Best to Never Win a State Title

[Manty77]

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?

He tweeted that he is going to wrestle for the Badgers next year. He wasn't listed as one of the kids that signed a letter of intent, so maybe he'll be a preferred walkon?

[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.

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

He tweeted that he is going to wrestle for the Badgers next year. He wasn't listed as one of the kids that signed a letter of intent, so maybe he'll be a preferred walkon?

I believe that is correct.

[hammen]

CC Rider (Collin Cudd) gets my vote as well. Love that guy.

[Han Solo]

CC Rider (Collin Cudd) gets my vote as well. Love that guy.

His brother Logan came darn close to a state title and just came up a little bit short too.  I remember him beating that tough Muskego kid in the semis (not going to try to spell his name correctly) in a really exciting match.  Just couldn't get away on bottom at the end of his finals match and got called for stalling (which I thought was an unnecessary call, but I'm not a ref!) Too bad.  Great kid. 

[bud]

 I would have to say Troy Freeman from Nekoosa, such a talent but always found himself in a loaded bracket.

[ankle pick]

Jarod Donar- Cuba City,  Cal Jensen- River Valley,  Brad Moore- Lancaster.

[Northwoods]

I would have to say Troy Freeman from Nekoosa, such a talent but always found himself in a loaded bracket.

Your right bud completley. To say Troy's bracket was loaded year after year is an understatement! No double digit loses in any of those brackets.lol

[tyben]

Justin tritz wasn't too bad, but really hasn't done anything for wrestling since .  Freeman and Justin coach together now.

[MHSfan]

Anthony Lampe

[Han Solo]

Anthony Lampe

Oh he did.

[woody53]

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?

All I can say is we need to find this guy. One of my new heros. Only eight years older than me.

[rv84]

Jarod Donar- Cuba City,  Cal Jensen- River Valley,  Brad Moore- Lancaster.

Cal was a 2x champ... I would vote for Tom Luther R. Valley

[littleguy301]

Scott Hilton of Clear Lake, back in the early 70's was undeated for 4 years going into state and lost 5 matches at state. He placed 4th as a junior? and every other year lost a match with no wrestle back.

He went on to a long career of reffing in the north west part of the state.

How about that for some history?

[hammer]

Was there a kid from up north that was a 3 time finalist in the late 80's that was just a beast but never won it? It was a lighter weight but I remember as a youth he was one tough wrestlers that his style just wasnt the in thing in Madison at that time.

Colin Cudd was pretty darn good never to win a title. Boy I remember hearing about those sectionals and regionals up there with Luke Smith, Colin Cudd and the Crasses. I think those names would meet a few times a year in conference and tournaments.

[littleguy301]

Was there a kid from up north that was a 3 time finalist in the late 80's that was just a beast but never won it? It was a lighter weight but I remember as a youth he was one tough wrestlers that his style just wasnt the in thing in Madison at that time.

Colin Cudd was pretty darn good never to win a title. Boy I remember hearing about those sectionals and regionals up there with Luke Smith, Colin Cudd and the Crasses. I think those names would meet a few times a year in conference and tournaments.

Not sure but the only name I can remember from the up north area at that time that was a 3X finalist was Rob Trunkel but he won it in 87 at 105. So he did win it one year.