Alex Hart

[mscoach132]

First of all I hope this post doesn’t get deleted like a lot of the other ones did about my son’s match. I have never posted one single thing on this forum and didn’t ever want to over this issue. I actually had to use a friend’s login because I could not get one approved this morning. My son was not awarded the state title that he earned Saturday night. My son wrestled against a tough opponent and I’m not talking anything away from his opponent. It wasn’t his fault that a scoring error was made but it surely wasn’t my son’s fault either. My son started in the down position in the second period. He gained an escape and a takedown to end the period. Going into the third period the scoreboard read 5-1 which is exactly what the match score was. When the third period started my son’s opponent came to his feet and they called a stall warning on my son so he let his opponent go and the official signaled a stall warning and then the escape point which should have made the match 5-2. Instead of the match being 5-2, the scorekeeper put 5-3 on the scoreboard. The wrestlers went out of bounds and I go to the table to address the issue. I told the two gentleman working the match that the score should be 5-2. We look at the sheet and they had written the escape for my son’s opponent in the second period box and the third period box. I tell the gentlemen working the match that my son’s opponent never had an escape in the second period and we finish the period on top. I even told them exactly what position the wrestlers were in when the period ended. They both look at me and say we finished the second period in the neutral position, which was absolutely not the case. They would not hear my explanation they just wanted to resume the wrestling action. They make me sit down and they make my son start wrestling again while he is trying to tell the official that the score should be 5-2. They resume the action at 5-3, which they were told was the wrong score, and my son gives up a takedown then gains a quick escape. Making the score 6-5. Wrestling continues and the gentleman working the match calls stalling on my son to tie the match 6-6 with 2 seconds on the clock. The score should have been 6-5 at the end of the match. I go back to the table and tell them that the match is over. Explain to them once again that there never was an escape in the second period and that we finished the second period in the top position. Instead of looking at the paper and really trying to figure it out how the scorekeeper could have made the mistake, they once again tell me to have a seat and make my son start wrestling knowing he had already won a state championship. After the overtime period and they raised my son’s opponents hand, me and my son stayed on the mat to appeal the escape in the second period. The same gentleman that was part of messing this match up, made my son leave the mat area (which everyone knows the wrestler is supposed to stay) while I was trying to protest the call. Another gentleman turned me around and told me to start coaching my next match which never should have started. I was still trying to appeal the call at that time. I have not disputed any judgment calls in this match even though I absolutely would have every right to do. There was a scoring error. The escape that happened in the third period got written down on the score sheet twice and the two gentleman working the match and the lady and the gentleman working the table got together and refused to acknowledge the mistake. The points were never awarded to the scoreboard during the second period. Two points were added for one escape in the third period. It was not correctable at the end of the second period because it never happened in the second period. I explained this to the rules interpreter number times. The two points for the one escape should have been fixed as soon as i went to the table. It was fixable then, it’s still fixable now. It needs fixed!!! If it was a takedown on the line, a scramble situation that two was given in, a stall call, I would have no argument. Those are an official’s official’s opinion against mine. This was something that was written down wrong on the score sheet that reflected a point that never happened in the match. The gentlemen working the match were told it was wrong and absolutely refused to correct it. At the end of six minutes the match was 6-5. My son won the match. I hope everyone gets a chance to see the match and score for themselves before they comment with a bunch of negative comments because he is a wrestler from Indy. What’s right is right. I can assure you that this is one of the most polite and respectable young men that was in the Big Sandy Arena on Saturday night. I would never want this to happen to a wrestler from any team. I hope the WVSSAC will do something to make sure that this is fixed in some way.

Jeremy Hart

[Man2man]

I was up in the stands with others trying to figure where the extra point came from right before you challenged the call which ignorant people don’t know that it’s part of your job being a coach. If those same ignorant people’s kid was in that same position and you didn’t challenge it. It would have been your head on a stick! Btw at the end of the third it should have bt a stall against that kid for hanging on Alex’s foot! I counted 5 seconds! Ward from Winfield was tough competition anyone in that class.

[ringworm14]

First of all I hope this post doesn’t get deleted like a lot of the other ones did about my son’s match. I have never posted one single thing on this forum and didn’t ever want to over this issue. I actually had to use a friend’s login because I could not get one approved this morning. My son was not awarded the state title that he earned Saturday night. My son wrestled against a tough opponent and I’m not talking anything away from his opponent. It wasn’t his fault that a scoring error was made but it surely wasn’t my son’s fault either. My son started in the down position in the second period. He gained an escape and a takedown to end the period. Going into the third period the scoreboard read 5-1 which is exactly what the match score was. When the third period started my son’s opponent came to his feet and they called a stall warning on my son so he let his opponent go and the official signaled a stall warning and then the escape point which should have made the match 5-2. Instead of the match being 5-2, the scorekeeper put 5-3 on the scoreboard. The wrestlers went out of bounds and I go to the table to address the issue. I told the two gentleman working the match that the score should be 5-2. We look at the sheet and they had written the escape for my son’s opponent in the second period box and the third period box. I tell the gentlemen working the match that my son’s opponent never had an escape in the second period and we finish the period on top. I even told them exactly what position the wrestlers were in when the period ended. They both look at me and say we finished the second period in the neutral position, which was absolutely not the case. They would not hear my explanation they just wanted to resume the wrestling action. They make me sit down and they make my son start wrestling again while he is trying to tell the official that the score should be 5-2. They resume the action at 5-3, which they were told was the wrong score, and my son gives up a takedown then gains a quick escape. Making the score 6-5. Wrestling continues and the gentleman working the match calls stalling on my son to tie the match 6-6 with 2 seconds on the clock. The score should have been 6-5 at the end of the match. I go back to the table and tell them that the match is over. Explain to them once again that there never was an escape in the second period and that we finished the second period in the top position. Instead of looking at the paper and really trying to figure it out how the scorekeeper could have made the mistake, they once again tell me to have a seat and make my son start wrestling knowing he had already won a state championship. After the overtime period and they raised my son’s opponents hand, me and my son stayed on the mat to appeal the escape in the second period. The same gentleman that was part of messing this match up, made my son leave the mat area (which everyone knows the wrestler is supposed to stay) while I was trying to protest the call. Another gentleman turned me around and told me to start coaching my next match which never should have started. I was still trying to appeal the call at that time. I have not disputed any judgment calls in this match even though I absolutely would have every right to do. There was a scoring error. The escape that happened in the third period got written down on the score sheet twice and the two gentleman working the match and the lady and the gentleman working the table got together and refused to acknowledge the mistake. The points were never awarded to the scoreboard during the second period. Two points were added for one escape in the third period. It was not correctable at the end of the second period because it never happened in the second period. I explained this to the rules interpreter number times. The two points for the one escape should have been fixed as soon as i went to the table. It was fixable then, it’s still fixable now. It needs fixed!!! If it was a takedown on the line, a scramble situation that two was given in, a stall call, I would have no argument. Those are an official’s official’s opinion against mine. This was something that was written down wrong on the score sheet that reflected a point that never happened in the match. The gentlemen working the match were told it was wrong and absolutely refused to correct it. At the end of six minutes the match was 6-5. My son won the match. I hope everyone gets a chance to see the match and score for themselves before they comment with a bunch of negative comments because he is a wrestler from Indy. What’s right is right. I can assure you that this is one of the most polite and respectable young men that was in the Big Sandy Arena on Saturday night. I would never want this to happen to a wrestler from any team. I hope the WVSSAC will do something to make sure that this is fixed in some way.

Jeremy Hart

I watched in real time there at the big sandy and knew something was up with the score.

Today i went back and watched the replay of the match on the NFHS network and scored it myself.
Here is my scoring of the match :
1st period : Takedown 2 Hart and Escape 1 Ward
End of 1st : 2-1 Hart. ward defers choice , hart chooses down.
2nd period. Escape 1 Hart, Takedown 2 Hart
End of 2nd : 5-1 Hart , ward chooses down
3rd period part 1: 1st stall warning on Hart, Escape 1 Ward
( at this point the real score should be 5-2 however it goes up to 5-3 on the mat for whatever reason) In the video you see the referee hit hart with the stall warning, then hart cuts ward loose and the referee then signals 1 Escape Neutral. There was no other point given there at that time, the only two calls were stall warning 1 and escape 1. )
3rd period part two : Ward takedown 2 (makes it 5-5 by the mat score, 5-4 real score.) hart Escape (6-4 real, 6-5 mat score ) Hart stall warning two ( 6-5 real, 6-6 mat score.
Then we proceed to Overtime where Ward ends up "winning"

For the record, i am nowhere near an Indy fan, and if were being honest, despise is probably a good word to use on how i feel towards them...
, but i have to agree that alex hart was robbed here.
There should never be an error of this sort happening at the high school level, especially in the state finals. Stuff like that are pee wee wrestling refereeing errors.
And while were speaking of officiating, this was some the worst officiating i have ever seen. Alot of highly questionable calls made, especially in the finals.
But thats all for another conversation another day..

Anyways, i would encourage everyone to go back and rewatch and score for themselves as Mr. Hart did.. Just blows my mind this kind of error occurred in a state finals match. The 2 officals on the mat and the 2 officials scoring the match should be reprimanded and should not be allowed to officiate the state tournament next year and probably honestly never again with this huge of a screw up.

Anyone (fan-wise, coach wise, referee wise.. whoever..) that wants to argue on the matter feel free to reach out to me.

"Watch out for the ringworm !"
Queen Elizabeth

[Qualityshots]

Ringworm I was gonna post olmost the same thing. Kinda of a play by play but it was just too much to write. I stick with the smaller post. Hats off to Alex and his dad. They are handling this exactly how it needs to be. But what now? Im a Berkeley Springs fan and dont actually like Indy (in a sport kinda way) But Alex....you were robbed plain and simple. Watched it over 10Xs. Score never changes. So sorry

[guard0544]

I was up in the stands with others trying to figure where the extra point came from right before you challenged the call which ignorant people don’t know that it’s part of your job being a coach. If those same ignorant people’s kid was in that same position and you didn’t challenge it. It would have been your head on a stick! Btw at the end of the third it should have bt a stall against that kid for hanging on Alex’s foot! I counted 5 seconds! Ward from Winfield was tough competition anyone in that class.

The last five seconds wasn't a stalling situation due to Hart being on top of Ward sitting on him. Stalemate situation.

[WrestlingFan1]

Why haven't we heard from any of the refs who frequent the board. I'd love to hear the thoughts of some the "I call the fall, I call the stall" bunch that are always talking about what a good job they do. Guess no one wants to step to the plate.

[KE4]

I’m not an Indy fan and their kids have beat mine several times. However, this is unjust for the kid. I’ve heard many people say ‘don’t let it be close to let the refs decide’but in this case the refs did decide and the score was something other than what they called. If you look at the score card it is easy to see that the original was scratched out. Not sure what else is needed. Not sure why it wasn’t fixed immediately. The 2nd did not finish in neutral position so there is no way an escape could have happened. Period. Good job Alex. If this were football you would not give a state title to the wrong team because the scorekeeper made a mistake???? There is no difference. I hope this is fixed.

[Bearhugger]

Why haven't we heard from any of the refs who frequent the board. I'd love to hear the thoughts of some the "I call the fall, I call the stall" bunch that are always talking about what a good job they do. Guess no one wants to step to the plate.

Maybe a statement is forthcoming to provide some clarity. It could be issued on a napkin and written in pencil though.

[wiseone]

OK, ask your question Bearhugger.

[wiseone]

In the meantime while I await a reply from Bearhugger I would like to say a couple of things. I am saddened by the events of the match with Coach Hart's son. Yes I have watched the video, Yes young mister Hart is the Champion. Yes it was a heck of a wrestling match. Yes, errors were made by the match and table crews. That is enough for this post for this moment.

[Bearhugger]

OK, ask your question Bearhugger.

I have not presented a question on this topic, thus I do not know what you speak of.

[Bearhugger]

In the meantime while I await a reply from Bearhugger I would like to say a couple of things. I am saddened by the events of the match with Coach Hart's son. Yes I have watched the video, Yes young mister Hart is the Champion. Yes it was a heck of a wrestling match. Yes, errors were made by the match and table crews. That is enough for this post for this moment.

For the readers. We have a distinguished wrestling official of 30+ years making this public statement. I suggest some corrective action is taken to prevent such a careless mistake that was made at the scorer's table.

This is not about an official making a bad call. The score table could not manage a match where a total of 7 points had been awarded (5 to 2).

On a general note, I must consult the rules to educate myself on the role of the second referee in a given match. Watching and keeping up with a match involves keeping up with the score.

[Man2man]

I was up in the stands with others trying to figure where the extra point came from right before you challenged the call which ignorant people don’t know that it’s part of your job being a coach. If those same ignorant people’s kid was in that same position and you didn’t challenge it. It would have been your head on a stick! Btw at the end of the third it should have bt a stall against that kid for hanging on Alex’s foot! I counted 5 seconds! Ward from Winfield was tough competition anyone in that class.

The last five seconds wasn't a stalling situation due to Hart being on top of Ward sitting on him. Stalemate situation.

I believe it was actually overtime. Alex stepped over and hooked Wards ankle with his (almost like a leg cradle) at the end of the match.

[JHart]

Anyone who wants to help my son out should contact the WVSSAC about the matter. Bernie Dolan and Wayne Ryan are in charge of wrestling and I plead my case with Mr. Dolan as soon as the match was over and I was forced to leave the mat. I think we should force these guys to do the right thing.
Phone number is 304-485-5494
Bernie.Dolan@WVSSAC.org
Wayne.Ryan@WVSSAC.org

Jeremy Hart

[Man2man]

Anyone who wants to help my son out should contact the WVSSAC about the matter. Bernie Dolan and Wayne Ryan are in charge of wrestling and I plead my case with Mr. Dolan as soon as the match was over and I was forced to leave the mat. I think we should force these guys to do the right thing.
Phone number is 304-485-5494
Bernie.Dolan@WVSSAC.org
Wayne.Ryan@WVSSAC.org

Jeremy Hart

I spoke with Mr. Ryan because I support your endeavor. When Herbie had a situation that happened at wsaz his 8th grade year (when you were his coach) and the middle school table worker tapped him before time was up (not to mention he was finishing a switch and could have been awarded an escape at least) I tried talking to the ref and he told me the same thing Mr. Ryan wvsac did “I’m sorry but there’s nothing we can do to change it”! That was my sons last match and he would have placed as well. If there is anything else I can do I’m here buddy.

[Man2man]

I made a call on behalf of Alex Hart to wvsac in support of a decision to reverse the mistake made by the score table that kept Alex from receiving his state title. Mr. Ryan admitted there was a mistake and apologized yet he cannot change anything. He sounded sincere. He also said (probably due to this happening) that next year there will most likely be a third referee involved. I know this doesn’t give Alex his justice but maybe less likely to happen again. When you dedicate the amount of time, energy, passion, etc into something just to have it stolen in front of you and everyone arguing on your behalf yet you stand there helpless! How can anyone not empathize how badly him, his coach (dad), parents, teammates, supporters show all the passion and hurt? So what if he doesn’t take the podium? Take minute and put yourself in his shoes before you answer. If the wvsac even admits it was a mistake in their words “he should be the champ”, video footage to support and people not from Indy. How can you dispute that!

[KE4]

Message sent to both. Good luck. I hopr this is fixed. Please keep us updated.

[Underdog3382]

It is not as simple as just changing the score and belatedly awarding the title to Alex Hart. As you are all aware, the score frequently dictates how you wrestle - which shots you take and don't take. Mr. Ward would have a valid argument that if the score were "fixed" pursuant to Coach Hart's argument, then he likely would have wrestled differently potentially leading to an outcome in his favor.

It's just not fair either way to Mr. Hart or Mr. Ward. That's the shame of it all. Mr. Hart has a second-place medal when he believes he should have a first-place placque. Mr. Ward has the placque, which he believes he is entitled to, but because of this situation he does not get to enjoy the acclaim that typically comes from winning the state tournament. In essence, his win has been devalued.

They are both victims - and there is no way to make it right.

[JHart]

It can be fixed and it should be fixed. Mr. Dolan heard my appeal that night and told me it was up to Jeremy Callen. Jeremy Callen would not overturn his friend’s call to keep the score the way that it was. Why would Mr. Dolan leave it up to him? They all could see the mistake and told me that they realized the mistake and it would be fixed if I had adressed it in the second period. The mistake was not made in the second period is why it wasn’t adressed then. Something I told Mr. Callen and Mr. Dolan and they both became offensive and told me to basically sit down and keep my mouth closed about it. It could have been fixed when we went through the proper appeals process and it can be fixed now. Mr. Wayne Ryan and Mr. Bernie Dolan saying that their hands are tied and nothing can be done is unacceptable. If it was one of Mr. Ryan’s state championship basketball games the score would have been fixed after the fact to reflect the accurate champion. You coming on here and saying Mr. Ryan is a nice guy but he just can’t do anything is exactly what he wants. He needs to make sure it happens. The WVSSAC makes almost fifty thousand dollars off of this tournament that pays these guys to sit in their office and pretend nothing can be done about the biggest mistake in the history of the state tournament. They can admit to the mistake and fix it. They absolutely can. I’m not accepting that from Mr. Ryan or Mr. Dolan. If this isn’t fixed I will be fighting to have everyone involved removed from their jobs.

Jeremy Hart

[IndyHart]

There is more to it than just a simple scoring error. There's a back story about this referee being on the mat for this match. Out of my great respect for Dr. Miller and the rules of his forum, I posted it on Facebook on W.V. on Mat. This isn't the typical situation regarding correction of errors.

I don't have anything to say on this issue that probably hasn't already been said, but I will say this. In the last five years, this is the second time a scoring error was made in one of our matches and a wrestler's hand was incorrectly raised as the winner of the match. It happened in 2014 in a state semifinal between Jeremy Pratt of St. Mary's and Trey Williams. 2014 was the year that NFHS streamed all the matches so that match is still available in their streaming service if you want to go watch it. In that match, it was the same scenario. A point was added to Pratt's score incorrectly. Cliff Warden tried to take the official to the table to correct it, but the offical refused and said the score was correct. The match ended with Pratt ahead on the scoreboard, 4-3. Pratt's hand was raised and he ran over to celebrate with his coaches and family. Fortunately, we had an official (Craig Brake) at the table who knew a mistake had been made and a coach who knew not to let his wrestler leave the mat area. The mistake was corrected and Pratt was brought back to wrestle overtime, where he won the match. I'm sure other coaches have similar stories. It's not an issue of bias against us. It's an issue of officials refusing to take the time to listen to coaches and get things correct.

The last thing I want to offer is my apologies to Davy Mundey and the other 152 pound placewinners. Our wrestlers are coached to get off the arena floor after a tough loss. As many saw, they don't always make it, but they are coached to. A thousand hours of preparation go into six minutes of wrestling. Sometimes even the best kids lose control of their emotions. None of our coaches knew that Haegan Harvey didn't make it to the podium until after the fact. He was obviously upset and went back to the weigh in room with Alex after his finals match. Connor Gibson was on the mat at 160. After Connor's match, the coaches were trying to get the error in Alex's match corrected. If not for those circumstances, a coach would have made sure he was in his warmup and on the podium for the pictures.

[IndyHart]

The Trey Williams-Jeremy Pratt semifinal was on mat 8. I know there is still a link to the stream if you go back far enough.

[dunbar76]

Just like June 2, 2010, Tigers vs Indians------------Facing the Cleveland Indians, Galarraga retired the first 26 batters he faced, but his bid for a perfect game was ruined one out short when first base umpire Jim Joyce incorrectly ruled that Indians batter Jason Donald reached first base safely on a ground ball.
This, afterward, an admitted blown call by the umpire, does not change anything. Not too many perfect games out there.
I feel for Alex. And I feel for the other kid. Life frequently isn't fair. I hope and pray both deal with this in the long run in a good way.

[JHart]

Just like June 2, 2010, Tigers vs Indians------------Facing the Cleveland Indians, Galarraga retired the first 26 batters he faced, but his bid for a perfect game was ruined one out short when first base umpire Jim Joyce incorrectly ruled that Indians batter Jason Donald reached first base safely on a ground ball.
This, afterward, an admitted blown call by the umpire, does not change anything. Not too many perfect games out there.
I feel for Alex. And I feel for the other kid. Life frequently isn't fair. I hope and pray both deal with this in the long run in a good way.

I hope the WVSSAC does the right thing and deals with this in a good way. Don’t let these guys off of the hook!

[Matman31]

The Trey Williams-Jeremy Pratt semifinal was on mat 8. I know there is still a link to the stream if you go back far enough.

Yeah , that match the score was all messed up I'm glad the Indy coaches fixed the score ... I wouldn't of felt right winning the match that way

[JHart]

Just like June 2, 2010, Tigers vs Indians------------Facing the Cleveland Indians, Galarraga retired the first 26 batters he faced, but his bid for a perfect game was ruined one out short when first base umpire Jim Joyce incorrectly ruled that Indians batter Jason Donald reached first base safely on a ground ball.
This, afterward, an admitted blown call by the umpire, does not change anything. Not too many perfect games out there.
I feel for Alex. And I feel for the other kid. Life frequently isn't fair. I hope and pray both deal with this in the long run in a good way.

In that game if they would have put a point on the scoreboard in the 7th inning and said that it was from a home run in the third inning then they would have fixed it. They would have gotten together and figured out that it never happened and corrected it.

[coach999]

Several things should happen. A kid dreams of a state title. Works countless hours. The score keeper should be banned from ever being given the chance to screw another kids dream up. People make mistakes, but mistakes can be fixed and if they would have listened to Indy coach, then the score could have been corrected. The refusal to listen to the coach, is the problem here and I think it dmmm near criminal. The referee should be fired and again not because he made a mistake, but for not taking the time to walk through it all with the coaches. This score was easy to figure out. Where wrestlers start and finish the round, and only 2 or 3 points were score, the score would of been easy to figure out. Only logical explanation for not correcting this score was arrogance, pride, and/or favoritism. Therefore people, refs, and/or scores keepers should never be allowed to get the opportunity to destroy another wrestlers dream. If I’m Ward, which none of this is his fault, would want my name removed from state champion because I didn’t earn it. I respect the great Young Winfield Wrestler decision either way, but it’s a shame for the refs a score keeper the put this on this young mans shoulders, to destroy the real winners dream, and to be the root of cause for all the fighting that resulted from these terrible decisions. How can someone have a conscience to tell a wrestler to leave the mat, when rightfully protesting the match. I would take this to Court, and file lawsuit if matter isn’t corrected. This is not protesting Refs call! The score was wrong, and rules were broken, and the wrestler and the coach had the right to stay on the mat, until fixed. If this was the Super Bowl, and the score was wrong, do you think the coach would let another play lapse until fixed? No. Well State Championship Matches are Suoerbowls to these wrestlers!

[Riffle]

I think this goes deeper than a wrestling match. I agree this should have been handled immediately by the coaches, officials, tournament director and the WVSSAC. Every adult associated with this situation has/had the duty and obligation to help and teach these young wrestlers how to become honest, hard- working and law abiding citizens as adults. The outcome of all decisions made by each and every person involved will be long lasting, but mainly for the children (wrestlers) involved. A coach is a teacher, even if not employed as one, but what if they are? If any of the coaches involved are teachers, they are/were on strike to stand up for what they believe is right…. Are our children learning from this strike? Absolutely they are. They are seeing their teachers not come to school to teach class due to lack of pay and better health benefits, but show up to coach a sport. I agree with the state tournament going on, but what lesson did our children learn? Sports are more important than class… Now, to the problem. If the Independence coach protested the score at the score table, then the Winfield coach knew about it. After watching the video, I believe the Winfield coach chose not to do the right thing. At that point in time, winning became the most important thing to him, not teaching the wrestler true integrity. The Puntnam County student Code of Conduct states:
•Students will demonstrate honesty and trustworthiness.
•Students will demonstrate fairness, play by the rules, and will not take advantage of others.
•Students will demonstrate good citizenship by obeying laws and rules, respecting authority, and by cooperating with others.
The children (wrestlers) are not to blame in anyway, but what did he/they learn? Win at all cost? Not to be honest or fair? Not to follow rules, regulations and/or laws? To follow improper teaching/coaching? How can a county school board require students to follow rules and regulations, but not require the same of the teachers/coaches? I believe that this coach/teacher should have to answer those questions… As should the officials, tournament directors, the WVSSAC and both county school boards. Will this example lead to an NCAA violation later in an athlete’s career or possibly breaking laws that would land them in jail or prison…? Only follow what benefits me? Integrity was shown in this matter by the Independence coach only! In my opinion, the Winfield coach shouldn’t be one any longer, this official shouldn’t be one any longer and the scorers at the table shouldn’t be one any longer. The WVSSAC will stand firm and possibly make some changes. If people are unwilling to do their jobs with integrity, honesty and to the best of their abilities teaching our children how to become honest, hard- working and law abiding citizens, then the people supervising these people need to take action and do the right thing!

[coach999]

Amen

[guard0544]

I think this goes deeper than a wrestling match. I agree this should have been handled immediately by the coaches, officials, tournament director and the WVSSAC. Every adult associated with this situation has/had the duty and obligation to help and teach these young wrestlers how to become honest, hard- working and law abiding citizens as adults. The outcome of all decisions made by each and every person involved will be long lasting, but mainly for the children (wrestlers) involved. A coach is a teacher, even if not employed as one, but what if they are? If any of the coaches involved are teachers, they are/were on strike to stand up for what they believe is right…. Are our children learning from this strike? Absolutely they are. They are seeing their teachers not come to school to teach class due to lack of pay and better health benefits, but show up to coach a sport. I agree with the state tournament going on, but what lesson did our children learn? Sports are more important than class… Now, to the problem. If the Independence coach protested the score at the score table, then the Winfield coach knew about it. After watching the video, I believe the Winfield coach chose not to do the right thing. At that point in time, winning became the most important thing to him, not teaching the wrestler true integrity. The Puntnam County student Code of Conduct states:
•Students will demonstrate honesty and trustworthiness.
•Students will demonstrate fairness, play by the rules, and will not take advantage of others.
•Students will demonstrate good citizenship by obeying laws and rules, respecting authority, and by cooperating with others.
The children (wrestlers) are not to blame in anyway, but what did he/they learn? Win at all cost? Not to be honest or fair? Not to follow rules, regulations and/or laws? To follow improper teaching/coaching? How can a county school board require students to follow rules and regulations, but not require the same of the teachers/coaches? I believe that this coach/teacher should have to answer those questions… As should the officials, tournament directors, the WVSSAC and both county school boards. Will this example lead to an NCAA violation later in an athlete’s career or possibly breaking laws that would land them in jail or prison…? Only follow what benefits me? Integrity was shown in this matter by the Independence coach only! In my opinion, the Winfield coach shouldn’t be one any longer, this official shouldn’t be one any longer and the scorers at the table shouldn’t be one any longer. The WVSSAC will stand firm and possibly make some changes. If people are unwilling to do their jobs with integrity, honesty and to the best of their abilities teaching our children how to become honest, hard- working and law abiding citizens, then the people supervising these people need to take action and do the right thing!

The coach most likely did not recall the play by play well enough to jump in and say with certainty what the score should be. None of the refs recalled the second period play by play...its likely the coach simply did not remember it either. I would estimate that at the end of a match in which I am coaching, I am unable to give an accurate play by play of every point for about 1/3 of the matches.

[mattman]

It really comes down to integrity. If you walk into a mom and pops shop and pay the lady for 5$ worth of merchandise with a 20$ bill and she gives you 95$ dollars in change, do you keep the 95$ or do you walk back in the store and say mam I paid you with a 20$ so you only owe me 15$? Alex is a kid that comes to practice and works and doesnt say a word to bother any kid on the team. He is also a straight A student who understands that academics come first. Young men like Alex Hart are gonna do much bigger things in life than win a championship but he deserves his state title. You can't teach character, honesty, work ethic or leadership and those are qualities that Alex carries! You make coal city proud young man!