One of the arguments put forth when the IHSA added the multiplier for private schools was that it was needed to level the playing field in sports where non-public schools were winning all the state titles ...

Wrestling and football were Exhibits A and B, and there's no doubt that for a while the Class AA state wrestling tourney was pretty much a Catholic League round-robin with Mount Carmel, Providence and St. Rita taking turns at the top ...

But times have changed ... Sandburg's current seniors apparently never got the memo about public schoolls not being able to compete at the same level as the private powers, because the Eagles haven't lost to an Illinois opponent since Providence knocked them off in the 2004 sectionals ...

So that's three seasons and counting that Sandburg has taken on and beaten all comers ... proof that public schools can win state if they have the right ingredients: solid coaching, a productive feeder program, committed athletes, adequate facilities and administrative support ...

Posted by Mike Clark at 06:45 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

If you saw William Hall in action, you'd think he was a pretty intimidating dude ... but when you got to know him, you'd know the opposite was true ...

Hall, who passed away on Nov. 26 at the age of 61, was the coach at Vocational for years, and he was one of the guys who kept the flame burning for wrestling in the Public League when it was barely flickering ...

Coaching a non-revenue sport in the Public League is not for the faint of heart ... it's not unusual to face obstacles like an indifferent administration, inadequate facilities and kids who have to be taught the very basics ... throw in the low pay, and it's enough to discourage even the most idealistic coaches ...

But some soldier on despite the drawbacks, breathing life into programs that otherwise might wither away and giving kids a reason to keep their grades up and stay engaged in school ...

Hall was one of those guys ... I didn't know him all that well, but you didn't need to be his best friend in order to see how much effort he poured into his program ... in a time when a lot of city teams rarely ventured to the suburbs and pretty much shut down over the holidays, Hall's Cavaliers were a fixture at Homewood-Flossmoor's Christmas tournament ...

He was a big, burly guy with a voice that commanded attention when he was barking out instructions during a match ... but he was also a tireless promoter of the sport who was generous with his own money and his time, not just with his own wrestlers, but with other city teams as well ...

Public League wrestling is a lot better today than it was for a long time ... it has to be, now that the city's guaranteed state tourney berths are a fading memory and the route to Assembly Hall passes through the suburbs... kids with age-group experience are becoming more commonplace and the best of them are competitive with anyone in the state ...

The Public League renaissance is something that had to make Hall smile ... his work to promote the sport and simply keep it alive helped bring us to this point ... it would be a classy move if the Public League could somehow acknowledge his contribution, perhaps with a tribute at the city finals in a few months ... it's a small enough gesture for all the blood, sweat and tears he expended over the years ...

Posted by Mike Clark at 12:12 AM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

Another wrestling season is underway, and here's another place to follow it ...

Welcome to a new home for news, opinions and -- I hope -- some feedback from you, the fan, on the latest happenings on the mat ...

I'm new to the Sun-Times News Group, but not new to the wrestling beat ... as a writer for the Times of Northwest Indians's Illinois edition, I covered most of the state tournaments over the past 20 years ... I learned pretty early on that the sport's fans are among the most passionate around ... which makes sense, because Illinois has some of the best high school wrestling in the country ...

Thanks for stopping by, and please check in often ... questions and comments are always welcome, so fire away ...

Posted by Mike Clark at 11:57 PM | Permalink | Comments (5) | TrackBacks (0)