MR TWISTER
02-08-2008, 02:57 PM
It is a couple of hours before my favorite tournament really kicks in. The IHSA AA sectionals start tonight. I have always liked the drama of the average student - athlete finding out if he or she is good enough to compete for a state championship berth. And from the looks of things this may be the last time I see the sectional or the state in it's current two-class format. With a possible switch to three class wrestling next year the debates have been all over the forum boards of various breakdowns and which teams will go where. I am going to miss the individual David vs Goliath battles. It just won't be the same.
As best I can tell there will be 4 qualifiers per sectional weight class instead of 3. That semi - final third place match on Saturday morning is often more exciting than a state finals match. It all hangs there for six long minutes. Everything a wrestler works for all season can come crashing down in a hurry. Both wrestlers are saddled with a loss when they meet in the third place match. The next loss means no trip to the big dance at the Dome - Assembly Hall on the campus of the University of Illinois. Most wrestlers won't compete on the next level but to be able to tell another wrestler from any state, "Yeah, I qualified for state in high school" can mean so much.
For the elite wrestler sectionals is just a passing through point. But legends can be made with a key win for the average wrestler if he can pick off the elite or ranked wrestler who is not paying attention. There is a list of former state qualifiers that get upset in the third place match. No wrestler wants to be on that list.
There is a common bond among wrestlers, even if they have never seen the other one wrestle. Qualifying for the state tournament is a part of that bond. Changing the current qualifying system means the most important matches will take place in the quarterfinals. Ho-hum...!
The 8 sectionals as I know it would be reduced to one of 4 throughout the state. The AAA class would feature many of the teams that I follow. It would be one of the hardest in the country to win. Class AA would be pretty tough too. Still I like just seeing if a kid from a place like Morton (Cicero) Glenbard East or Lane Tech can knock off a wrestler from a state powerhouses like Glenbard North, Montini, Providence, St. Rita or Mt. Carmel. And I guess on rare occasions I may still see this but I have this strange feeling that the system that I am use to is getting tinkered with for no good reason.
As best I can tell there will be 4 qualifiers per sectional weight class instead of 3. That semi - final third place match on Saturday morning is often more exciting than a state finals match. It all hangs there for six long minutes. Everything a wrestler works for all season can come crashing down in a hurry. Both wrestlers are saddled with a loss when they meet in the third place match. The next loss means no trip to the big dance at the Dome - Assembly Hall on the campus of the University of Illinois. Most wrestlers won't compete on the next level but to be able to tell another wrestler from any state, "Yeah, I qualified for state in high school" can mean so much.
For the elite wrestler sectionals is just a passing through point. But legends can be made with a key win for the average wrestler if he can pick off the elite or ranked wrestler who is not paying attention. There is a list of former state qualifiers that get upset in the third place match. No wrestler wants to be on that list.
There is a common bond among wrestlers, even if they have never seen the other one wrestle. Qualifying for the state tournament is a part of that bond. Changing the current qualifying system means the most important matches will take place in the quarterfinals. Ho-hum...!
The 8 sectionals as I know it would be reduced to one of 4 throughout the state. The AAA class would feature many of the teams that I follow. It would be one of the hardest in the country to win. Class AA would be pretty tough too. Still I like just seeing if a kid from a place like Morton (Cicero) Glenbard East or Lane Tech can knock off a wrestler from a state powerhouses like Glenbard North, Montini, Providence, St. Rita or Mt. Carmel. And I guess on rare occasions I may still see this but I have this strange feeling that the system that I am use to is getting tinkered with for no good reason.