Non-PSU Recruiting
- Thread starter Str8dblz
- Start date
WOW.... Things are bad in Hawkeye county right now!Won't be Dhabolt.
I wouldn’t feel bad if Iowa St surpassed them.
I had two thoughts on this match. First, it's been a while since a kid made a big deal out of committing to NC State. Second, I can't remember the last time a Blair-Sem match had lineups with kids that were this average. There was a lot of bad wrestling.
Speaking of the ever shifting landscape of power schools and talent rich areas. Has 3A ever been this down in PA and clearly behind 2A in talent? Also saw Franklin regional won 3A team states but is there a D1 kid on the team?
Yeah, the 3A bracket was pretty down this year. Our team made the semis and we had four or five teams 5 to 10 years ago that would have blown the doors off of this years team - I think we made the semis once with those teams and we had no shot at winning it any of those years. This years team could had a shot with a better coin toss. 2017, 2018 there were probably 7 or 8 teams in the bracket that would have won this year.
Prep and privates have been slowly draining the talent from the pubs and with the two best private teams electing to stay in AA, this is what you get.
On the bright side, this was the funnest, most competitive state bracket I’ve followed in a long time. I’ll be happy if it stays that way.
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That was exactly my thought. I don't think there is. This is not Spencer Lee's Franklin Regional. I was about to say that I can't remember a time when 3A wrestling in Pennsylvania was as boring to watch as it is now. It's not whether it's 3A or 2A now. It's whether it's private or public.
It's not just Pennsylvania. Look at New Jersey and Illinois. In the newest New Jersey rankings, the top six teams, seven of the top eight, and 12 of the top 20 are private schools. The past two seasons, 21 of the 28 state champions and about half of the placewinners in New Jersey are from private schools. In Illinois, the top three and four of the top six in the biggest class, 3A, are private, and when IC Catholic gets successed up to 3A next year, it'll be the top four. I project that 12 of the 28 3A finalists will be private this year. More than half next year.
I’m a western PA guy and it seems WPIAL has been down on talent as well, or maybe just other areas catching up with. Just baffling to me there aren’t any privates in the Pittsburgh area trying to make run at these team titles, certainly enough talent to put a contender together. It’s a crime Pittsburgh Central Catholic can’t draw a big time coach and put a contender together
I think wrestling is a very difficult sport in which many folks choose to pursue other sports and activities. Forfeits have become rampant in many schools and the gap in talent between wrestlers has really become apparent. Recruiting takes place and I really can’t blame student athletes to want to compete for certain schools that have far superior coaching and talent, iron sharpens iron, I believe separating public and private schools would be a welcome change, I think there has been some form of legislation proposed. I have seen both sides of the coin in which wrestling has many objectives for those that choose to participate in the sport.
The Tribs coverage of wrestling is terrible. Pitt is having a good year and guys like Luca Augustine, Mac Stout and Dayton Pitzer are in the mix and should get some recognition.
How committed to wrestling are they at Central Catholic? Seriously? That's the key. If Central Catholic wants to be a wrestling powerhouse, they could be within two to three years. 3A is there for the taking. I don't think they want to be.
The SEC could be the nation's premier wrestling conference within three to four years if they really wanted to be. We KNOW that they definitely DON'T want to be. Probably for the same reason Central Catholic isn't.
The PIAA is a private organization. The PA Legislature has zero oversight or influence over it. Any proposed legislation is simply posturing by some legislator trying to make a name for themselves or gain favor with their constituents. A fart in the wind will last longer and have more effect than any proposed legislation trying to dictate to the PIAA how they should run their business.
That is why I quit the Pittsburgh Post Gazette.
They would cover a Basketball game that had 30 people in the stands but never cover Penn State wrestling that had 15K in Bryce. I gave it several years then bailed.
I do have to say Ken Wunderley did/does a great job with high school wrestling when I subscribed.