i know that it doesn't seem fair, but you can't have an invitational state championship. you don't win matches unless you wrestle them. i know that some guys will go out and lose when they should have won, and others will win when they should have lost. i know that doesn't seem fair. i know that it doesn't seem fair to throw a jv kid in there and some kid on the other side of the state is a better wrestler than he is. bottom line is if you can't make it out of your regional you won't place at state. you are making a statement for the "other rans" i'm making sure that no one is taking anything away from a state placer just because they don't think life/regionals are fair. i'm not sure that you can come up with anything else, i know you make it sound easy, in your post. BUT WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO DO WHEN WRESTLER #1 FROM THE INNER CITY SCHOOLS GOES TO THE TOPEKA REGIONAL AND GETS BEAT OUT, AND WRESTLER #2 GOES TO THE KC REGIONAL MAKES IT IN, BUT IT'S NOT "FAIR" BECAUSE WRESTLER #1 IS 5-0 AGAINST WRESTLER #2? its the old argument to "prepare the child for the path, not the path for the child"