Final Freestyle Individual records:

70 - Howell - 0-8
77 - Gentzler - 6-1, Suppes - 1-1
84 - C. Hood - 6-0, A. Hood - 1-2
91 - Humphrey - 6-3
98 - Eck - 3-4
105 - Sommers - 1-7
112 - DeShazer - 3-4, Johnson 1-5
120 - Thomas - 1-4
128 - Puckett - 2-7
136 - Lemay - 3-6
144 - Reed - 8-1
152 - Conklin - 9-0
160 - Denny - 4-5
190/210 - Mason - 8-0
190/210 - Willis - 7-2
235 - Dikin - 7-2

Combined FS/GR top records for Team Kansas!

Conklin - 17-1
Reed - 17-1
C. Hood - 9-1
Mason - 15-3
A. Hood - 6-2
Dikin - 13-5
Willis - 12-5
Gentzler - 9-5
Denny - 11-7
Humphrey - 8-7

Home after an exhausting but great trip. It was harder for me with Bo not wrestling but very worth it for the experience with all the kids. Congrats to all of them. They wrestled their hearts out. 7th is Greco is our highest ever. We just lost our way in a few key duals in FS early on or we had the team to be top 8 in FS as well, but you take what you earn, and I am proud of ALL of the kids. Specials thanks to Doug Eck, John Mason, John Humphrey, Phyllis Lemay, Jerry Dale, John Johnson for all their help throughout the week. The coaching staff of Charlie Knox, Nick Flynn and Joel Hood did a fantastic job. It was alot of fun.

Another thanks to Will Cokeley and Tom Williams for all their behind the scenes work. (they helped me get Nikki Dikin to go 2 hours before we left after Habluetzel got hurt).

Thanks and great job and the credit goes to all the kids. Now go kick some butt Cadets!!!

24/7 Mike Pursel

Guys, we have to start working on putting together next year's school boy team NOW. We can't have an open weight and expect to improve on our finish. Giving up 5 forfeit points is killer. Something that has not been pointed out on this forum is the fact that we had at least 5 or 6 guys with little or NO FS Greco experience. Our techniques is definitely behind other states once we get to the mat. On our feet we are pretty strong. LIke Mike pointed out, we just flat out laid it on the line. Sometimes hard work and heart out scores technique. I'll try to come up with some names of potential members of the Schoolboy team for next year. Next year you will have had to have been born in 95 or 96 to be schoolboy:

Returning from this year's team:
Parker Howell
Zack Gentzler
Cullen Hood
Brett Roberts
Brogan Humphrey
Levi Eck
Jared Johnson

Names that came up in the "why isn't he here?" conversations? (Maybe some of them were still Novice)
Chris Reed
Preton Weigel
Regis Weiss
Dakota Leach
Greg Jones
Bryce Shoemaker
Hunter Haralson
Nick Sells
Alex Thibault
Gavin Grater
Nick Meck
Braden Watts
Andy Jewell
Nathan Stanley
Jalen Padilla
Shannon Meck
Julian Aguilar
Anthony Gonzales
Jarin Brown

I only went down thru the 12u brackets from this years' state tourney to come up with this list. That does not mean this is the only wrestlers we are interested in. Anyone that wants to be a part of it needs to get with us so we can tell you what to expect. I left several kids that I know are Novice this year, but schoolboys next, off of hte list. GUys like Tyler Mies, Dylan Eck, Hensley, Reece Cokely among others.

As we talked to other parents and coaches this week, our state has made it very easy and inexpensive for a kid to be a part of Team Kansas. For less than $200, these kids were transported to Indianapolis, put up in a motel for 4 nites in a clean, no frills motel, fed in the morning, left with an open training table of food, snacks,a nd drinks ALL DAY LONG, and fed at night. Only money the boys needed was for any other snacks or souvenirs they wanted to buy. They were also provided, and get to keep, TWO team Kansas singlets (which lots of kids were wanting to trade for, very cool), and two team Kansas tshirts. The least expensive team that I talked to other than Kansas was Team Ohio, who charged $385, and they are only across the border from Indiana.

Had any of you been there for the dual with Team New Jersey for 7th place, the hard fought, but lost, dual with Team Washington, or the duals with Team Wisconsin and Team Pennslvania, you would have lost your voice, and been physically and emotionally spent, like all of the parents and kids were. I haven't been that pumped for quite a while. Coach Knox is very good at technique and pumping up the kids, the kids loved having Coach Flynn around, Coach Hood and Pursel offered lots of strong technical advice. (Coach Hood will soon be writing a simple one sentence, one page book on motivation speeches for your kids.) We are lucky to have guys like the above to help our kids with this type of competition.

Thanks also to Mr. Humphrey, Mr. Jerry Dale, Mr. Johnson, Mr Mason, and Momma Jesse (Phyllis) for the between match entertainment. We'll be waiting for Momma Jesse's husband to thank us for the training we gave Momma Jesse.

It was a long week, but it was well worth the trip.

Again, we need to field a full team, plus some alternates, for next year. I'm not sure how many you can have on one team, but Coach pursel did a good job of making sure everyone got mat time, whether it be a dual match or exhibition match.

I would say that only Tulsa Nationals will bring out as much stud talent as what is at this Duals event. If a kid doesn't feel good about competing against this type of competition, some thing is wrong.

Congrats to the Schoolboy Kansas Team and Job Well Done to all the coaches, parents, and Team member helpers. It wipes you out but you can't help but love it the whole time.

As for the ground skills of our wrestlers, yes we don't spend the time other states do on Freestyle and Greco, but to see our young men compete and still be successful just makes you want to give your heart out to them.

Go KANSAS !

Coach Peterman

http://www.themat.com/index.php?page=showarticle&ArticleID=18997

This may already be posted...but I wanted to post the press the young man from Kansas got on the mat. Congrats.

2008 Schoolboy/girl National Duals
Freestyle All-Tournament Team

84 lbs.
Gary Wayne Harding of Oklahoma 1 went 9-0 (Former Kansan whose father Wes is a former Kansas High School wrestling coach)
Cullen Hood of Kansas Gold went 6-0


152 lbs.
Jonathon Inmann of Team Missouri went 10-0
Reece Conklin of Kansas Gold went 9-0
Tyler Willis of Indiana Gold went 8-0

210 lbs.
Eric Mason of Kansas Gold went 8-0