Best to Never Win a State Title

[Troy Grindle]

Every time this thread comes up and I always come up with the same person.  Craig Klawitter of Pardeveille 1994 thru 1997.  He lost to the eventual state champion every year at state.  He took 3,3,3,2 at state.  Their senior year he beat Scott Hady of North Crawford at a tournament earlier in the season and then lost to him in the state finals.  That was Hady's fourth state title that year.  I think Klawitter only lost 5 matches in all of high school.  That is one tough kid to never win a state title.

This would be for just high school wrestling not after.  After high school wrestling it is a no brainer that it is the Peterson brothers.  A gold and silver Olympic medal for each brother will probably never be toped by anybody that didn't win a state title but went on to have the success that they had after high school.

[jaguarwrestler]

Best to never win state... because they are very good at Greco?

Isn't state folkstyle? So shouldn't it be best folkstyle wrestler to never win state?

Shouldn't be based on what they did in HS not what they did years after?

Root was what a 3 time finalist and beat the eventual state champion 3 years IN A ROW just a week before. He lost about 5 matches in his career, 3 of those being in the state final, 2 of those to a person he beat the week before. In modern times... 1990 and up I think he is the best.

Provisor was a good folkstyle wrestler but far from elite, not like he crushed people for 4 years but just came up a match short 2-3 times. Provisor is a great Greco wrestler, if that qualifies him to be the best HS folkstyle wrestler to never win state.... I guess.

Without looking I would guess Root had the highest career win %
I would guess he is also the only person to beat that year champ 3 years in a row only a week earlier.
He is probably also the only one to go 2-3-2-2 or better.

Morrisey 175-7 .961
Root 175-8 .956

might I ask you where you found that info?  I used track but you have more matches for both than I do and I used 4 years worth of WIAA State brackets. I know CM might have had a few more matches for Team State but where do you get more for MR? I have him at 171-7 and one of those is an Inj Def in a match he was in no danger of losing in the KK duals.

[jaguarwrestler]

Actually, Provisor DID crush just about everyone his senior year ( 2009) and was the prohibitive favorite to win the 170 lb weight class.
Unfortunately for Ben, he clammed up in his match vs Kessler from Elkhorn in the semis and lost by a point or two. Kessler did hit a super nice far knee
block for the winning TD.
Then, Kessler didn't score an offensive point in the finals and lost.

Best to never win state... because they are very good at Greco?

Isn't state folkstyle? So shouldn't it be best folkstyle wrestler to never win state?

Shouldn't be based on what they did in HS not what they did years after?

Root was what a 3 time finalist and beat the eventual state champion 3 years IN A ROW just a week before. He lost about 5 matches in his career, 3 of those being in the state final, 2 of those to a person he beat the week before. In modern times... 1990 and up I think he is the best.

Provisor was a good folkstyle wrestler but far from elite, not like he crushed people for 4 years but just came up a match short 2-3 times. Provisor is a great Greco wrestler, if that qualifies him to be the best HS folkstyle wrestler to never win state.... I guess.

Without looking I would guess Root had the highest career win %
I would guess he is also the only person to beat that year champ 3 years in a row only a week earlier.
He is probably also the only one to go 2-3-2-2 or better.

well, I did mention crushing people for 4 years not 1... imo can't be on the best to never win if you never made a final... just me.

[Fabulous Falcons]

Rick Gruber from Campbellsport (one of my all-time favorite Wisconsin wrestlers) slender and lightening quick. . . lost two state championships to Chuck Curwick of  Waunakee in 1979 – 112, and 1980 Division B – 119. Many people that never saw him wrestle have no idea just how good he was. . .would loved to have seen him face Jens Lantz from Ellsworth.

[head57]

to me, Mineral Points Joe Terrill hands down has to be, i believe he was beat in Sec as a FR, to the eventual State champion (Anderson-Riverdale), then lost to Angie (Athens) in the finals of his SO, and JR years and to Lowney (Manawa) his SR year in the finals....wow, what a tough road ha?...and had to beat a few undefeated wrestlers in each yr to get to the finals...

I go with Terrill for 2 reasons. 1) The elevated weight class makes the task more difficult, and 2) the quality of wrestlers that he lost two. Six state titles between Ange and Lowney (people in Manawa and Athens would both say it should be , and Division 1 scholarship opportunities across the country.

[fireman]

One that should have had another shot, 2x state finalist Eric Schmid from Verona.  Crappy way to end an outstanding career for the young man. 

[harley]

Best to never win state... because they are very good at Greco?

Isn't state folkstyle? So shouldn't it be best folkstyle wrestler to never win state?

Shouldn't be based on what they did in HS not what they did years after?

Root was what a 3 time finalist and beat the eventual state champion 3 years IN A ROW just a week before. He lost about 5 matches in his career, 3 of those being in the state final, 2 of those to a person he beat the week before. In modern times... 1990 and up I think he is the best.

Provisor was a good folkstyle wrestler but far from elite, not like he crushed people for 4 years but just came up a match short 2-3 times. Provisor is a great Greco wrestler, if that qualifies him to be the best HS folkstyle wrestler to never win state.... I guess.

Without looking I would guess Root had the highest career win %
I would guess he is also the only person to beat that year champ 3 years in a row only a week earlier.
He is probably also the only one to go 2-3-2-2 or better.

Morrisey 175-7 .961
Root 175-8 .956

might I ask you where you found that info?  I used track but you have more matches for both than I do and I used 4 years worth of WIAA State brackets. I know CM might have had a few more matches for Team State but where do you get more for MR? I have him at 171-7 and one of those is an Inj Def in a match he was in no danger of losing in the KK duals.

http://prebleathletics.com/wrestling/history.html
Scroll down to individual accomplishments

[jaguarwrestler]

Best to never win state... because they are very good at Greco?

Isn't state folkstyle? So shouldn't it be best folkstyle wrestler to never win state?

Shouldn't be based on what they did in HS not what they did years after?

Root was what a 3 time finalist and beat the eventual state champion 3 years IN A ROW just a week before. He lost about 5 matches in his career, 3 of those being in the state final, 2 of those to a person he beat the week before. In modern times... 1990 and up I think he is the best.

Provisor was a good folkstyle wrestler but far from elite, not like he crushed people for 4 years but just came up a match short 2-3 times. Provisor is a great Greco wrestler, if that qualifies him to be the best HS folkstyle wrestler to never win state.... I guess.

Without looking I would guess Root had the highest career win %
I would guess he is also the only person to beat that year champ 3 years in a row only a week earlier.
He is probably also the only one to go 2-3-2-2 or better.

Morrisey 175-7 .961
Root 175-8 .956

might I ask you where you found that info?  I used track but you have more matches for both than I do and I used 4 years worth of WIAA State brackets. I know CM might have had a few more matches for Team State but where do you get more for MR? I have him at 171-7 and one of those is an Inj Def in a match he was in no danger of losing in the KK duals.

http://prebleathletics.com/wrestling/history.html
Scroll down to individual accomplishments

interesting, I added up the 4 years at state and I came out with 171-7, so not sure where they get the extra 5 matches from if Track is correct. Anywho, I would say MR and CM are pretty much 1a and 1b on the list of best to never win. Win % almost identical, placement identical, number of matches almost identical, only real difference I see is that Root beat the champ 3 years a week before state.

[Street Glide]

Jon Lantz Ellsworth, and Fester Frandsen Ellsworth.  There sons did help pick up the slack though. 😄😄😄😄

[knighthead]

I have to weigh in with a couple of guys.  Pat Christenson because he was my middle/high school teammate and his accomplishments speak for themseves. And, Malcolm Briggs lost to Joe Budi in the only division I final that featured 2 undefeated wrestlers.  That year he beat the division III state champion, and beat the division I 3rd place finisher twice (once by fall in the state tournament).  The 3rd place wrestler then won the state tournament the following year.   

[FinalWord]

Jon Lantz Ellsworth, and Fester Frandsen Ellsworth.  There sons did help pick up the slack though. 😄😄😄😄

I didn't know Jon wrestled.

[Manty77]

I'm also wondering back in the day with the old qualifying rules at sectionals when wrestlers lost a first round match and then were done with no chance of a wrestleback period.

Good question.  I always chuckle when I see these kinds of threads because it's usually the younger guys who post, and have no appreciation for history.  It seems to me they overrate the more recent wrestlers and completely discount the older wrestlers, mainly because the older guys were before their time.  Yeah, so maybe I'm getting old . . . . just get off my lawn damnit!!!

Well, anyway, I took a quick look at some old programs and the 1st one I looked at was from 1967.  I saw a kid named Kevin Campbell from Baraboo at 95 lbs.  He was 25-3 and finished 5/6. They didn't wrestle the 5th/6th place match back then.  I have no idea who this kid is and I've never heard of him.

Bear in mind that this was back when there was only 1 division in the entire state, and only 16 kids made it to state.

The next year, in 1968, Campbel finished 28-1, and DNP at state because the kid that beat him lost his next match, and Campbell didn't get a wrestleback.  The kid that beat Campbell took 3rd through wrestlebacks.

The next year, in 1969, Cambpell moved up to 103 lbs and once again finished with 1 loss, 27-1 and DNP at state because he did not get a wrestleback.

And then finally in 1970 he finished 29-1 and took 2nd at state.  The kid that he lost to was Frank Valasquez who was in the middle of winning 3 titles in a row.

So here is a kid that made it to state all 4 years back in an era when most schools didn't let FR wrestle varsity, when there was only 1 division, only 12 weight classes, finished 5th-6th, DNP, DNP, and 2nd with an overall record of 109-6.

And if I hadn't taken a look at the programs I'm sure no one would have mentioned this guy.  Even though he is the only one I looked at, it makes me wonder just how many more of these exceptional wrestlers there were, that no one recalls?

[fastnfurious]

One that should have had another shot, 2x state finalist Eric Schmid from Verona.  Crappy way to end an outstanding career for the young man. 

+1 for this one. He had a good chance to win it this year. Also one of my favorite wrestlers to watch. On the bright side he still has four more years of wrestling to go.

[Quack]

One that should have had another shot, 2x state finalist Eric Schmid from Verona.  Crappy way to end an outstanding career for the young man. 

+1 for this one. He had a good chance to win it this year. Also one of my favorite wrestlers to watch. On the bright side he still has four more years of wrestling to go.

Oh? Is he wrestling in college? I thought he was gonna play football somewhere?

[pauladamski]

Mike Athey from Bay Port should be on this list. '98-00. 3rd at 152 as a sophomore (lost to SC Ryan Lewis in Semi). 5th at 160 as a junior (lost to SC Matt Neumeuller first round - no wrestle back to third at that time. 2nd at 160 as a senior (lost to SC Chris BorchardT). He was 108-12 in higher weight classes and lost to the SC at state every year. Also, I believe he was winning in each of those three matches at state he lost, but it has been a few years and the details might be incorrect on that. Also, likely would have at least qualified as a freshman, but Wrestled JV as a freshman because he was behind 3x SC Jay Van Laanen and SC Travis Athey (brother).