I'm old school and I believe that our sectionals should be based on our geographical location which could be changed every two years when OHSAA makes the divisional changes state wide. I don't like the system that we use in the Central District right now I think that it waters down the meaning of becoming a DQ. Look at our sectionals this year by far I think the Maryville's DI is the toughest section in the district. There will be some kids in some weight classes that won't make it to the District tournament that are deserving over other kids from other sectionals that will make it out. I feel that there are a few way's we can get it right and the best kids from each sectional will advance:


If we want to mirror the District Tournament (two day tournament) and State Tournament (which is three days) then we should do one of the following in the Central District for DI:

Keep our same format of voting and ranking our teams and change our sectional tournament to a TWO DAY tournament and only have TWO SECTIONAL SITES. Each sectional site will advance the top 8 into the District Tournament. Then the draw meeting will take place and each school can pick which site they want to attend. The selection can be form top to bottom or like we do it now bottom to the top. Either way it will still work out for the good of our sport. Or schools can be placed into each sectional site by the CDAB based on where the finished in the rankings. This would be a 32 man bracket at each site and it would be all about the seeding for the coaches and the kids wrestling each match to become a DQ.

The other option would be every two years when OHSAA changes divisions for school. Four sectional sites are selected and all the schools would be assigned according to their geographical location and have a one day sectional tournament. In which the top 4 would advance to our District Tournament.

Finally, we can keep the same format that we have now (which IMHO is broken) and do nothing. Or we can work to move forward within our district and become more comparative at the state level.

When I looked at the sectional sites I noticed that every DI sectional tournament in the state except for the Central District is a two day tournament. Also, I noticed that every other District out performs us at the State Tournament. So someone please tell me what we need to change here in the CD to become more competitive through out the state?

I love our sport of wrestling and I want to see all of our kids form the CD do well and compete at a high level through out the state and at the state tournament. So share with me what we can, should or need to do so our kids can become more competitive at the state level.

There are a lot of things to process in your in your suggestions however two things that I would point out.
1) The Northeast Wrestling Coaches have contacted the Central district coaches on numerous occasions b/c they would like to go to what we have. They have 6 sectionals spread out over two districts (4/2) and it is 100% geographic. They would like to seed and have choice.
2) Be careful wishing to reduce the number of sectional sites, the sectional is part of the state tournament, the state determines how many sectionals are needed based on the number of school in a geographic area. If you were to go down to 2 sectionals your number of state qualifiers would be reduced b/c those two sectionals could only advance 4 wrestlers which means we would probably lose the central district tournament and half of our qualifiers would go south and the other half north.
3) Finally you don't have to convince me of how far behind we are compared to the rest of the state we (Marysville) have traveled and competed with most of them them the last 5 years. We have also been ousted by them at both the team and individual state tournament. In my opinion how we organize our 44 teams in central ohio for the sectional and district has little to nothing to do with our results on a state level.

80baby;1579570 wrote: When I looked at the sectional sites I noticed that every DI sectional tournament in the state except for the Central District is a two day tournament. Also, I noticed that every other District out performs us at the State Tournament. So someone please tell me what we need to change here in the CD to become more competitive through out the state?.

Coincidence does not equal causation.

While some of your ideas have some merit, I really wish Folks in CD would get out of panic mode. It is all evolutionary. Wrestling has a deeper culture and history in the NE. CD is growing and improving. Teams in the CD have historically dominated in lacrosse, but we picked the sport up earlier. The gap is starting to narrow as teams in the NE and SW grow and get better. In most years, CD is generally deeper in basketball, I don"t recall people in other portions of the state panicking or having a massive inferiority complex.

Back in the stone age the CD only sent 2 to the state and these wrestlers were routinely dispatched the first day. It was also follow the leader so if the guy who beat you didn't make finals you were out. Since Northeast took 5 or 6 they were always matched with our #1 so goodbye. The balance has helped us send younger wrestlers and we now have lots of placers and champs. We went to the draw seed type sectional because if you went geographical the strongest teams were always together. Draw at north south line and an east west line and see where you are. A sectional with all the Hilliards, Marysville, and all the Olentangys. Not fair. So we have been fair. What you don't realize that some coaches do is that if I meet my top opponent in the sectional they will be separated in the district giving a better chance to advancing. It is after all a qualifier.