Bear Tracks A/AA - Preseason 1st Edition

[WVU]

(Posting here so all of Bearhugger's rankings are easily found in one place - thanks to Bearhugger for compiling)

106 AA/A
1 Scarafino, Independence, Fifth Place, Junior, QOP 25
2 Kesterson, Greenbrier West, Sixth Place, Sophomore, QOP 23

113 AA/A
1 Flanigan, Frankfort, Runner Up, Junior
2 McDonough, Doddridge County, Blood Round, Junior, QOP 8
3 Koontz, Ripley, Q1, Sophomore, QOP 17
4 Graley, Poca, Q1, Junior, QOP 12
5 Schoolcraft, Calhoun County, Q1, Sophomore, QOP 7
6 Tallamy, Braxton County, Q, Sophomore, QOP 8

120 AA/A
1 Swingle, Keyser, State Champion, Sophomore
2 Hughart, Hoover, Third Place, Junior, QOP 16
3 Brown, Liberty Raleigh, Fifth Place, Junior, QOP 23
4 McKenzie, Greenbrier West, Sixth Place, Senior, QOP
5 Sandy, Williamstown, Freshman Extraordinaire

126 AA/A
1 Birch, Cameron, Runner Up, Sophomore
2 Taylor, Hoover, Third Place, Senior, QOP 12
3 Hensley, Devin, Chapmanville, Q1, Sophomore, QOP 14
4 Andrick, Ravenswood, Q1, Sophomore, QOP 14
5 Kelly, Braxton County, Q, Junior, QOP 8
6 Willett, East Fairmont, Fast Climber, Senior

132 AA/A
1 Ringer, East Fairmont, State Champion, Senior
2 Price, Point Pleasant, State Champion, Sophomore
3 Hess, North Marion, Fourth Place, Senior, QOP 25
4 Spragg, Tyler Consolidated, Sixth Place, Senior, QOP 25
5 Morris, Braxton County, Blood Round, Junior, QOP 11
6 McKinney, Braxton County, Blood Round, Senior, QOP 10
7 Smith, Poca, Q1, Junior, QOP 12

138 AA/A
1 Andrick, Point Pleasant, State Champion, Senior
2 Morgan, Berkeley Springs, Runner Up, Junior
3 Metcalf, Keyser, Fourth Place, Sophomore, QOP 21
5 Coleman Clay County, Sixth Place, Sophomore, QOP 12
6 Philyaw, Ripley, Q1, Junior, QOP 12

144 AA/A
1 Lamb, Oak Glen, Third Place, Senior, QOP 12
2 Coste, Point Pleasant, Third Place, Senior, QOP 12
3 Whittaker, Independence, Fourth Place, Junior, QOP 21
4 Good, Ripley, Sixth Place, Junior, QOP 8
5 White, Chapmanville, Q1, Senior, QOP 23

150 AA/A
1 Pettit, Cameron, Runner Up, Senior
2 T. Detrick, Keyser, Fourth Place, Senior, QOP 18
3 Minor, Point Pleasant, Fifth Place, Junior, QOP 23
4 Newlon, Williamstown, Sixth Place, Junior, QOP 25
5 Fields, Hoover, Sixth Place, Senior, QOP 12
6 Staton, Calhoun County, Q, Junior, QOP 2

157 AA/A
1 Preolitti, East Fairmont, Runner Up, Sophomore
2 Smith, Braxton County, Third Place, Junior, QOP 16
3 Harrison, Hoover, Blood Round, Senior, QOP 21
4 Brown, Ripley, Blood Round, Senior, QOP 12
5 A.Detrick, Keyser, Blood Round, Senior, QOP 5
6 G. Winfrey, Tyler Consolidated, Q1, Sophomore, QOP 19
7 Hart, Independence, Q1, Sophomore, QOP 14
8 Webb, Roane County, Q, Sophomore, QOP 13
9 Wolford, Petersburg, Fast Climber, Junior

165 AA/A
1 Tedrow, Cameron, Runner Up, Sophomore
2 Bush, Ravenswood, Third Place, Senior, QOP 12
3 Eden, Hoover, Fourth Place, Senior, QOP 25
4 Kay, Ripley, Fourth Place, Senior, QOP 25
5 Dauch, Point Pleasant, Fifth Place, Senior, QOP 16
6 Sullivan, Berkeley Springs, Fifth Place, Senior, QOP 16
7 Michael, North Marion, Sixth Place, Junior, QOP 25
8 Freed, Williamstown, Sixth Place, Senior, QOP 21
9 B Winfrey, Tyler Consolidated, Q1, Senior, QOP 9
10 Deal, Braxton County, Q1, Senior, QOP
11 Zombro, Berkeley Springs, Fast Climber, Senior

COMMENTS: This is the deepest weight class in the state. I had to trace back to the regional tournaments to find criteria to separate 3 and 4, and 5 and 6. Reminder, head to heads that happened before the regional tournaments are not recognized.

175 AA/A
1 Woyan, Point Pleasant, State Champion, Senior
2 Brady, Wheeling Central, Runner Up, Junior
3 Wallace, Cameron, Third Place, Senior, QOP 16
4 Cox, Sissonville, Fifth Place, Senior, QOP 18
5 Moore, Braxton County, Sixth Place, Junior, QOP
6 Trent, Williamstown, Blood Round, Senior, QOP 17
7 Nichols, Roane County, Q1, Junior, QOP 15

190 AA/A
1 Adams, Independence, State Champion, Junior
2 Durst, Ripley, State Champion, Senior
3 Sauers, Oak Glen, Fourth Place, Senior, QOP 25
4 Knoblet, Shady Spring, Fifth Place, Senior, QOP 21
5 Hill, Point Pleasant, Blood Round, Junior, QOP 6
6 Anderson, Williamstown, Q1, Senior, QOP 18
7 Paul, Poca, Q1, Senior, QOP 3

Comments: Bear Tracks criteria was maintained.

215 AA/A
1 Martin, Wheeling Central, State Champion, Junior
2 Watson, Roane County, State Champion, Senior
3 Molish, Oak Glen, Fourth Place, Senior, QOP 10
5 Van Meter, East Hardy, Sixth Place, Sophomore, QOP 25
6 Wheeler, Braxton County, Blood Round, Junior, QOP 12
7 McCune, Ritchie County, Q1, Junior, QOP 14
8 McMillion, RCB, Q1, Junior, QOP 12
9 Vaughn, Ripley, Q, Senior, QOP 18
Comments: Give me a shout out for AA/A Region 2!!!!!!

285 AA/A
1 Facemire, Hoover, Third Place, Senior, QOP 12
2 Schmidt, Oak Glen, Fourth Place, Junior, QOP 25
3 Neal, Ripley, Fifth Place, Junior, QOP 16
4 O'Callaghan, East Hardy, Fifth Place, Senior, QOP 8
5 Lopez, Hoover, Sixth Place, Junior, QOP 16
6 Davisson, Lewis County, Blood Round, Junior, QOP 18
7 Sites, Berkeley Springs, Blood Round, Senior, QOP 12
8 Anderson, Keyser, Q1, Senior, QOP 18
9 Craig, Point Pleasant, Q1, Junior, QOP 12
10 Burleson, Independence, Q, Junior, QOP
11 Jones, Moorefield, Q, Senior, QOP 13
12 Acord, Liberty Raleigh, Q, Junior, QOP 3
13 Franklin, Greenbrier West, Q, Junior, QOP 0
14 Burge, Williamstown, Fast Climber, Senior
15 Brown, Midland Trail, Climber, Senior
16 Asbury, Wheeling Central, Climber, Sophomore

COMMENTS: How about those Hoover Dawgs?


BEAR TRACKS 2024 – 2025

Edition – Preseason 1 listing returning state place winners, blood rounders, select state qualifiers and Super 32 entries. PLEASE comment or message me with any wrestler and his intended weight class. Edition 2 will be out next week.

Date of Issue: October 13, 2024

Bear Tracks 2024 – 2025 Overview: Here is how it works.

Wrestlers are assigned weight classes based on where they are currently wrestling in open tournaments and/or the word on the street. 285s from last season are assigned to 285 this season unless specifics are known. Occasionally, a scientific guess might be used to assign a wrestler to their preseason ranking weight class.
Wrestlers are ranked based how they finished in last season’s state tournament. A Champion ranks higher than a runner up and so on.
Non-placing wrestlers are rewarded based on the number of matches they win. A “Q2” is a wrestler that made it to the blood round and finished the state tournament 2-2. A “Q1” went 1-2. A “Q” went 0-2.

Additional preseason ranking positions are:
Climbers: this is a wrestler that was ranked last season but had their season cut short for various reasons or competed in a brutally tough region and did not qualify. These wrestlers are ranked and expected to climb the rankings. There will be one “Fast Climber” per weight class. The “Fast Climber” is projected to climb faster than the other climbers in the weight class. Rare exceptions could be made to add a second Fast Climber in each weight class.
Freshman Extraordinaire: These wrestlers are freshmen that were finalists last season in the Middle School WSAZ, WVYWA and WV Jr. State tournaments.

Ranking order is: 1,2,3,4,5,6, Q2, Q1, Q, Fast Climber, Climber, Freshman Extraordinaires.
There are no ties for ranking position. The tie breaking system is being used is as follows:
If we have two returning “Q1s” in the same weight class, then the criteria to avoid a tie is as follows:

1. Known head-to-head in the state tournament or the regional tournament. We do not go back further than the regional tournament.
2. Higher Quality Opponent Points or “QOP”. See explanation below.
3. Higher placement in the region.
4. Who was heavier last season.
5. If we have two returning state champions in the same weight class, we give the nod to higher career WV State Tournament Placement. For example, a returning 3x state champion gets ranked higher than a 1x returning state champion. If a returning state champion placed 6th two seasons ago, he will rank higher than a state champion that has no other prior state tournament placement. The same logic will be used to break ties for all state place winner and qualifier positions.
6. No opinions are used to begin the rankings.
7. Executive Decision can be used in rare cases. However, Executive Decision does not override a returning state champion for ranking purposes.

Explanation of Quality Opponent Points or “QOP”
Points are assigned as follows:
Champion = 16 points
Runner up = 12
3rd = 9
4th = 7
5th = 5
6th = 3
Q2 = 2
Q1 = 1
If a Q1 loses to the eventual state champion (16 points) and the eventual 4th place winner (7 points), then his QOP = 16 + 7 = 23.
If the other Q1 loses to the eventual third place winner (9 points) and an eventual Q2 (2 points), then his QOP = 9 + 2 = 11.
23 is higher than 11. The Q1 with 23 QOP gets ranked higher than Q1 with 11 QOP.

Additional Points:
1 Once the actual season begins, the MUD LINE will be implemented once wrestlers take turns beating each other. For example, as the season progresses, Wrestler A beats Wrestler B. Wrestler B beats Wrestler C. Wrestler C then beats Wrestler A. The ranking waters then become muddy.

The rankings are not clear cut among the three wrestlers. As the top ten wrestlers are listed, a Mud Line will be drawn to illustrate where increased parity has developed. Wrestlers listed above the Mud Line are cleanly ranked. The higher the Mud Line is within a weight class, the crazier the weight class is.

2 Some schools currently have multiple returning state place winners in the same weight class. During the preseason rankings, these given wrestlers will be ranked accordingly. Adjustments will be made once the season begins.

3 These rankings can also be used to evaluate how tough or how weak a given wrestler’s school’s schedule is. For example: a Hot Shot Freshman Extraordinaire will begin the season raked at the bottom. His climb will happen only when he starts beating wrestlers ranked above him. If he never gets around to wrestling any of these ranked wrestlers until January 15th, then the problem is his schedule is too weak! His climb will just take more than half the season. He will get there.

4 Strength of schedule and significant matches will start being taken into consideration in January. For example: Wrestler Jim Ramos finished in 6th place last season while wrestling for Bugtussle High School. His 6th place finish ranks him accordingly in preseason, which carries into the actual season. Bugtussle High wrestles out of state most of the season and elects to not compete in any competitive WV events. Other ranked wrestlers, with significant wins, could be moved above Jim.

5 Look at Bear Tracks Preseason as a pole position in a Nascar Race. Starting position and once the matches begin, head-to head rules!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Please communicate all needed changes.

A big thank you to all the coaches, parents, wrestlers and graduated wrestlers that have been answering my questions as to who is in what weight class.

Wrestler information is listed as follows: Name, School, State Tournament Place/Designation, Grade, QOP

[Bearhugger]

Great minds think alike. I was planning on doing just this but on Facebook. I still will.

Thanks for the back up. I hope the WVMat readers can share names and 2024/2025 weight classes for the wrestlers that have not been listed yet.

Good luck to all!!!!!!!!!!!!!!