- as mr. Holliday stated previously, the participation in kids wrestling is becoming almost exponential in its growth in the east, and many of those kids/parents will be going into smaller schools. Some Wichita area schools, such as Halstead, will score well with 2 or 3 wrestlers and soon it will be 4 or 5 and when that happens they will be there. It will be interesting to see if Silver lake can continue, but they certainly have the attention of the other guys this year, so who knows? When you look at the totally lopsided scores of the state tourney from last year and the year before, you may not think it can happen soon, but a really good kids program can produce freshmen that contend at the state level in their first year, so a few seasons can really make a difference one area's development. I reckon we will have to just hide and watch.

Big Daddy there are some great eastern kansas teams that were good and still are good (ACCHS) and other schools. eastern kansas one day will win over western but for now they wont.

Western kansas is the best

But for how long?

oh......for about the past 70 years.