IllinoisWrestling.Com

Ed’s Word:  Number:  13             April 16, 2009
 
1.  I like to number these articles in order to keep track.  I labeled the last one 13, but it should have been 12, so this one is now 13.
 
2.  Not a lot of news, but a shocking one was Mark Johnson retiring at Illinois University.  He had been there for 17 years.  He was the most successful coach ever at the University with 45 all americans of which 7 were champions.  He also won the Midlands 3 times and the Big 10 once.  He of course was all Big Ten twice at Michigan and twice 2nd in the Nationals.  He is in the IWCOA Hall of Fame and has been named Man of the Year.  We will miss him and wish him the best as he endeavors to head up some sort of Boys Club in Champaign.

3.  I haven’t heard who might be applicants for the Illinois job.

 
4.  The Smile Train Golf outing will be July 28th, 2009.  This is really the Pape Foundation outing, which gives its profit to the Smile Train and to the National Hall of Fame, Illinois Chapter.

5.  Jake Herbert, National Champion from Northwestern was named the Rev Wrestler of the Year beating out Damion Caldwell of North Carolina State 60-58.

6.  The University of Illinois Golf Outing is scheduled for June 6, 2009.  Time is:  11:30 - Resgistration and 1:00 PM Golf Tournament.  Call 217-333-5853 for information.

7.  Austin Bautista, all american for UW-Whitewater is from Maine East - NOT Maine South as reported earlier.

8.  Marmion Academy had its first time ever State qualifier - They had 2 and had their lst placewinner also.

9.  Morton of Cicero has the largest enrollment at 8000 plus.

10.  Conant and Palatine both reached their 100th state qualifier in 2009.

11.  Joe Gomez, 4 time all state and recently a graduate of the University of Illinois will join the staff at Glenbard North this year.

12.  Tom Reed, 4 time all american for SIUEdwardsville may be the new coach at West Chicago.  He is presently assisting at Cahokia.

13.  West Chicago wrestlers of the past, headed by Hector Gomez had a very nice outing, honoring their former coaches - Fred Dexter and Bob Hein.  A lot of war stories and a good time and a fine tribute made to both men.

14.  I don’t know which school they belong to, but there were a ;number of Illinois grade school girls that competed recently, so maybe Girl’s wrestling is not to far off in Illinois.  Names that were listed as placewinners are:  Brianne Hafner;  Alexis Coleman;  Stephanie Sommers;  Faith Stoddard;  Shelby Kenyen;  Jessie Baggett;  Andrea Sennett;  Quincy Kellett;  Jackie Paul;  and Jasmine Baker.  So if you know anyone of this group, stop to congratulate them and encourage them to continue..

15.  Results of the Nationals at Las Vegas:  Junior Free Style:  140 - 2nd - Joe Brewster - Maine South;  140 - 6 - Alex Cizek;  171 - lst - Lee Munster - Grant;  171 - 6 - Taylor Schuck;  215 - 6 - Mike Sojka.  Junior GR:  140 - lst - Joe Brewster. FILA Juniors in FS:  121 - 3 - Ryan Jauch - Crystal Lake Central;  132 - 4 - Nick Dardanes - Oak Park;  132 - 5 - Tony Ramos - Glenbard North;  154 - 5 - John Koepp - Chicago Kelly;  154 - 8 - Mike Hader - Argo;  174 - lst - Jordan Blanton - Richmond-Burton; 174 - 2 - Chris Spangler - Neuqua Valley.FILA Juniors in GR:  110 - lst - Max Nowry - Wheeling;  132 - lst - Jimmy Chase - Glenbard North;  132 - 5 - Tanner Andrews - West Aurora;  163 - 3 - Jonathan Drendel - West Aurora;  174 - lst - Mark Stenberg - Lockport and 185 - lst - Robert Barbour - Mt. Carmel. VETS Division B 214 - lst - Octavius Bellamhy from the Greater Chicago Wrestlers club.  Women:  138 - 3 - Veronica Carlson - Addison.  Senior Open in GR:  121 - 3 - Lindsey Durlacher;  121 - 5 - Max Nowry;  132 - lst - Joe Betterman;  132 - 7 - Jimmy Chase;  145 - 4 - Jacob Curby;  184 - lst Thomas C. Dantzler.  S eniors in FS:  132 - 7 - Kyle Jahn;  185 - lst - Jake Herbert.  Herbert was named OW.

16.  Now that we have 3 classes - for my record keeping.  Class 3A is every school that had Wrestling which started in 1937.  Class A are those schools that formed in 1974, this included those that were in the original group, but by enrollment dropped to A.  Class 2A will be those remaining schools that have been reclassified and fit by enrollment inbetween.  AAA goes from 8000 down to 1600 plus.  AA from that point down to 750 plus and the rest are A’s.

17.  Schools with the most qualifiers are now listed.  The second number is the number of dual teams.
      Top AAA schools:  1.  405 - 10 - Granite City;  2.  315-6 - Proviso East;  3.  273-1 - Chicago Tilden Tech;  4.  234-1 - Pekin;  5.  216-l plus 2 as they are now AA - Rock Island;  6.  208-4 - Moline;  7.  195-4 - Waukegan East;  8.  187-13 - Chicago Lane Tech;  9.  185-0 plus 4-l as they are now AA - Champaign Central and 10.  182-18 plus 33 from A - Providence Catholic.  Not rating AA at this time.   A schools top 10:  1.  134-12 - plus 2 - Harvard;  2.  121-10 plus 3 - Sandwich;  3.  120-6 - Coal City;  4.  116-11 plus 6-1 and 53-4 - Mahomet-Seymour;  5.  107-3 plus 4-l plus 11 - Yorkville;  6.  110-3 - Sterling Newman Catholic;  7.  106-11 plus 20 - Vandalia;  8.  100-9 plus 13-1 plus 31-2 - Montini Catholic  9.  96-5 - Dakota;  10.  93-8 - Port Byron       

Ed

Ed’s Word:  Number:  13            March 27, 2009  

1.  The NCAA Division Nationals was again an exciting event.  Seeds got beaten early and late.  I really think that happens each year, except we do not realize it at the time.  Iowa won the event, but had a lot of difficulty doing so and had a lot of help in various ways to guarantee the win.  The had 3 all americans who did not place, but one of them got a very important default win in the wrestlebacks good for 3 points;  two of the placewinners this year got default wins and advancement points which would be good for another 5 points;  had they had to wrestle they might not have even won the match, who knows, but that is the way it seems to go each year.   

2  Ohio State did a great job, coming from a poor 6th place finish in the big 10’s to 2nd in the Nationals.  Tom Ryan deservedly so, received the COY award. 

3.  This was the first Title won by a team without a champion since 2001 when Minnesota did it - They had 10 all mericans that year, but no champion.  Iowa won without a champion in 1978 also.  The total points was the lowest since 1994. 

4.  University of Illinois had 3 all americans and finished 8th.  Northwestern had 2 and finished 13th.  Northwestern had a Champion in Jake Herbert who also became a 4 time all american - 3-2-1-1.  One other wrestler was a 4 timer - Gregor Gillespie of Edinboro State went 7-1-5-4.  The State of Illinois had 5 native Illini place.  Precin from Carl Sandburg;  Poeta from Highland Park;; Kennedy and Dennis from Grant and Wise from Pittsfield.  Pennsylvania had 12 natives place. 

5.  One last note about the Division I event.  Metcalf of Iowa who seemed to be invincible was beaten by Caldwell of North Carolina State 11-6.  Caldwell won OW for his efforts.  Metcalf lost l team point for unsportsmanlike conduct (some wanted to dismiss him from the whole shebang, but level heads prevailed).  In this case, it all hinges, I think, on who you are for.  Some really wanted blood.  If that would have happened, Iowa would have dropped backed to 5th place in the standings.  Others thought that the 1 point deduction did not fit the crime.  Metcalf himself apologized, but also said if he was doing the pushing intentionally, he would have pushed him off the platform.  Brands said that Metcalf does not have a shut off valve when he wrestles.  There were 5 seconds on the clock when Caldwell turned his back on Metcalf and proceded towards doing his back flip or whatever.  Metcalf claims that with 5 seconds left he was charging for the takedown, but like Caldwell said - 5 seconds is hardly enough time in that situation to score 6 points to win the match.  I think poor judgement all around, including the official who obviously did not control the final moments.  You be the judge.   

6.  Division III had a 4 time all american:  Jacob Naig of Wartburg was 6213.  Division NAIA had Trevor Lofstedt of Southern Oregon who was 8452.   Mike Poeta of Illinois was 3411 in the Big 10 and 322 in the Nationals. 

7.  Former Speaker of the House Dennis Hastert will be speaking at Wheaton College - Thursday, April 2nd  in room 339 of Blanchard Hall at 7:00 P.M.  The lecture is free.  He will be discussing “Legislating in a Globalized Environment: Preserving and promoting competiveness”.   

8.  Allthough Jim Scherr is out as CEO of the US Olympic committee, his brother Bill, who is chairman of the board for World Sport Chicago and a board member of Chicago 2016 is conducting speaking engagements pertaining to the Olympics.  He recently spoke in Glen Ellyn before 600 business personnel. 

9.  Long time Wrestling school - Portland State has dropped their program because of financial problems.  They were Division 2 National champions in 1967; 1989 and 1990.

10.  Sad to report another death in the Wrestling community.  Sgt. Robert M. Weinger of Round Lake was killed in action in Afghanistan.  He Wrestled for Round Lake, graduating in 2003.

11.  The National Hall of Fame in Stillwater had a program at the NCAA’s honoring service personnel that had Wrestled - among those attendi ng were a few Generals and Admirals, plus a lot of others.  Illini that were there to be honored included:   Bud Belz of Oak Lawn;  Brad Glass of New Trier;  Jack Heiner of Chicago (an early AAU official and organizer;  Werner Holzer of Schurz;  Don Rumsfeld of New Trier and Bill Weick of Tilden Tech.

12.  I tabulate the all americans by states in each division and add them all together.  Pennsylvania had 12 and no champions in division I- total of 31-5 in all divisions - Iowa and Illinois were tied for second with 24-4 totals.  Iowa had the most in Division 3 with 15-3;  Nebraska in Division 2 with 12-2 and Missouri in NAIA with 12-1.  Missouri was 7th overall and Nebraska 9th.   40 States had at least l all american;  10 did not.  There were 4 foreign countries with 1 each and Canada had an NAIA champion.

13,  Christian Brantley won the West Regional for Norfhern Iowa and went 1 and 2 in the Nationals.

14.  The National Junior College Championships will move to Des Moines, Iowa in 2010 and to North Idaho in 2012 and then back to Rochester.

15.  The Smile train golf benefit will be held on July 28th.  This is a fund raising event for free cleft surgery and for the Illinois chapter of the National Hall of Fame.  Particulars will be forthcoming.

16.  Jim Scherr was inducted into the Sports Hall of Fame in Colorado Springs, Colorado.

History must repeat itself because we pay such little attention to it the first time.Never fear shadows.  They simply mean there’s a light shining somewhere nearby Slaying the dragon of delay is no sport for the short-winded.We cherish our friends not for their ability to amuse us, but for ours to amuse them.What you see and hear depends a good deal on where you are standing, it also depends on what sort of person you are.    

Ed

Ed’s Word:  Number:  11            March 13, 2009  

1.  On March 21st, Reba McIntire will perform at a benefit for Retired Wrestling Coach Richard Carlini.  Carlini is recovering from a congenital condition called arterio venous malformation which caused him to suffer a stroke within his spine.  He is now wheelchaired.  The benefit is to help defray the costs, as medicare benefits have run out and he is on his own.  Costs are about 40 to 50 thousand a year.  The benefit was organized by many of his wrestlers at Maine West High School.  For more information about the foundation go to teacherscoachesandstudentsfoundation.com. 

2.  A few asides from the recent State Tournament - Individual:  Undefeated Wrestlers were:  145 - Elias Larson - Chicago Hts., Marion Catholic at 42-0;   171 - Lee Munster - Grant at 45-0;   285 - Curtis Blaydes - Chicago DeLaSalle at 37-0 all in Division AAA.  103 - Topler Carton - Rock Island Alleman at 36-0;  119 - Joe Roth - Dixon at 36-0;  130 - Adam Sheley - Geneseo at 44-0  -  all in Division AA.   103 - Josh Bennett - Woodriver-East Alton - 43-0;  171 - Shea Baker - Murphysboro - 36-0;  189 - Mitchell Alberstett - Durand - 31-0;  285 - David Devine - Petersburg-Porta - 43-0  all at Class A. 

3.  In Class A 69 schools entered;  52 scored at least 1 point;  In 2A 76 entered and 49 scored;  3A 93 entered and 67 scored.- That is a total of 238 entered with 168 scoring.  These figures would be about the same as in previous years with 2 classes.  I think in time that the number of qualifiers will increase in 2A to 16 and in 3A to 24, but this is in the hands of the principals, but who knows, with a little patience and nice talking to your principal, what might occur. 

4.  If we were to score the tournament:  Class A would have b een won by Wilmington, followed by Petersburg-Porta;  Gibson City;  Kewanee;  (tied);  Harvard;  Macomb;  Bishop McNamarra;  Murphysboro and Stillman Valley tied;  Canton.  2A would have been won by Montini, followed by:  Crystal Lake Central;  Bethalto Civic Memorial;  Lemont;  Mahomet-Seymour;  Geneseo-Darnall;  Troy-Triad;  Yorkville;  Rockford East and Wauconda.  3A would have been won by Oak Park, followed by Lockport;  Chicago Hts, Marion Catholic;  Providence Catholic;  Neuqua Valley;  Glenbard North;  Chicago DeLaSalle;  Marist;  Wheeling and O’Fallon.   

5.  The Duals were equally successful.  Bloomington with Mike Manahan’s direction.  The Arena was big enough - you could see from all angles and their attention to details was pretty good.  Maybe we have found a new home.  Some very good duals went on during this tournament.  1A was won by Wilmington over LeRoy - third was Stillman Valley over Petersburg-Porta.  Others competing were:  Benton;  Harvard;  Murphysboro and Sterling Newman.  Class 2A was won by Montini over Yorkville and Third by Crystal Lake Central over Troy-Triad - Others were Champaign Central;  Lemont;  Mahomet-Seymour and Oak Forest.  Class 3A was won by Oak Park over Minooka - Third was Glenbard North over Edwardsville.  Others were Grant;  Naperville Central;  Mt. Carmel and Wheeling. 

6.  Hall of Fame Coach - long time coach at Dundee Crown Al Zinke has retired.  We wish him well. 

7.  I observed Division 3 Nationals in Cedar Rapids, Iowa - Elmhurst College had its First ever National Champion in Jake Oster of Lockport at 125.  I will list all of Illinois connected all americans later on. 

8.  George Dyche of West Aurora carried a banner and presented Awards to the 285 pound class.  He is a graduate of Coe.  Also another Coe graduate - Chris Donaldson of Wheaton Central carried a banner and presented an award, as did a Cornell graduate and retired coach from the Palatine area Merv Miller who now lives in Wisconsin. 

9.  Mike Tamillow has won the Bronze in Iran.  He is starting to move up the ladder in USA Wrestling - he is a former wrestler from Fenwick and Northwestern.

10.  Although a few schools have started Wrestling programs, we are still in danger of losing some.  Wagner college on Long Island, the smallest school in Division I with 1900 students has dropped its program along with women’s volleyball, citing a number of reasons.

11.  Lincoln College Won the Junior College Regionals, which all Illinois schools are in plus a Missouri and a Michigan school.  Dave Klemm was named Coach of the Year.

12.  Larry Gassen received the Alumni Achievement Award from Downers Grove North High School.  Congratulations to Larry - I guess he had to give a speech.

13.  Coaches and Officials and IWCOA voting members - You should be casting your votes for the categories that are awarded at the State Banquet.  They need to be in by the 21st.  You can do this on line.

14.  Northern Illinois placed 3rd in the Mac Conference with a champion who is from Indiana.

15.  Illinois connected placewinners:  Big 10 - 125 - 2 - Brandon Precin - Northwestern - Carl Sandburg;  125 - 6 - B.J> Futrell - Illinois - Mt. Carmel;  133 - 3 - Jimmy Kennedy - Illinois - Grant;  133 - 5 - Dan Dennis - Iowa - Grant;  141 - 6 - Keith Sulzer - Northwestern - Ohio;  141 - 7 - Ryan Prater - Illinois - Plainfield Central;  149 - 6 - Andrew Nadhir - Northwestern - Michigan;  149 - 8 - Eric Terrazas - Illinois - Wheaton North;  157 - Champion - Mike Poeta - Illinois - Highland Park;  157 - 2 - Jason Welch - Northwestern - California;  165 - 6 - Roger Smith-Bergsrud - Illinois - Lake Forest;  174 - 4th - John Dergo - Illinois - Morris;  184 - Chanpion - Jake Herbert - Northwestern - Pennsylvania;  184 - 4 - Jordan Blanton - Illinois - Richmond-Burton;  197 - 3 - Patrick Bond - Illinois - Virginia;  197 - 8 - John Schoen - Northwestern - Marist;  285 - 3 - John Wise - Illinois - Pittsfield;  285 - 5 - Nathan Everhart - Indiana - Tinley Park Andrew.  Illinois 2nd;  Northwestern 8th.   Big 12:  125 - 2nd - Tyler Clark - Iowa State - Orion and Iowa;  133 - Champion - Nick Fanthorpe - Iowa State - Naperville North;  165 - 2 - Stephen Dwyer - Nebraska - Rockton-Hononegah;  174 - Ryan Burk - Iowa State - Peoria;  184 - 2 - Jerome Ward - Iowa State - St. Rita.  National Junior College:  133 - 3 - Eric Ellington - Rend Lake - East St. Louis;   133 - 5 - Omi Acosta - Waubonsee - Florida;  157 - 6 - Phillip Starnes - Harper - Schaumberg;  157 - 7 - Bryce Lumzy - Lincoln - Dixon;  165 - 4 - David Dwyer - Lincoln - Rockton-Hononegah;  165 - 6 - Tim Springs - North Iowa Area - Bremen;  174 - Champion - James Nakashima - Lincoln - Dwight;  174 - 8 - Michael Palerno - Triton - Ridgewood;  184 - 8 - Don Johnson - Waubonsee - Sycamore;  285 - 6 - Matt McGlaughlin - Rend Lake - Murphysboro.   Lincoln was 10th; Rend Lake 17th; Harper and Waubonsee 24th and Triton 31st.   NAIA:  133 - Champion - Ray Stephens - Lindenwood - Waubonsee JC and Florida;  133 - 4 - Wade Lowe - McKendree - Alton;  133 - 6 - Kyle Williams - McKendree - Mascoutah;  141 - 4 - Jonathan Henslee - Grand View - Libertyville;  157 - Champion - Jeremy Powell - Lindenwood - Proviso East and Triton;  157 - 3 - Matt Collum - Missouri Baptist - Neuqua Valley;  165 - Champion - Aaron Winning - McKendree - Belleville Althoff;  174 - 3 - Josh Bryant - McKendree - Oklahoma;  197 - Champion - Andrew Sanchez - McKendree - O’Fallon;  285 - 4 - Dan Moore - McKendree - Missouri;  285 - 7 - Cedric Powell - McKendree - Oklahoma.  McKendree was Third;..  Division Three:  125 - Champion - Jake Oster - Elmhurst - Lockport;  125 - 5 - Clayton Rush - Coe College - Aledo;;  141 - 3 - Austin Bautista - UW-Whitewater - Maine South;  157 - 5 - Jesse Milks - UW-Platteville - Dakota;  165 - 2 - Ben Youel - North Central - Crystal Lake Central;  165 - 6 - Josh Terrell - Dubuque - Round Lake;  184 - 4 - Gabe Youel - North Central - Crystal Lake Central;  184 - 8 - Toby Boltz - Wheaton College - Sycamore;  285 - 2 - Mark Corsello - Elmhurst - Maine South.  Elmhurst College 7th;  North Central 14th.  Results of Division 2 and 1 will be in the next word.

16.  Courtesy of Jason Salley the following FS/GR tournament dates and sites as follows:  Sunday March 15 - Rules clinic at Conant 12 noon;  21st a Saturday - GR tourney at Wright JC 10 AM;  22nd a Sunday - FS at Wright 10AM;  27th a Friday GR at Naperville Central 6 PM;  28th a Saturday FS at Naperville Central - 10 AM.  April:  17th - GR at Maine South - 6 PM;  18th - FS at Maine South 10AM.  May:  2-3 - Illinois FS championships at U. of Illinois Armory.  16-l7 - State GR tourney at Oak Park.  30th - 2nd Chance at Sycamore 10 AM.   June:  11-13 - Kids/cadets Northern Plains in Loves Park, Illinois.  17-21 - Schoolboy/girl National Duals in Indianapolis, Indiana at Warren High School.  17-21 - Cadet National duals - Rochester, Minnesota.  23-28 - Junior National Duals - Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.  30-lst - Kids FS and GR Nationals in Orem, Utah.   JULY - 18-25 - Cadets/Juniors FS-GR - womens FS - Fargo, North Dakota.  Good Luck to all.

17.  Don’t forget the Redbird Open Tournament on April 4th at the Shirk Center, Illinois Wesleyan in Bloomington - 3rd grade through college.  Call 309-750-1334 for information.

18.  Midwest Nationals will be on July 11th at the Shirk Center - Illinois Wesleyan in Bloomington - Grades 1 through college. Contact Mike Manahan - 309-665-0033 or 800-433-8226 for information.  A great tournament for those who do not go to the various nationals.  This event is sponsored by the IWCOA’  Illinois Coaches Assn;  US Army and Bloomington Sports. Some are born great, some achieve greatness, and some hire public-relations writers.There is nothing like returning to a place that remains unchanged to find the ways in which you yourself have alteredStatesmen rise and fall on the smallest of actions.Hardwork spotlights the character of people; some turn up their sleeves, some turn up their noses, and some don’t turn up at all.When you can’t have what you want, it’s time to start wanting what you have.Ultimately, the only power to which man should aspire is that which he exercises over himself.

-Ed

Find out more information about Henry Cejudo, Olympic Gold Medalist - Freestyle Wrestling. He will be in the Rockford, IL area on April 25.

Download the flyer here.

Here is a preview of the new Dan Gable’s and Cael Sanderson’s.

Let us know what you think about them by taking our survey on our other blog - http://www.wrestlinggearcom.blog.com     

Here are the photos I shot at the Illinois State High School Wrestling State Finals (individual State Finals).

The order is messed up - the first ones are from the middle of the round but if you flip through them you will get to the 103 bouts. The thumbnails are big enough you should be able to find the specific weight class you are looking for.

You can repost these on your facebook’s and myspace pages as long as you do not crop out the sponsor at the bottom of the image.

Follow this link - IHSA State Individual Wrestling Photos - Class AA and Class A

Here is my best celebration sequence:

More information will be posted on http://www.thepapefoundation.org

Same basic info as last year - approximate 10:00 a.m. start.

Here are shots primarily of the Class AAA State Finals along with some Class AA Finals matches when the action on the AAA mat was stalled.

State Finals Photos

Ed’s Word:  Number:  10              February 24, 2009
 
  1.  I don’t know how all of you feel about the 3 class system, but I for one thought it was a success.  The tournament brought out a number of schools that had qualifiers for the first time and a number of schools that got a qualifier after an abscense of a number of years.  Of course there were problems, especially in the Sectionals, but those gliches will soon be worked out.  My main complaint would be the way the class system was divided.  All the schools were included in the percentage cut off.  I personally think that on September 29th, only the schools that had signed up for Wrestling should be included.  Then you take 33% of the Schools by enrollment and call them 3A - the next 33 % would be 2A and the remaining 34 % would be 1A.  You would not know what class you were in until the 30th of September - this would be true mainly of those schools that would be border-line.  Another suggestion I would make would be to increase 30 from 16 qualifiers to 24 - 2A from 12 to 16 and 1A  stay at 12.  More bouts - fairer opportunity, especially where the power is - Class 3A.  Start the tournament on Thursday like many states do.  Another point of contention for me would be seeding -  Do not count wins or losses to schools outside of Illinois.  Have some provision for recognizing outstanding freshmen - as it is now - they only receive points if they won the sectional.  With all of these outside of school programs going on, freshmen are going to play an important role in state tournaments and at weights all the way up to 189.  Unfortunately, most of these suggestions are controlled by the Principals, regardless if they have Wrestling or not, so It will be up to coaches to influence their Athletic Directors and Principals so when they go to those Area meetings they go informed.  Anyway it is certainly a step in the right direction.
  2.  Hank Pillard was in the audience and looked good.  He is recovering from triple-bypass.
  3.  Dale Oldis is retiring this year from Glenbard West.  He has been involved in Wrestling for over 30 years.  Also it is Jim Zajek’s last season for Hinsdale Central.  He has his own business and no longer has the time to be a full time coach.  Best of luck in the future to both men and thank you for your service to Wrestling.
  3.  There was an unfortunate death in the Wrestling family.  Ryan Burke  a sophomore at Lincolnway Central passed away early in February.
  4.  Reid Hanley is still receiving treatment for cancer.  So please keep him in your prayers.
  5.  Jim Gardner is still recovering from his infection and has been in a wheelchair - he is having some problems and will need your care and concern and your prayers.  He and Marilyn missed the State tournament for the first time in umpteen years.
  6.  Ross Truemper has been named the Principal of the Year in Illinois.  Ross who is retiring in June from Naperville North, also has worked the Head Table at the State for the past few years and this year he took over announcing Division 3A.  Congratulations to Ross for this honor.
  7.  Thinking about announcing - In my mind it was sad, as I missed Gene Drendel, who had been involved for over 30 years and a friend to many - he will be remembered with fondness.
  8.  Jim Craig of Oak Lawn, Vic Marcucci of Reavis and Mike Chapman of Dixon will be inducted into the Glen Brand Hall of Fame in Waterloo, Iowa on the weekend of April 17th and 18th.  Congratulations to these men.  This award is in connection with their Wrestling exploits in the State of Iowa.  Jim and Vic were both National Champions for Iowa U. and Iowa State and :Mike started the paper WIN and the Hall of Fame and the International Museum in Waterloo.
  9.  Hall of Famer Harold Garrett passed away recently - he was a well known Official in Central Illinois and had worked the State series.  Cards can be sent to 13331 Dahki Rd - Bloomington, Il 61704. 
10.  North Central won the CCIW Conference Title - I do not have the individual placewinners.  This weekend they were in Wisconsin at Concordia for their qualification round for Division 3 which will be held in Cedar Rapids, Iowa on March 7th and 8th.  All Illinois and Wisconsin Schools and some from Minnesota will be at this qualification site.
11.  George Dyche from Aurora will be one of the Standard bearers at the Division 3 Nationals.  George was an All American for Coe College.  Coe is a co-sponsor of the tournament.  George is in the Coe college Hall of Fame.  Another Standard bearer will be Chris Donaldson of Wheaton, who also was an All American and in the Coe Hall of Fame. Congratulations to their selection.
12.  The Indiana-Illinois All Star Dual will be on Sunday March 15th at Wabash College in Crawfordsville, Indiana at 1 PM Indiana Time.  They are an hour ahead of Illinois.  Hopefully coaches have been in contact with their teams and have encouraged those who are eligible to participate if they have been asked.  Remember only Seniors are eligible.
13.  Great news:  John Dupont has been denied parole for the shooting of Dave Schultz.
14.  Mike Tamillow has won the Silver medal in Bulgaria
15.  Lindsey Durlacher is back in the fold again.  He won the Bronze in Serbia.
16.  Nick Fanthorpe is back off the injury list - He won his comeback against Nebraska.
17.  Chase Beebe is now into World Extreme Fighting and is taught by Hall of Famer Matt Hughes.  Chase is from Montini and Matt from Hillsboro.  Chase won the WCC Batomweight Title in 2007.
18.  Council Bluffs Iowa will be the h ost to the 2009 World Team Trials set for May 30-3l at the Mid-America Center.  I imagine housing will be available in Omaha, which is right across the river.
19.  Northern Illinois has announced its Summer camp programs:  Team competition July 6-10;  10 day training July 1-10;  16 day training camp - July 1 to 16 and Individual camp July 12 to 16.  Camp Director is Head Coach - Dave Grant;  Ryan Ludwig;  Dominick Moyer and Pat Castillo.  Special Clinicians will be All Americans Eric Juergens and Tim Hartung.  Counselors will be members of the NIU Wrestling Team.  Questions:  call 815-753-5300- email:  sportscamp@niu.edu
20.  Saw some information on costs for athletes at colleges.  Division I Boys basketball was 123,682.81;  football was 53,644.86 and Wrestling was 15,643.33.  Wrestling ranked 10th out of 16.  Division 2 - Ice Hockey cost 27,379.42;  Basketball 20,874.21; football 9,033.16 and Wrestling 7,071.43.  Wrestling ranked 6th out of 12.  Division 3:  Ice hockey was 6,996.77;  basketball 5,474.29; skiing 4,639.71; football 3,043.20 and Wrestling 2,975.10.  Wrestling ranked 6th out of 15.  This is cost per athlete.  Cost factors include scholarships, if any;  uniforms;  salaries;  transportation;  tournament entry fees;  lights;  water;  officials;  you name it.Wrestling is pretty cheap compared to at least 5 other activities.
21.  The Mac Championships are at Eastern Michigan in Ypsilanti on March 7-8.
22.  The Big l0 is at Penn State in State College on March 7-8
 
      Flowers are the sweetest things God ever made and forgot to put a soul into.
      Live your life so that if someone sayhs:  “be yourself” its good advice.
      Some luck lies in not getting what you thought you wanted but getting what you have, which once you
      have got it you may be smart enough to see is what you would have wanted had you known.
      The process of learning requires not only hearing and appllying but also forgetting and then remembering
      again.
     Where principle is involved, be deaf to expediency.          Ed

We plan on shooting photos at the State Tournament. My wife is coming off the bench for her second time to shoot photos. If Assembly Hall is set up for it, we’ll be trying to cover all three mats with two photographers.

Be sure to check out our home page - http://www.illinoiswrestling.com for the updates. Also, we should be at the Northwestern vs Ohio State Match on Friday night.