by Panhandle Al

OK here we go. This is a look at the Panhandle as best I can I am sure there will some comments on rankings and name spellling’s, weights ,etc. Any feed back is welcome and needed to fill in some of the blanks. I tried the best I could with the results I had. So here goes.

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For Immediate Release

January 27, 2006 (Highland Park, TX) — The Highland Park Scots Wrestling Club will be presenting a $3,500 check to the LEAP Foundation, a non-profit organization dedicated to enhancing and enriching the lives of people around the world by providing specialized medical and surgical services. The check will be presented to Dr. Craig Hobar, founder of LEAP, by the 2006 Texas State Dual Championship Highland Park High School Wrestling Team on Saturday, January 27. The presentation will be made during the Scots Super Six Tournament at noon in the Highland Park High School cafeteria, which is located at 4220 Emerson, Dallas, TX 75205.

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By Centex1

A note of forewarning: I don’t know every Region IV weight class like the back of my hand. The ones I have gone into more depth on are weight classes that I think will have significance in the long run (i.e. Austin). I would be happy to further develop these rankings, but the response I have gotten when I asked for ranking information was paltry at best. So, when you see these rankings, instead of yelling about how awful they are all over the forum, send me a personal message, give me information on what needs to be changed and why, and if it’s valid, I’ll change it.

This being said, as Region IV is set up, there are certain weight classes (112, 189, Hwt this time around) every year that are completely dominated by a wrestler who is on a bigger mission than state qualification. Unless you know someone in these weight classes who is set to make some magic happen in Austin, it’s kind of a moot point.

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by Peter Dewey

Coming into the State Duals a couple teams thought they had a good chance to dethrone Highland Park as Dual State Champion. One was Arlington Bowie who had wrestled HP close two weeks ago succumbing 38-29 in a dual that went down to the final match. The other was Azle who had won just about everything on their schedule this season. They would both get their chance.

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By Peter Dewey

To absolutely no one’s surprise the Bishop Lynch mob ran away with the team title at the the Lamar Invitational placing 7 in the finals and winning 6. And this without the services of Johnny Koepp. The only reason the team scores appeared close for much of the day is because finalist points are not added until after the semi-final round is completed. As soon as they were added, the champion was apparent. If these guys were in UIL, they would dominate the State tournament and likely win 5 to 7 individual state championships.

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Houston Report
Russell Pate

The Houston City Duals will be the biggest event of its kind in the state. Most importantly it will crown who the best in the area really is, and will also decide the area’s 4 representatives for the state dual tournament. It has always been an unfortunate joke that we invite/appoint teams to the “STATE” Dual tournament, rather than having some kind of qualifier. This selected field means the teams who call themselves “State” champions at the end are really not. This is not to take away from them, they are worthy champions, they are just not state champions if everyone in the state is not somehow involved.

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by Peter Dewey

Grapevine Duals is one tough tournament. As in up to 10 dual matches in 2 days. Absolutely brutal. Is this the best possible preparation for Dual State two short weeks later or is it too much of a grind? This would seem to be a debatable proposition. But for the teams that are returning each year to the Grape, including TWHSCA Dual State Champion Highland Park, it appears to be a price worth paying.

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by Peter Dewey

The Grapevine Duals has been a showcase for some classic wrestling matches between New Orleans Jesuit and Highland Park. In 2003, the dual came down to the final match between two sophmore heavywieghts. NOJ won the match 10-9 when time ran out with the NOJ heavywieght flat on his back. Final NOJ 37 HP 32. In 2004, HP led 33-22 with 4 matches remaining and Gallatin, Mason, Hobar and Lake yet to wrestle. They all lost. Final NOJ 34 HP 33. In 2005, HP had a team that would win UIL State and THSWCA Dual State titles; expectations were high. Final NOJ 50 HP 21. This rivalry seemed to have just about everything between the best teams in Texas and Louisiana … everything that is except a Highland Park victory.

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by Peter Dewey

ITW Exclusive Interview with J.D. Robbins head wrestling coach at Oveido (FL) High School

ITW was fortunate to catch up with Oviedo Head Coach J.D. Robbins as his team prepares to depart for the Lone Star Duals. Even in a short conversation it is obvious that Coach Robbins has great passion for and dedication to the sport of wrestling. With his wrestling roots in California and after coaching at different levels for many years, Coach Robbins took over the Oviedo wrestling program 5 years ago when his oldest son Jason was a freshman.

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