What if Ohio allowed Junior High wrestlers to compete for varsity?

• wraith51

  

  At the OSU coach's clinic they announced Ohio's first 4x state champ Mark Zimmer was in the house, so this got me thinking about if Ohio allowed junior high guys to wrestle varsity if we would see any 5x or 6x state champions? This is strictly discussion only, I am not for or against it happening just curious what other would think? I coached 2 years down in Florida and they do this, but I think division 3 (Single A down there) is the only division allowed. The rule there, at least when I was there, was if your junior high and high school were housed in the same building your junior high guys were eligible to wrestle varsity.
  
  My last year in Florida (2010) I remember seeing a sophomore win his 4th title, two 8th graders go at it for the title at 119lb class, and only remember one 7th grader making the finals that year at 103.
• cruiser_96

  

  Most of the guys we would think would be 5 or 6 timers would have been amazingly small if and when they did it. Consider DT, Logan, Hunter, Tony Jameson, and Cam Tessari. They all would have been little guys - like 85 and 90 pounds - in 7th and 8th grade.
• Dust_E_Roads

  Cruiser might have been a 7 time sectional qualifier had that been the case!
• cruiser_96

  

  Dust_E_Roads;1665111 wrote:Cruiser might have been a 7 time sectional qualifier had that been the case!

  YES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
  
  but nah. I weighed 80 pounds soaking wet in 7th grade. ...wasn't much bigger as an 8th grader.
• wraith51

  

  I would have made the varsity line-up as an 8th grader for sure, would have done better at sectionals than the guy they did enter, but not much better, probably would have gone 1-2 rather than 0-1 or 0-2 since that was the next to last year they did follow the leader at sectionals.
  
  What are some arguments for or against this practice? For smaller schools, allows an opportunity for fuller line-ups. If your jr high program is being threatened to get cut every year by administration it still gives the kids an opportunity to compete at some level.
  
  Against, leaves open the abuse of the system. Kids go to a smaller private school to wrestle varsity in jr high and get that experience then transfer to their home public school once they get to HS. Kind of turns the smaller private schools into a farm system for larger public schools.