Steve Haverdill Quotations

We took some beatings against the state-caliber teams. But we kept competing and that was a big plus.

It was a controversial match. He had Smith pinned and didn't get the call. He continued to battle and got a clear takedown late that would've sent him to district. But he didn't get that call, either. I had other coaches coming to me afterward and telling me that was a shame that two bad calls kept him from district.

What I liked is that he really didn't wrestle well and still got out. Having never won a sectional match, I'm sure he felt a lot of pressure. But I hope he wrestles to his ability in the district.

The whole season is preparation for the postseason. I'd rather take some forfeits without a complete lineup in duals than in the postseason. I'm hoping to have our full lineup set for the sectionals and district.

We use this as a gauge for the sectional two weeks later. We want to see where we are individually, where we need to be and how to go about getting there. Originally, this was our last regular-season event of the year, but we have added a tri-meet with (Dublin Jerome) and Big Walnut on Feb. 9 so that we have one last competition before sectionals.

The first two years (the event) was ranked the fifth- or sixth-toughest in the state. Last year we had 68 wrestlers who had been state qualifiers. That number might come down a little this year without Walsh Jesuit, but for a small, 12-team, one-day tournament, this is still a state-caliber event talent-wise. The talent pool will be awesome.