Kansas Kid, just because Dukes was beat by your wrestling friend from Laybette doesn't mean he would be better off playing football. I know Dukes has also gotten letters from Labyette for wrestling, but isn't really considering them. If you are talking about Ryan Phillips 2 loses doesn't determine anything atleast not in whole nother year maby last year but not this year. Dukes may be better off playing football but who knows? I am not trying to critisize you. I have been to some Laybette wrestling events, and they are very competetive and the wrestling team is very talented! So keep up the good work.

What positions did Dukes play in football? How did he do?

Jerry;

I am assuming you are Emory McReynolds father. I was the announcer at the Basehor Linwood Tourney the last two years and I very much enjoyed watching Emory wrestle. He is a talented young man and more than that I enjoyed watching him scramble. He has a great imagination out there and it shows. As a former coach, I think that is what seperates wrestlers is that instant imagination to make big movements at big moments and Emory certainly shows that trait. Congratulations, I know you are very proud of him and you sure have every right to be. Tell him I said so, I sure got a kick out of watching him go.

WestFahl,

Yes I am Emery's father. And a very proud father at that. He has given me many years of enjoyment and hair pulling matches. I'm still in ah, that my son is getting ready to graduate. Seems like just yesterday that he enrolled in the 7th grade. Thank you for the complement. We enjoyed the Basehor Linwood touney the two years we wrestled at it. It was very well organized and ran very smoothly. I will miss it, and hopefully when my youngest reaches highschool, we will still be going to that tournament. Keep up the good work and hopefully see ya in a couple years. I will tell him and again thanks.

In football Dukes was a tailback and a running back I believe, He is an awesome football player I think he rushed for alittle under 1000 yards his junior year and was all metro team for a few years( not sure how many), But he is a good football player. Most of his senior year he was out on a hamstring tear.

Kansas has many talented athletes...you have identified a few. Maybe the earlier comment that questioned the D1, D2 issue was just trying to put perspective on the issue. Lots of kids and their parents think that going big-time is readily attainable for the above average wrestler. But you have to be WAY above average to compete and succeed at the D1 level(not only in wrestling but in academics also). Many kids don't make it for one reason or another at ALL levels...it's a big step up to go to the college mat. I, too, hate to see kids overlook the junior colleges and small schools because they have unrealistic expectations about big schools. Lofty goals are important--you never know how far you can go unless you push the envelope--But reality can hurt.

You know a little story relating to all this. I recruited a football player once when I was coaching at Bethel College. He played at Fort Lauderdale High and nobody but me was talking to him. I signed him later on and he subsequently called me and asked me if I would hold it against him if he decided to walkon at Florida State. I told him heck no I would if I could have. Now in my mind I thought he was nuts but I didnt say that. Two years later he started against Oklahoma in the national championship game as a free safety. Now he is a division one coach his name was Millikan. The point to the story is sometimes you just never know about those dreamers, heck they can always get realistic later i guess.

When you talk about D-I or D-II wrestling you always have to keep a couple of things in mind.
First, when you talk about programs like OSU, Oklahoma, Iowa, Iowa State or Minnesota, these schools won't even return your phone calls if you haven't won at least one or two state championships. And even then, a lot of times they're going to exhaust their possibilities in-state before looking elsewhere.
Second, always remember that the difference between D-I wrestling and a weekend in Wichita or Hays is like comparing apples and oranges. I've seen three-time Iowa state champs go to Iowa and Iowa State over the years that just flat-out got lost in the shuffle.

I've seen some good wrestling since I've been in Kansas, but last year I went to the NCAA tournament in Iowa City and saw the first college wrestling I'd seen in four years. Early on I thought to myself, "Oh yeah, THAT'S what it's supposed to look like."

I'd love to see more and more Kansas kids get the opportunity to wrestle at the highest levels. It's tragic that no Kansas school has D-I wrestling, because I think a place like K-State could put together a pretty good team just with in-state kids.

Having been a head wrestling coach for twenty five years and attending seven or eight national finals, I am well aware that it is very tough. I am also well aware that Kansas kids have done pretty well over the years in Division I. Oklahoma State has had a great many Kansas kids on their rosters over the years, the Duel brothers, Myron Rodrick, several kids from Ark City in the sixties whose names escape me now, Oklahoma had Melvin Douglas of Highland Park Topeka, Hernandez from Ark City, Bo Maines, Fisher from Manhatten, Iowa State had Lampe, several kids from Northwest Kansas in the seventies, Akin, Nebraska had Ware who was ranked fifth in the nation and was the Big Eight runner up his freshman year, Temore Terry who spent much of his senior year ranked number one in the nation, Missouri has had many Kansas wrestlers in the past ten years or so, Shawn Bunch is doing well at Edinboro right now and there are several I can't think of off the top of my head. Division II is repleat with former Kansas kids who have been national champions and placers. For our size and amount of kids compared with Ohio, New Jersey, Pennsyvania and others, we do pretty darn good. Hey kids from everywhere wash out. We don't have the corner on that market at all.

Oh yeah, I left out Aaron Hodges who was a four year varsity wrestler at Northwestern (Harmon) and Nate Lawrenz of Hoisington who wrestled very successfully at Northern Iowa as well as Ben Coleman who qualified for nationals in BYU's last year of wrestling.

I most likely will be attending Lebette for two next two years. After that we'll just see how things go from there. And I think Nick Chrisman is going to Labette aswell.

What wieght you looking at for next year.

I have never heard a rumer, whisper or anything in four years on where Hoover or Metzler might go to College, if at all? Does anyone know anything? or have a guess?
just courious.

Nate Lawrenz had originally signed at Fort Hays. After he placed in both Greco and Freestyle at Fargo he decided to go to D-1. Bob Smith released him and then he ended up at Northern Iowa. Thought you might find that interesting.

That is interesting, I didn't realize that. I never saw him wrestle in high school we were always in different divisions. Did see him wrestle at the NCAA's a few times and he did a nice job. He had a very good career and UNI and it is a good thing Bob released him.

Nate Lawrenz is from Herington

I know that Matt Murray and Doug Hoover both visited the University of Nebraska this past weekend. I know Matt and he has narrowed his choices down to Nebraska and Stanford. As for Hoover im not for sure.

I have read most of the posts and find them intelligent and informative. With regards to college wrestling, I do think we miss the points at times, both as coaches and parents. For my athletes, and, I think, the majority of kids, we want them to go to college. My son included. I dream of him being in the NCAA final match one time. Can I know this (he is ten)? No. What I realize now is I want him to go beyond just high school in some capacity. This is the key here: go to college and get an education. Wrestling is an end to this means. Nothing makes me as a coach rouder than when my athletes earn their high school diploma. They have achieved something that some people can never say they have. I want our wrestlers to go on to college and earn those high degrees, such as doctor, judge, or, most imporantly, a teacher. Even though I wrestled for a small NAIA program such as Dana College, it was the sport of wrestling that brought me to school. Sure, we all dream of the "big show", the NCAA championships, but I know the college level is packed through all the levels. Andrew Lee, my recent signee, is at Missouri Valley. They compete all the time with DI schools and do very well. A lot of Kansas wrestlers come sign with the head coach at Missouri Valley--he is an active recruiter. I agree with Coach Westphal that sometimes Kansas is overlooked because of lack of programs. I cannot control that. What I can control is promoting my athletes in my program to college coaches so my wrestlers can earn their degrees and improve their opportunitiesin life.

Peter Sierant
Turner High School

Coach Sierant, I agree with your comments about getting your wrestlers on to college. While I would love to have a State Championship Team, I can't imagine feeling any better than having some of your former wrestlers call you up and let you know of their success in college. I've been blessed over the years to have wrestlers like the Hull brothers and the Drakes at Andover all who went on to wrestle in college. Since here at Augusta High School, I've had the two Saferites go on and wrestle and Shawn Silvis. This past year, Saferite and Silvis were both All-Americans for UCO in Edmond, Ok. Saferite was the runnerup at 125 and Silvis was Champion at 165 while the team won both the Dual and Tournament NCAA II Championships. I just noticed where Shawn Bunch of Leavenworth and Saferite were selected to the Amature Wrestling News All Rookie Team at 125. Kansas kids are good enough to compete at any level, its just too bad we don't have a D-I team they could all go to and showcase themselves as Kansans.

I sat in the stands at Iowa State and watched Justin Ware go at it with a national champion in the finals of the big eight. All the Iowa people and Okies were guffawing about the Kansas kid who was about to get embarrassed. That was right before Justin got two takedowns in the first period and narrowly lost 7-5 in the best match of the day. I think a lot of people that bad mouth Kansas wrestling are people from surrounding states who move in here, dont have a clue about the history of some of the kids mentioned above and the long history of the state in wrestling. Most of them didnt wrestle here or anywhere else and don't really have a historical perspective on Kansas. You know what I think all of them can do.