Rankings are trash

[Gator]

Haynes and Hunter Jones have wrestling styles that make them tough to wrestle. Both are thick and strong. Hard to get shots in on them and score.

Styles differ from one wrestler to another. Because wrestler A beat wrestler B, who beat wrestler C, doesn't mean that wrestler A can beat wrestler C. I've watched that scenario take place on many occasions.

[ZZChooseTop]

Pound for pound is always interesting discussion at any level. Most will pick their local stud and try to build an argument to prove why he's the best Pound for pound . We can all justify why Little Johnny won this tournament or that tournament and he is therefore "better" Pound for pound than Big Joey. (Argument at the extremes usually go something like this: little johnny didn't have to wrestle physically mature/older wrestlers or Big Joey had fewer kids in his bracket/only beat out of shape/fat guys). The very nature of the Pound for pound discussion is comparing apples to oranges, the light weight will not have head to heads or common opponents with the HWT. Accomplishments are important but along with the accomplishments when we talk about things like OW and Dutton in high school or best Pound for pound in Middle/Jr High, should we be thinking about:
1. If you could pick one of the wrestlers to help you start a team, who would you build a team around?
2. If you were trying to win a dual, who would you not hesitate to move to wrestle anyone, up or down?
3. Who would ask to move up or down to take on someone for the good of the team?
4. If we built a WV team to travel to national dual tournaments who do you as a coach pencil in as your automatic win + bonus guy in the lineup?
5. If we built a WV team to travel to national dual tournaments who do the other kids on the team look up to?

Blindly accepting the lists of the best wrestlers that other people have posted for the various weight classes I don't know who is the best Pound for pound, interesting discussion. I think #5 is the most telling but it's the one we adults would never know unless someone organized such a team.

I saw where people were saying that the high school rankings and discussion about Pound for pound were "trash", I could not disagree more. If coaches and parents would review the ways people think about Pound for pound (accomplishments, coach's confidence in the wrestler, teammates confidence in the wrestler) and impress the importance of working toward those things every day (for ALL wrestlers, not just the multi-time champs), West Virginia wrestling would improve.

[potomac highlander]

Thanks for the the work and effort that WV MAT puts into the polls and to the site itself. I do regret seeing a post with a title like this. The first post is easy enough to dismiss but the result is all the replies from those who now feel comfortable naming all the kids that they think are unworthy of being on the mat with their personal favorite. Thanks again for this site, other states don't even come close!

[coach_williams]

Who said anything about someone being unworthy? Jeez, I didn't realize that simply discussing if someone should be ranked higher or lower was going to get people's panties so twisted up. Why even bother with the rankings if everyone is just going to get butthurt over discussing them?

[Maddog]

Hoovers 285 Peyton Carey will be in the top very soon if he keeps doing what he's doing

[Excal62]

I too appreciate the polls. There are always going to be weeks when people will not agree myself included but I wouldnt do as good as job as they do. Bottom line in about a week prior to regionals it is usually spot on. When we get to states that's when strange things happen so for now lets just enjoy watching these kids wrestle.