I know it is a hard road to win the State Championship if you were not a District Champion.

How often does a State champion occur who was NOT a district champ???

Any great Underdog/Comeback Stories?

Last year Sylas Stender, Bennington, got 4th at districts ended up a state champ.

I say Jake Gonzales (Morrill) will be in there and will rebound from wrestling at a tough district.

Don't forget the Kearney MatCat Tourney 2/22, deadline 2/15

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Kearney MatCat,

I think it happens a lot actually. Most the time that I have seen it the better guy gets upset in districts and then comes back and wins in the finals.

I know my buddy Devon Kastler did it in 2006. Got beat by Drew Smith of Sargent/Burwell in the district finals and Devon ended up winning it at State.

I think it happens alot more than we think.

I think it also happens a lot at state. It happen with my friend Robert Daro. His senior year he got 3rd at districts and end up winning state.

I remember that, that bracket was loaded with about 6-7 quality kids that could have won the tournament that year.

I posted this story one other time but think it's worth repeating. Many years ago there was a good wrestler in a small town in Iowa. He went to state and may have placed as a junior. Then his parents moved to a town that didn't have wrestling and at that time there was no co-op arrangements. The coach at a nearby town, who was not only a great coach but also a great man, invited the wrestler to work out with his team all year. Chiefstorm will attest that this coach, his college coach, is both a great coach and a great man. He also convinced the wrestler's new school to enter the state tournament series. In Iowa the series for Class A and AA start with the sectional tournament. When the finals are over the wrestler who lost in the finals must defend second place against the wrestler who won the consolation round unless he beat that wrestler earlier in the tournament. This gives a true second as he has beaten everyone else or someone who beat everyone else. The third place wrestler is then on standby for the district tournament and if either the first or second placer gets sick, hurt, fails to make weight, etc he steps up to that wrestler's place.

This wrestler was third in the sectional but either the first or second placer got hurt and couldn't advance to the district. So the third placer stepped in and got second in the district, which qualified him for the state. He was state champion that year.

Yes, many wrestlers are state champs that didn't win districts.