Kentucky Wrestling » Sub-Feature

Wisconsin claims two titles at Midlands Championship

Mathound — Sun, 03 Jan 2010 18:12:21 +0000

EVANSTON, Ill.–The No. 22 Wisconsin wrestling team wrapped up two days of competition at the 47th annual Midlands Championship with two individual titles, a second and a fourth place finish. Redshirt freshman Tyler Graff and sophomore Andrew Howe both claimed the championship in their respective weight classes, while senior Kyle Ruschell took second and junior Trevor Brandvold claimed fourth place. The Badgers finished with a score of 90.5 to come in fifth place overall.

Graff took on the No. 1 seed Nick Fanthorpe in his first match of day two at 133 lbs. The two met last year where Fanthorpe claimed a 4-2 victory over Graff. Yet Wednesday, Graff defeated Fanthorpe 5-3, advancing him to the championship bout where he faced No. 3 seed Steve Bell of Maryland. Graff won the match by major decision, 18-5, marking Graff’s first individual title as a Badger.

Howe began Wednesday’s semifinal round with a 6-6 victory with riding time over No. 4 seed Nick Marable of Missouri in a second tiebreaker. In the 165 lbs. final, Howe defeated Iowa State’s No. 2 seed Jon Reader 3-1 in the second sudden victory period. Howe had previously lost to Reader 7-5 in the 2008-09 season.

Ruschell’s first match of the day was against No. 5 seed Anthony D’Alie of Central Michigan at 149 lbs. Ruschell won the bout by a12-2 major decision, advancing him to the championship match. In the finals, he faced No. 1 seed and No.1 ranked Brent Metcalf of Iowa. The two met three times last year, with Metcalf winning all of the matches. The trend continued on Wednesday as Metcalf defeated Ruschell by a 9-2 decision.

Brandvold went 3-1 on the second day of competition at 197 lbs., finally dropping the third place match, 6-3, to No. 5 seed Chad Beatty of Iowa. Brandvold registered victories over No. 8 seed Matt Wilps of Pittsburgh, Lehigh’s Joe Kennedy, who knocked Brandvold out of the championship bracket on Tuesday, and No. 2 seed Hudson Taylor of Maryland on his way to the third place bout.

Unattached freshman Shawn Perry lost his only match of the day to No. 4 seed Kevin LeValley of Bucknell at 149 lbs.

The Badgers return to action next week at the NWCA National Duals in Cedar Falls, Iowa on Saturday, Jan. 9

2009 Midlands Results

Off the Mat with Kyle Ruschell

Mathound — Tue, 29 Dec 2009 05:33:59 +0000

MADISON, Wis. – Senior Kyle Ruschell is currently the No. 2 wrestler in the country at 149 lbs.

He has an impressive 10-0 record overall and a 5-0 mark in dual matches on the year, including a pin and a major decision victory.

His biggest accomplishment of the year came with a first-place finish at the Cliff Keen Invite in Primm, Nev., on Dec. 3 and 4.

As he prepares to compete at the Midlands Championship on Tuesday and Wednesday in Evanston, Ill.,
Ruschell sat down with UWBadgers.com recently to answer a few questions.

UWBadgers.com: You finished first at the Cliff Keen Invite. How did that feel for you?

Ruschell: It felt really good. It was my first collegiate tournament win so it felt real good to get on top of that podium again, that’s for sure.

UWBadgers.com: How much confidence does a win like that give you moving forward?

Ruschell: It gives me a lot of confidence. There were a lot of good competitors there, and it reassured me that the stuff I’m doing is right. The next tournament [the Midlands Championship] is a really big one because I believe the No. 1 and No. 3-ranked wrestlers are going to be there.

UWBadgers.com: You made it to the finals of the Midlands last year. Does that help you this year, knowing what to expect?

Ruschell: Yeah it does. At the same time, I’m just anxious to wrestle those top guys, especially [Iowa's Brent] Metcalf because he’s real tough and ranked No. 1, so he’s the guy I need to beat.

UWBadgers.com: You’re a fifth-year senior. You’ve seen a lot in your time with the program. How would you assess the team at this point compared to last year?

Ruschell: We have a lot of young guys and they’re starting to do things right. If they keep that up, we’re just going to keep getting better as a program in the years to come. It’s going to be great to see.

UWBadgers.com: With having such a young team and you being a fifth-year senior and a captain, have you seen yourself taking on a leadership role?

Ruschell: Definitely. I’ve had a lot of guys asking me questions or if I see someone not doing something right on the mat, I’ll go over and show them so they’re doing the right stuff.

UWBadgers.com: Are you comfortable in that position?

Ruschell: Yeah, I’m pretty good friends with most of the guys on the team. I feel that if I can help them in one way, then that is going to make the team better.

UWBadgers.com: The holidays are approaching. What are your plans?

Ruschell: I’m only going to be home for about three days because I have a test on Tuesday, so I don’t have much planned. My dad was my high school coach and my little brother is on the team, so I’ll probably go there a few times to lift and stay in shape.

Kentuckywrestling.com HS Rankings 2009/2010 – December 5

Mathound — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 20:22:18 +0000

After a couple of weeks of wrestling we have an idea how good some teams are going to be, but there is still a long way to go. There are still some football players who haven't made it out yet and many others still getting into shape. I'm sure I will have a number of updates after next weekend at the Raider Rumble. I have attached a pdf file with the top 35 (where applicable) with region #s.

103
1 PD Pat Milford 12
2 Cam Co Garth Yenter 10
3 Un Co Brock Ervin 8
4 Ft Camp David Sahms 9
5 Sou Romel Giddens 11
6 Mon Co John Anderson 12
7 Jeff Yusef Memedov 11
8 Laf Luke Rearic 9
9 Lar Co Spencer Hines 9
10 Walt Clay Brown 8
11 NO Mitch Rusch 8
12 Ohio Co Jacob Bennett
13 Let Co Cen Justin Gross 10
14 UH Trae Blackwell 9
15 Har Co Anthony Shirley
16 Bull Cen Adam Mann 12
17 Bou Co Jason Asbury
18 Ft Knox Andrew Schwartz 10
19 Hol Thurmon Herron
20 PRP Bryce Payton 10
21 Meade Lance Kelly 10
22 SK Ryan Norbury
23 0 0
24 0 0
25 0 0

112
1 Tri John Fahy 10
2 Lar Co Nick Paden 10
3 Ryle TJ Ruschell 10
4 Sen Felix Casa del Valle 11
5 JC Robert Ankrom 11
6 Ohio Co Chase Boone 10
7 Jeff Teandre Taylor 12
8 FC Corey Krieger 12
9 UH Wade Willen 9
10 Sou James Huffine 12
11 CH Joey Henderson 12
12 Old Co TJ Schuyler 10
13 Pad Til David Dickson 12
14 SO Nathaniel Long 9
15 St X Terry Smith 10
16 Laf Camden Hanley 11
17 Cam Co Sean Fausz 8
18 Bou Co Ben Lascurain
19 SK Jared Yocum 10
20 Ft Knox Nick Guevara 11
21 HC Joe Mims 11
22 Un Co Chad Gahafer 9
23 Chr Co Jeremy Burnham 9
24 Cen Karlan Groves 10
25 Mc Cen Nathaniel Clark 8

119
1 Tri Myron Bradbury 12
2 Ohio Co Tyler Boone 12
3 Laf Will Bryant 11
4 Old Co Tyler Kaelin 10
5 St X Byron Hoskinson 12
6 SO Roy Bisenius 10
7 Sou Zack Tucker 11
8 Wood Co Robert Bracco 12
9 TC Brandon Abney 12
10 Scott Ritchie Supe 11
11 Ryle Mark Hall
12 FC Devante Unnikrishnan 12
13 Let Co Cen Tyler Smith 11
14 Lar Co Caleb Canter 9
15 CH Dustin Jaggers 10
16 Per Co Cen Chris Cory 11
17 And Co Austin Dillow 10
18 Fr Co Tevon Clay 9
19 Eas Tyler Lancaster 10
20 DH Chris Sikra 11
21 PD Brad Milford 10
22 BC Tyler Gies 11
23 Cam Co Zack Fryer 10
24 JH Danny Crittenden 11
25 Pad Til Eddie Gagnon 10

125
1 Ryle Michael Osborne 12
2 SK Kevin Cooper 9
3 Scott Steve Supe 12
4 Way Co Luke Troxell 10
5 Wood Co Mack Logsdon 12
6 Laf Jimmy Lacy 11
7 TC Zac Brown 12
8 JC Jayce Carr 9
9 Old Co Daniel Brenneman 11
10 Pad Til Zach Pitman 11
11 Chr Co Kory Polley 9
12 Tri Brandon Birk 11
13 Sou Chris Barrett 12
14 St X Ryan Barnett 12
15 Eas Joe Rupp 9
16 FC Trent Cox 9
17 Meade Brandon Scott 11
18 CH Thomas Ard 12
19 Nel Co Zack Plowman 11
20 Lar Co Raymundo Perez 8
21 NO Zach Richardson 12
22 Jeff Larry Willard 11
23 And Co Shea Sparrow
24 Cen Dominique Thompson 10
25 Cam Co Corbin Woods 9

130
1 Ryle Austin Palmer 12
2 Lar Co Shaquille Cox 11
3 Cam Co John Hale 12
4 CH Kyle Terry 11
5 Tri Brent Hitchings 10
6 JC Zach Salyers 11
7 Wood Co Cory McCall 10
8 Fair David Moore 12
9 JH Wade Holtsclaw 9
10 Call Co Keaton Starks 11
11 Hop Tyler Martin 12
12 Apollo Brent Feher 12
13 SK Cody Herald 11
14 Eas Russell Nyitrai 11
15 Un Co Keaton Thomas 11
16 FC Jordan Scheler 11
17 TC Joe Davis 12
18 Ft Camp Zach Green 11
19 Scott Brandon Robbins 10
20 Nel Co Daniel Pile 11
21 Old Co Aaron Watts 11
22 Fr Co Josh Lopez 9
23 Moore Levi Schafer 10
24 Des Dylan Green 10
25 SO Nick Payne 12

135
1 Un Co Caleb Ervin 11
2 Wood Co Travis Krauziewicz 12
3 Ohio Co Patrick Bunch 12
4 JH Kirby Goodwine 12
5 SO Brandon Whitehouse 12
6 Eas Tom Shirey 11
7 Ryle Caleb Lonkard 11
8 SK Korey Belew 12
9 Cam Co Sean Hamons 11
10 Lar Co Shawn Hull 10
11 St X Kyle Honeycutt 11
12 TC Brandon Stockwell 11
13 NH Malcolm Glover 11
14 Sou Jake Weedman 11
15 Nel Co Hank Krauss 12
16 Chr Co Dustin Thomas 12
17 Fr Co Daniel Mauser 12
18 FC Deshawn Barrow 11
19 Tri Ausdin Pender 11
20 Per Co Cen Greg Hibbard 12
21 Man Ben Schardein 11
22 Meade Garrett Kenealy 10
23 Old Co Grant Johnson 11
24 NO Loren Avera 10
25 Jeff Robert Newberry 11

140
1 Un Co Isaac Thomas 12
2 SC Matt Slone 12
3 Har Co Josh Moss 12
4 JH Jordan Murphy 12
5 Moore Zachary Michael 12
6 JC Tyler Grimm 12
7 Sen Alex Henderson 12
8 Way Co Aaron Dodd 11
9 Ryle Zach Roland 12
10 Coop TJ Bates 12
11 Bou Co John Stout 10
12 Old Co Michael Toth 12
13 Meade Joey Carter 12
14 Lar Co Shelby Floyd 11
15 Vall Shawn Johnson 12
16 NO Chase Rusch 10
17 Cam Co Dylan Watson 12
18 SK Weston Ott 12
19 Apollo Zach Mitchell 12
20 Cen Roy Sublett
21 Nel Co Jonathon Greenwell 11
22 Sou Cory Kimbly 12
23 CH Nick Waits 10
24 Mc Cen Hurstle Upchurch 11
25 Wood Co Patrick Blevins 12

145
1 JH Josh Johnson 12
2 Cam Co Korey Shotwell 12
3 Whit Co Duncan Caddell 11
4 NO Dan Thomson 12
5 Moore Steve Willbanks 12
6 Dan Louis Beto 12
7 NH Terrance Demery 12
8 Ryle Zack Bolog 12
9 Jeff Nicu Alexandru 12
10 SC Avery Ray 11
11 Coop Lane Jones 9
12 Apollo Clay Keugal 12
13 Way Co Zach Troxell 9
14 TC Steven Kimbrell 11
15 Har Co Chris Brunker 12
16 Mc Cen Larry Sammons 10
17 Wood Co Alfredo Gonzalez 12
18 Nel Co Josh Taylor 11
19 Cald Co Dylan Hale 12
20 Cen Diaz Bolden 12
21 SK Ryan Stevens 10
22 Ft Camp Robbie Sahms 12
23 PRP Camryn Fields
24 Laf Andrew Feese
25 Fair Brian Weston 11

152
1 Tri Grant Ohlmann 12
2 Ryle Connor Coyle 11
3 TC Andrew Wright 12
4 Shaw Antwan Fields 12
5 SO Cole Proctor 11
6 KCD Hardy Hendren 11
7 Jeff Dair Shapirov 12
8 Coop Matt Brewer 11
9 Wood Co Brian White 11
10 CH Eric Jaggers 12
11 JC Todd Sites 12
12 Cen Omar Jarvis 10
13 SC Casey Delong 12
14 Man Travis Terranova 12
15 HC Joe Whalen 11
16 Un Co Jake Risinger 10
17 Nel Co Alex Pearson 11
18 UH Daniel Urban 11
19 Vall Michael Clark 12
20 Fair Jake Maupin 10
21 Eas Tom Rupp 11
22 Mc Cen Nick Staten 9
23 NH Russell Rowlett 12
24 Whit Co Scotty Partin 10
25 Hop Chad Jordan 11

160
1 JC JJ Jude 10
2 Sen Cameron Broussard 12
3 Fr Co Josh Bruning 12
4 Mc Cen Preston Shoopman 12
5 St X John Lampe 11
6 Scott Zack Sowder 12
7 Ryle Court Mace 11
8 Tri Erin McCauley 12
9 CH Robert Robey 11
10 Eas Hunter Boroff 12
11 BS Najee Calderon 12
12 Sou Brody O'Leary 11
13 HC Ryan Duzyk 11
14 NO Larry Hinkle 11
15 Un Co Kenneth Brummett 9
16 Vall Daniel Smith 12
17 Cald Co Steven Lamb
18 Chr Co Jeron Trice 11
19 Wood Co Curtis Graham 11
20 SK David Bahr 11
21 Old Co Michael Valenzuela 12
22 Jeff Torian Jewell 12
23 Dav Co Charles Armstrong
24 Way Co Matthew Sullivan 12
25 Coop Andy Gilliland 11

171
1 Tri Brad Hitchings 12
2 Cam Co Jake Lee 12
3 Sen Lofton Wright 12
4 Lar Co Bernard Ray 10
5 Fr Co Jeremy Gardner 12
6 SO Spencer Warren 12
7 SC Austin Stepp 11
8 Cald Co Gavin Agnew 12
9 Whit Co Soloman Vanover 9
10 Laf Dusty Thompson 12
11 Way Co Jordan Jones 10
12 CH James Shinault 12
13 Bull Cen Matt Lafollette 11
14 Mc Cen Andy Perry 12
15 WH Mark Davis 12
16 TC Jacob Soard
17 Hop Joseph Wiegold 12
18 JC Sam Preston 9
19 Cam Co Colin Friedly 12
20 Dan Cody Kitchen 10
21 Sou Josh Gibson 11
22 JH Chris Doss 9
23 NO Robbie Hinkle 12
24 NH James Newton 12
25 Vall Kasey Autry 12

189
1 SC Brad Stafford 12
2 Har Co Brandon Barnett 11
3 Cam Co Nathan Ilg 12
4 Nel Co Matt Hillard 11
5 Con Huston Dockery 12
6 Apollo Zimi John 11
7 Tri Cooper Bohn 12
8 Wood Co Derrick Campbell 10
9 Eas Kyle Durbin 11
10 Whit Co Samuel Vanover 9
11 Jeff Ci'Vaughn Green 11
12 Fr Co Tyler Wright 12
13 CH Tim Clem 11
14 Un Co Thomas Buckman 11
15 JH Max Malito 12
16 Des Trey Schmidt 12
17 New Quantez Jeffrey 12
18 Meade Brandon Simota 11
19 Laf Sam Bryant 11
20 Dan Zak Young 11
21 Bou Co Edward Reed 10
22 Old Co Justin Lyon 12
23 0 0
24 0 0
25 0 0

215
1 Meade Tyler Crow 12
2 Lar Co Drew Newberry 10
3 Way Co Cody Mink 11
4 Sou Evan Decker 12
5 Laf Shamon Brown 11
6 Call Co Michael Treadway 11
7 SO Adam Brown 11
8 Eas Menes McNealy 12
9 PD Keaton Hub 11
10 TC Dodd Kinder 12
11 SK Alex Van Winkle 12
12 PRP Cody Jaggers 12
13 AB Trent Hardy 11
14 BC Thomas Day
15 Per Co Cen Cody Hollon 10
16 Chr Co Preston Lashley 12
17 New Daryl Lynch 11
18 Mon Co Will Fawns 11
19 Con Darien Wolnitzek 9
20 WH Ken Holebrook
21 FC Nashawn Mills 12
22 St X Nick Krask 12
23 Coop Christian Caddell 10
24 Har Co Shaun Lenz
25 Tri Brendan Darrow

285
1 JC Ryan Harlow 12
2 Wood Co Trey Gentry 12
3 Way Co Tyler Pace 12
4 NH Justin Browder 12
5 JH Glenn Frost 12
6 Pad Til Brandon Hamilton 12
7 Sen Andre Hearn 12
8 St X Josh Jordan 12
9 Cen Kris Pugh 11
10 Cam Co Mason Franck 10
11 SK Colin Patrick 10
12 Meade Chaz Nevitt 12
13 BC Martin Jones 11
14 Shaw Michael Jaggers 12
15 Apollo Marc Bowlds 12
16 WH Christian Wilkins
17 Call Co Wesley Potts 12
18 BS Damien Cambell
19 CH Cameron McGraw 11
20 SC Dustin Burchett 12
21 Eas Andrew Whitlock 12
22 Vall Joey French 12
23 And Co Dylan Hughes 12
24 Moore Kyle Savage
25 Laf Bruce Robinson

Team
1 Trinity (Louisville)
2 Ryle
3 Campbell Co
4 Johnson Central
5 Larue Co
6 Woodford Co
7 Union Co
8 John Hardin
9 Seneca
10 Wayne Co
11 Sheldon Clark
12 South Oldham
13 Lafayette
14 Southern
15 Ohio Co
16 Tates Creek
17 Simon Kenton
18 Central Hardin
19 St. Xavier
20 Harrison Co
21 Jeffersontown
22 Eastern
23 Franklin Co
24 Meade Co
25 Scott
26 Oldham Co
27 Paul Dunbar
28 North Oldham
29 North Hardin
30 Whitley Co
31 Apollo
32 Nelson Co
33 Moore
34 McCreary Central
35 Fern Creek
36 Paducah Tilghman
37 Cooper
38 Calloway Co
39 Shawnee
40 Fort Campbell
41 Central
42 Christian Co
43 Danville
44 Conner
45 Montgomery Co
46 University Heights
47 Caldwell Co
48 Kentucky Country Day
49 Valley
50 Bourbon Co
51 Perry Co Central
52 Western Hills
53 Fairdale
54 Henry Clay
55 Boone Co
56 Pleasure Ridge Park
57 Bullitt Central
58 Letcher Co Central
59 Bryan Station
60 Hopkinsville
61 Walton Verona
62 Dupont Manual
63 DeSales
64 Ashland Blazer
65 Fort Knox

Team Duals
1 Ryle
2 Trinity (Louisville)
3 Campbell Co
4 Woodford Co
5 Larue Co
6 Johnson Central
7 Union Co
8 Southern
9 John Hardin
10 Lafayette
11 South Oldham
12 Wayne Co
13 Oldham Co
14 Meade Co
15 Seneca
16 Ohio Co

Join the discussion of this topic on the forum!

Kyle Ruschell vs. Lance Palmer Ohio State

Mathound — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 05:46:01 +0000

Kyle wresltes Lance Palmer from Ohio State at 149lbs

#2 Kyle Ruschell Wisconsin VS #10 Jason Chamberlain BSU

Mathound — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 02:14:49 +0000

November 22, 2009
149 lbs

Jake Bradford Benefit Camp

Mathound — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 13:50:10 +0000

Three weeks ago, Lindsey Wilson Wrestler Jake Bradford was involved in a tragic bonfire accident that left 60% of his body burned. He has had a couple of surgery’s since then and is still recovering in the burn unit at the University of Kentucky Hospital.

Before starting his college wrestling career at Lindsey Wilson and just 8 months after becoming a Kentucky State Champion for Ryle High School…..he is faced with the largest challenge of his life. His friends and family have been by his side all along and now his wrestling family at Ryle want to help Jake with a Benefit.

Ryle High School will be hosting a camp October 10th at Ryle High School to benefit Jake with all proceeds going to his family.

Camp Clinicians:
NCAA All American and current Univ. of Wisconsin Wrestler Kyle Ruschell
All American and current Walton Verona High School Head Coach Dave Barnes
Lindsey Wilson College Head Coach Corey Ruff

Please contact Ryle Head Coach Tim Ruschell at Timothy.Ruschell@boone.kyschools.us

or you can contact me as well and I can get the form to you.

You can download the registration form at http://cooperwrestling.com/

Thanks

Dave Johnson
Cooper High Head Coach
coachjohnson@cooperwrestling.com

Audio Interview: Cody Sanderson

Mathound — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 19:11:29 +0000

An interview with Cody Sanderson about the line-up at Penn State

All Footlocker Gear 30% Off – 388 Wrestling Items

Mathound — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 01:17:26 +0000

Footlocker is announcing the return of the Friends and Family Sale just in time for the upcoming wrestling season. If you’re needing some new shoes or other gear, this is the perfect opportunity. This includes headgear, shoes (even running), bags, singlets, and more! From 9/24 through 9/27 you can save 30% off no minimum with the following codes (just click the link):

Footlocker code – LKS21FAM
Lady Footlocker code – LKS23FAM
Kids Footlocker code – LKS22FAM

FootAction code – LKS34FAM

Tell all your friends, family, and coaches! Just search wrestling to find the wrestling gear.

USA Wrestling – Why Wrestle!

kdsmith27 — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 00:56:31 +0000

Promo video for USA Wrestling

High School wrestling participation grows for boys and girls in 2008-09

Mathound — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 06:03:45 +0000

Gary Abbott USA Wrestling

The National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) has released its 2008-09 High School Athletics Participation Survey, and the sport of wrestling has grown in all five categories identified.

The statistics for boys and girls wrestling grew during the 2008-09 season concerning the number of athletes participating.

In 2008-09, there were 267,378 boys competing in wrestling, an increase of 7,690 wrestlers from the previous year (a 2.9 percent increase)

Wrestling remained the No. 6 most popular boys sport in terms of number of participants and the No. 8 most popular sport in terms of number of teams.

The number of girl wrestlers in high schools grew to 6,025 athletes, an increase of 498 wrestlers from the previous year (a 9.0 percent increase)

The number of girl high school wrestlers has gained every year since 1990, a streak of 20 straight years of growth in participation

When combining the number of boys and girls involved in wrestling in 2008-09, the total number grew to 273,403, which increased 8,188 for the year. This amounts to a 3.1 percent increase in total wrestlers for the year.

There was a slight increase in the number of high schools which fielded boys wrestling teams. In the 2008-09 season, there were 10,254 boys wrestling teams, an increase of 164 teams, for a percentage gain of 1.6 percent.

The number of teams with girl wrestlers dropped to 1,034 teams, a decrease of 253 teams.

For the 20th consecutive year, the number of student participants in high school athletics increased overall.

There was a total of 7,536,753 participants in 2008-09 in all sports, an increase of 107,372 for the year.

The top 10 states for boys wrestling participation were: 1. California (27,469); 2. Illinois (16,213); 3. New York (13,932); 4. Ohio (13,804); 5. Michigan (11,564); 6. North Carolina, (10,283); 7. Pennsylvania (9,900); 8. New Jersey (9,375); 9. Wisconsin (8,337); 10. Florida (8,332)

The top 5 states for girls wrestling participation were: 1. Texas (1,640); 2. California (1,439); 3. Washington (569); 4. Hawaii (412); 5. Florida (260)

TEN MOST POPULAR BOYS PROGRAMS

Participants
1. Football — 11-player, 1,112,303
2. Track and Field — Outdoor, 558,007
3. Basketball, 545,145
4. Baseball, 473,184
5. Soccer, 383,824
6. Wrestling, 267,378
7. Cross Country, 231,452
8. Tennis, 157, 165
9. Golf, 157,062
10. Swimming and Diving, 130,182

Schools
1. Basketball, 17,869
2. Track and Field — Outdoor, 15,936
3. Baseball, 15,699
4. Football — 11-player, 14,105
5. Cross Country, 13,647
6. Golf, 13,543
7. Soccer, 11,139
8. Wrestling, 10,254
9. Tennis, 9,499
10. Swimming and Diving, 6,556

Official NFHS press release

High School Sports Participation Increases for 20th Consecutive Year

INDIANAPOLIS, IN (September 15, 2009) — Despite cutbacks in funding in many high schools across the country, participation in high school sports has never been higher — increasing for the 20th consecutive year and establishing records for both girls and boys participants.

Based on figures from the 50 state high school athletic/activity associations, plus the District of Columbia, that are members of the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS), participation for the 2008-09 school year set an all-time high of 7,536,753, according to the 2008-09 High School Athletics Participation Survey conducted by the NFHS.

In addition, boys and girls participation figures reached all-time highs, with 3,114,091 girls and 4,422,662 boys participating in 2008-09. The girls figure increased by 56,825 this year, while the boys figure increased by 50,547.

Based on the survey, it was also determined that 55.2 percent of students enrolled in high schools participate in athletics – a slight increase from last year’s 54.8 percent.

“Given the state of the economy, this year’s survey makes a great statement about the interest in high school sports in our nation’s schools,” said NFHS Executive Director Robert F. Kanaby. “The record participation levels for boys and girls reflect the fact that participation in high school sports is of great value to our nation’s young people. Also, the survey’s results support the NFHS 2008-2011 Strategic Plan, in which the organization vowed to provide stronger leadership and support for high school athletics and fine arts activities.”

In addition to its chief task of writing playing rules for high school sports, the NFHS — through its “Take Part, Get Set for Life” initiative — is striving to promote participation and gain awareness and support from state and local governments, media, corporate partners, and especially students and their parents.

Swimming and diving gained the most combined participants in 2008-09, with an increase of 29,967, followed by outdoor track and field with 19,396 and cross country with an additional 18,193 participants. Lacrosse, one of the emerging sports in recent years, had an additional 9,579 participants in 2008-09.

With an increase of 4,017 participants, 11-player football again was No. 1 for boys this year with 1,112,303 participants, followed by track and field (558,007), basketball (545,145), baseball (473,184), soccer (383,824), wrestling (267,378), cross country (231,452), tennis (157,165), golf (157,062) and swimming and diving (130,182).

Outdoor track and field supplanted basketball as the most popular girls sport with 457,732 participants. Basketball was in second place with 444,809 participants, followed by volleyball (404,243), fast pitch softball (368,921), soccer (344,534), cross country (198,199), tennis (177,593), swimming and diving (158,878), competitive spirit squads (117,793) and golf (69,223).

Texas remained the state with the most participants with a combined total of 781,000. California was second with 771,465 participants, followed by New York (380,870), Illinois (341,763), Ohio (330,056), Pennsylvania (321,324), Michigan (311,277), New Jersey (257,798), Florida (242,356) and Minnesota (242,220).

The participation survey has been compiled since 1971 by the NFHS through numbers it receives from its member associations. The complete 2008-09 Participation Survey is available on the NFHS Web site .

Kentucky Wrestling » Sub-Feature

Wisconsin claims two titles at Midlands Championship

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Off the Mat with Kyle Ruschell

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Kentuckywrestling.com HS Rankings 2009/2010 – December 5

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Kyle Ruschell vs. Lance Palmer Ohio State

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#2 Kyle Ruschell Wisconsin VS #10 Jason Chamberlain BSU

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Jake Bradford Benefit Camp

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Audio Interview: Cody Sanderson

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All Footlocker Gear 30% Off – 388 Wrestling Items

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USA Wrestling – Why Wrestle!

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High School wrestling participation grows for boys and girls in 2008-09

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