McCort Wrestling

[El-Moldo]

It is a shame that kids are affected the most. But was it the kids who begged their parents to send them to McCort; or was it the parents who TOLD them they were going to attend McCort? Parental decisions ALWAYS affect their children. Kids may suffer from decisions parents make, but kids are not responsible for them. As Walter Cronkite would say, "And that's the way it is."

[District5Fan]

I would bet a lot of money that once the first one went to McCort, that the rest of the kids all wanted to go to.

[everett]

In the end, the only ones that are losing out are the kids. Wrestling isn't a team sport anyway.....its an individual sport....whoever wins the PIAA State Championship in 2023 at Bo Bassetts weight should have an asterisk by their name in the record books....they didn't win because they were the best, they won because adults protected from wrestling the best....it's actually sad....suspend the team from duals, but let them wrestle individually.....

How that work out last year with the younger Gibson was a lock to win it? If I recall, all these highly touted kids that came up thru have a total of zero high school state championships.

[OutOfTheLoop]

I would bet a lot of money that once the first one went to McCort, that the rest of the kids all wanted to go to.

Except that based on evidence reviewed by the PIAA and the federal courts, that's not what happened at all.

[highschoolfan]

In the end, the only ones that are losing out are the kids. Wrestling isn't a team sport anyway.....its an individual sport....whoever wins the PIAA State Championship in 2023 at Bo Bassetts weight should have an asterisk by their name in the record books....they didn't win because they were the best, they won because adults protected from wrestling the best....it's actually sad....suspend the team from duals, but let them wrestle individually.....

What a ridiculous sentiment. You are all about touting to let the kids compete and so on. You are all for not punishing the kids. However, you are ignorant enough to try and discredit student athletes that might win a state championship legitimately. How about whoever wins the state championship at anytime is The State Champion, no asterisk ever, as they beat everyone they had to. If someone is not there due to injury, DQ, ineligibility, dumb decisions, terrible oversight by school district administration (completely off the top of my head), etc., then that has NOTHING to do with the actions of any of the other wrestlers that are there on their own merits and abilities. Therefore they are champs whether they are who you had in your mind or hopes that would win. Last time I checked, the group you seem to be so enamored with has “0” state championships at the high school level. All we have heard about in the years leading up to this has been how multiple kids would be a lock for 4 time champions. None have won yet. HS is another ballpark and as we have seen, HS and PIAA competition has rules and by-laws that must be followed to even give your wrestlers a chance. The school, coaches, and parents are the ones to blame here. Drama and ridiculous behavior has followed this group from place to place. It is always the fault of others and “haters” and blah blah. The adults never take any ownership for their behavior, lack of judgement, and dream-weaving vicarious behavior.
Don’t try to downplay the achievements of future athletes that earn their hardware. Your kid-first attitude and mindset you portray is counterintuitive to how you try to minimize and discredit the works of other kids due to things they have no part in. You can’t have it both ways.

[Manfred]

Jim Jones increased the sales of Kool-Aid.

[highschoolfan]

Jim Jones increased the sales of Kool-Aid.

[CCDevil2012]

In the end, the only ones that are losing out are the kids. Wrestling isn't a team sport anyway.....its an individual sport....whoever wins the PIAA State Championship in 2023 at Bo Bassetts weight should have an asterisk by their name in the record books....they didn't win because they were the best, they won because adults protected from wrestling the best....it's actually sad....suspend the team from duals, but let them wrestle individually.....

I disagree to an extent. Wrestling better competition in practice can makes you significantly better than wrestling a kid who won’t even place at districts. Who would you want as your sparring partner? I bet Mason Gibson and Bo Bassett definitely each benefit from practicing on each other every day.

In football terms, it’s always better for your starter to take reps against a guy who is varsity good too rather than a kid who might play JV if he’s lucky. Football is a team sport, but competition makes an individual better.

[LVCoachFoust]

I agree that wrestling better wrestlers at practice would help tremendously......but they already did that at YG and RPW.....what I'm saying is, I'm fine with suspending the Team from being eligible to wrestle in States.....but not the individual tournament.....those are 2 separate groups.....McCort team could go 0-12 and not be in the teams states , but have two individual State Champs.....that's what wrestling is....an individual sport.....look at the collegiate level.....Iowa won the Natty last year, but PSU had a 4-1 advantage on National Champions.....that's what people remember in the end.....I think they are getting double penalized.....it doesn't matter what your team record is in wrestling, if you're good enough to qualify for States then you do.....

[Slippery95]

I have been reading these posts since the start and have found it entertaining. I figured I would offer some random thoughts:
1) I am perfectly fine with the TEAM and INDIVIDUALS both being suspended for the year.
2) This dream team was not put together to win the Team State Title (Stop it right now if you believe that). It was put together for that irrogant coach to be some sort of hero by crowning 3 individual champs and 6 more place winners
3) Bo Bassett is NOT the type of wrestler who we should ever assume would win the state title. He is great.......but not an assumed champ!!! Making the actual champ place an asterick next to their name is ignorant at best and condesending at worst!
4) The student-athletes knew exact what they were doing and should shoulder that punishment. Stop making them victims!
5) Many are not talking about the roll of Forest Hills in all of this..............I applaud them for recognizing early the jerk that this coach was and seperating themselves from him quickly! They are exactly what High School Athletics should be!