Originally posted by Shine_Daddy:
.... Why would they recruit anyone? When a team is as good as OP, they don't need to - kids want to come wrestle there. ...
Have you heard of their little league program - the Competitors? They have produced a long list of national champion schoolboy freestyle/folkstyle and GR wrestlers. ...
The reason that any school might want Elijah Madison is that there is a pretty decent chance that he might win two to three heavyweight state championships for them. Oak Park specifically will also benefit from Elijah and Kolton Kono, their 215 pounder, being able to push each other in practice over the next three years. I am not saying that Oak Park recruited Elijah though. I would agree that Oak Park probably does not need him this year to win State although he should definitely help with that. I also agree that good wrestlers could want to attend Oak Park now for the opportunity to be on a state championship team, the wrestling competition and the coaching. For all these reasons along with that incredible Competitors feeder program, Oak Park does not need to recruit to compete for state championships in Missouri.
Aaron and Randy, he is correct that the Competitors are a great club. I believe they travel to national events and their wrestlers do well at the national level. I have not seen them that often at Kansas Kids events but they have been very dominant at the local meets that they have competed at. It is a club that is feeding the Oak Park program with some very good wrestlers. I think in the next few years we might see it produce some college All Americans and champions like East Kansas did with Zach Roberson, Joe Johnson, Shawn Bunch, etc.
I am sorry that Salina Central and Kansas high school wrestling that it appears that Elijah has transferred to Oak Park. He is a great wrestler who will be missed in Salina and in the Kansas wrestling community.
