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Imo the AAA class isn't the dominant class in WV wrestling anymore. I'm not saying if you took all the champions from the AA division and matched them against AAA state champions that AA would win that dual but I'm not saying they couldn't get the job done either. It seems most of the states talent is in the AA division at this moment. I remember a time that AAA would dominate across the board and it wasn't that long ago. Both divisions have very good talent but I think if you bracketed the top 6 from each division in a tournament there would be more AA wrestlers on the podium. This is just my opinion and I'm sick as a dog, bundled up in blankets at the moment and wrestling is what's on my mind at 1am. Either way, West Virginia as a whole has came a long way in the sport of wrestling and I would like to hear some other opinions on the subject.

As I glance over the projected top 5-6 wrestlers in each weight class for AAA and AA, I disagree with you. However, we will be able to better evaluate this later in the season.

The WSAZ and the Winner's Choice are good tournaments for this kind of evaluation. They both have a good mixture of the top teams in both AAA and AA/A going head to head.

Another fun thing to look at after the state tournament is over, which individual state champion beat their AAA or AA/A counterpart.

On another subject posted 30+ days ago, I evaluated last season's NHSCA results in terms of AAA and AA/A. AA/A had a slight edge.

I can recall when some of the really good Oak Glen teams could have probably led the AA/A over the AAA. This is coming from a die-hard South fan.

This year would be a good one.

I think part of what you are seeing is an increase in the quality of coaching at the AA/A level over the last 10-15 years. By default, the better coaches have always gravitated to the bigger schools and we still see this occasionally even now. However, I think a lot of what we are seeing at the AA/A level is former wrestlers returning home and starting up youth programs for their kids or getting involved in coaching at the middle school level which is resulting in much better high school wrestlers.

AA is now better because of math. AAA has no schools left. That is the only difference I see. I tire of this yearly debate because now more than ever we need one division with 3 team trophys.

IMO
One of the biggest reasons is the youth wrestling conference, the coalfield conference.
Ten or more years ago the Hart foundation, Tencher brothers and several others started it. And those high schools in that region have reaped the benefits. Most of those high schools are A/AA

Someone asked me who I thought would win a dual between the AAA and AA/A state champs. We sat down during a break in a tournament and thought about what it might look like. I used the favorite to win a weight class based on prior performance (like a prior championship or finals appearance) or my guess about who might win a weight if there wasn't a favorite. Here were the lineups:

106 - Whorton vs. Windland
113 - Smith vs. Miller
120 - Laya vs. Roberts
126 - Whorton vs. Martin
132 - Secrist vs. Carman
138 - Donahue vs. Bozek
145 - Humphreys vs. Gibson
152 - Kuhn vs. Lanham
160 - Booth vs. Nash
170 - Elliott vs. Lambiotte
182 - Safford vs. Delong
195 - Hart vs. Allman
220 - Adams vs. Haynes
285 - Cales vs. Haga

I will keep my predictions for how the individual matches turned out to myself, but I scored the dual 25-25. 8 matches to 6 in favor of AA. AAA bonused more. Dual decided on criteria. It would be nice to be able to wrestle that dual as a fundraiser for Team WV the week of the WVYWA states in Huntington. Most of those kids would be getting ready for NHSCA or FloNationals anyway.

I see the AAA you list winning 8 of the matches.

IndyHart wrote:Someone asked me who I thought would win a dual between the AAA and AA/A state champs. We sat down during a break in a tournament and thought about what it might look like. I used the favorite to win a weight class based on prior performance (like a prior championship or finals appearance) or my guess about who might win a weight if there wasn't a favorite. Here were the lineups:

106 - Whorton vs. Windland
113 - Smith vs. Miller
120 - Laya vs. Roberts
126 - Whorton vs. Martin
132 - Secrist vs. Carman
138 - Donahue vs. Bozek
145 - Humphreys vs. Gibson
152 - Kuhn vs. Lanham
160 - Booth vs. Nash
170 - Elliott vs. Lambiotte
182 - Safford vs. Delong
195 - Hart vs. Allman
220 - Adams vs. Haynes
285 - Cales vs. Haga

I will keep my predictions for how the individual matches turned out to myself, but I scored the dual 25-25. 8 matches to 6 in favor of AA. AAA bonused more. Dual decided on criteria. It would be nice to be able to wrestle that dual as a fundraiser for Team WV the week of the WVYWA states in Huntington. Most of those kids would be getting ready for NHSCA or FloNationals anyway.

Levi Jarvis will be at either 170 or 182. He is the returning AA/A #2 at 170 with the Hart gone up to 195. Based on your criteria (prior finals appearance), he should be the AA/A guy at one of those two weight classes.

I was told that Tyler Cales is not wrestling for West (reported scores seem to confirm this), so Peyton Carey from Herbert Hoover seems like the best bet for AA/A state champ at HWT.

Agreed. That would also place Pomeroy over Haynes at 220

Is Safford dropping to 182?

Also, 152 also has last year's 152 runner up back, Jack Garcia of Buckhannon.

coach_williams wrote:

IndyHart wrote:Someone asked me who I thought would win a dual between the AAA and AA/A state champs. We sat down during a break in a tournament and thought about what it might look like. I used the favorite to win a weight class based on prior performance (like a prior championship or finals appearance) or my guess about who might win a weight if there wasn't a favorite. Here were the lineups:

106 - Whorton vs. Windland
113 - Smith vs. Miller
120 - Laya vs. Roberts
126 - Whorton vs. Martin
132 - Secrist vs. Carman
138 - Donahue vs. Bozek
145 - Humphreys vs. Gibson
152 - Kuhn vs. Lanham
160 - Booth vs. Nash
170 - Elliott vs. Lambiotte
182 - Safford vs. Delong
195 - Hart vs. Allman
220 - Adams vs. Haynes
285 - Cales vs. Haga

I will keep my predictions for how the individual matches turned out to myself, but I scored the dual 25-25. 8 matches to 6 in favor of AA. AAA bonused more. Dual decided on criteria. It would be nice to be able to wrestle that dual as a fundraiser for Team WV the week of the WVYWA states in Huntington. Most of those kids would be getting ready for NHSCA or FloNationals anyway.

Levi Jarvis will be at either 170 or 182. He is the returning AA/A #2 at 170 with the Hart gone up to 195. Based on your criteria (prior finals appearance), he should be the AA/A guy at one of those two weight classes.

I was told that Tyler Cales is not wrestling for West (reported scores seem to confirm this), so Peyton Carey from Herbert Hoover seems like the best bet for AA/A state champ at HWT.

Coach, I talked to Jarvis at Summersville. Good kid, very polite and means business. Couldn't imagine him not bring a favorite at 170

mattman wrote: Coach, I talked to Jarvis at Summersville. Good kid, very polite and means business. Couldn't imagine him not bring a favorite at 170

Yes he is. Great kid, great personality, hard worker, dedicated...everything you want in a top wrestler.