Figured someone else would have already started this thread. Nobody did, so I'll start. Let's talk about some of the great light weights this state has seen. I'll name a few.

Ervin, Fahy, Yenter, Fausz, Ruschell, Blackwell. The neat thing about this group is that they all competed against each other and trained/travelled together at times. That's 6 division one starters. Look back at some of those state tournament brackets. It's pretty cool. There were a lot more really good kids in those lightweight brackets. It's amazing what Brock was able to accomplish in his high school career.

I could start to list all of the stud lightweights in Kentucky this year, but the list would be too long and I am afraid I would miss some. Been at this a long time and I can promise you that we will be watching some of these kids on ESPN 3 and the Big 10 network in the future.

I haven't been around Kentucky that long, so give me some other lightweight studs that need a little love.

Sick of being told I need to check out what is being said on this site. From the looks of it, this site hardly gets anyone posting anymore. Let's keep it positive.

Jason Talbot, Carmen bros, Josh Preece, Coty Lewis, and Rusty Parks were all hammers back in the day. 

Talbot- 2 or 3 timer

Carmen's combined- 3 or 4

Preece- 2 timer

Lewis - 3 x finalist 1x champ

Parks- 1x champ and then dealt with injuries

Coty Lewis knew how to fire a crowd up in the Convention center that's for sure. 

The Carmens won two titles, one each in 98 and 99 I believe.

In addition to being a champ, Parks placed 5th as a freshman and junior before tearing his ACL.

Kyle Ruschell- 2x champ at 103 and 119

Nathan Boston- 2x champ in KY, ranked #1 in the country his senior year.

Matt Zarth- 3x champ in 07, 08 and 09 at 119

Travis Sullivan- 2x champ, maybe 3...

Billy Clark- 1x champ in 02 but was for sure the best wrestler at 103 probably two other years, just didn't win.  Beat by a 19-year old senior as a sophomore and then I think got hurt as a junior.  Billy should also get more love on this site especially...

Chris Valentine- back in the days right before the weight-cutting rules came into play, physically a man among boys in 96 at 103.

Scott Cooper from LaRue.  3rd, 2nd, 2X champ 00-03'

20 minutes ago, Zeus said:

The Carmens won two titles, one each in 98 and 99 I believe.

In addition to being a champ, Parks placed 5th as a freshman and junior before tearing his ACL.

Kyle Ruschell- 2x champ at 103 and 119

Nathan Boston- 2x champ in KY, ranked #1 in the country his senior year.

Matt Zarth- 3x champ in 07, 08 and 09 at 119

Travis Sullivan- 2x champ, maybe 3...

Billy Clark- 1x champ in 02 but was for sure the best wrestler at 103 probably two other years, just didn't win.  Beat by a 19-year old senior as a sophomore and then I think got hurt as a junior.  Billy should also get more love on this site especially...

Chris Valentine- back in the days right before the weight-cutting rules came into play, physically a man among boys in 96 at 103.

Thought Dan Carmen was a 1 timer and little bro Drew was a 2 timer. Can't remember for sure though. Your list is definitely hammers though. Chris Valentine was a Michael Jackson before there was a Michael Jackson. The guy was huge for a 103!

Scott Cooper was obviously a hammer with only two losses ever in KY.  However his two titles both came at 140.  Not exactly a small guy, even though I know he was smaller as a freshman and sophomore.

You could say Luke Metzger I guess, 1st as a freshman at 103, 3rd at 119, 1st at 135, then robbed as 2nd at 140.  This is almost another example of a bigger guy, but he did win a title at 103.

Forgot a great one... Jason Daviaux from Scott HS, 2x champ.  The definition of slick!

20 hours ago, Zeus said:

The Carmens won two titles, one each in 98 and 99 I believe.

In addition to being a champ, Parks placed 5th as a freshman and junior before tearing his ACL.

Kyle Ruschell- 2x champ at 103 and 119

Nathan Boston- 2x champ in KY, ranked #1 in the country his senior year.

Matt Zarth- 3x champ in 07, 08 and 09 at 119

Travis Sullivan- 2x champ, maybe 3...

Billy Clark- 1x champ in 02 but was for sure the best wrestler at 103 probably two other years, just didn't win.  Beat by a 19-year old senior as a sophomore and then I think got hurt as a junior.  Billy should also get more love on this site especially...

Chris Valentine- back in the days right before the weight-cutting rules came into play, physically a man among boys in 96 at 103.

Sullivan used to toss kids around like rag dolls something ferocious. I'd say he's definitely the most intense little guy I've ever watched wrestle. I thought he was a 3 timer? Ruschell was great. I always heard stories about Joe Carr Jr., never personally seen him wrestle though. Knable was always a great, ended up at 145 but has a title at 112.

How in the heck did I miss Boston in that first group? And believe it or not, Justin Lampe was a little guy in his younger years. That makes 8 division 1 starters. That's impressive. 

Some of the other ones I can think of that I had the honor to watch. Bradbury, Zarth, Elam, Sullivan (the match between him and Spencer was awesome to watch). On a side note, I miss the dungeon. That place was special.

Sullivan won for sure as a sophomore, was getting beat as a junior then locked up a double arm bar and stuck the kid, then lost as a senior.  I'm not sure if he won as a freshman.

5 hours ago, Grappler said:

How in the heck did I miss Boston in that first group? And believe it or not, Justin Lampe was a little guy in his younger years. That makes 8 division 1 starters. That's impressive. 

Some of the other ones I can think of that I had the honor to watch. Bradbury, Zarth, Elam, Sullivan (the match between him and Spencer was awesome to watch). On a side note, I miss the dungeon. That place was special.

 

YOU MISSED BOSTON AND JAYCE CARR who is/was  D1 AND ANOTHER PERSON WHO WRESTLED SOME OF THEM IN HIGH SCHOOL  WHO WASNT D1 but was a Nat q NAIA and is coaching Today.

Sullivan won a title 9th, 10th, 11th and got some rough stalling calls in his title match his senior year .

Jarvis Elam wrestled two years varsity and  got 4th then 1st. His first two years of high school he was the third string 103 pounder behind Aaron and Adam Carr. That's a stack group of 103s at one school. 

Tom Cibull 93'-119 & 94'-125 Beast!

We used to scrimmage Tates Creek in the middle of the season back in the day. Tom and Tim Lawson would go at it, I mean watch out! Tom was givin up 10 lbs and it was a dog fight. I remember Coach Green and Headly putting a stop to it. They were hitting doubles from the hardwood floor. I think Tom hurt his neck in college. Tom and Tim went to Eastern Michigan (D1) to wrestle together. 

Drew Carmen was a 2x finalist 1x Champ. Brother Dan 1x, I believe Dan placed 3rd in 96. That was also a good corner of the mat in practice...throw in Coach Headly into the mix. 

IMHO Garrett Headly is they best light weight coach in Kentucky history. He has the most Champs without a team championship of any coach.

On 1/28/2017 at 2:12 PM, NatureBoy said:

YOU MISSED BOSTON AND JAYCE CARR who is/was  D1 AND ANOTHER PERSON WHO WRESTLED SOME OF THEM IN HIGH SCHOOL  WHO WASNT D1 but was a Nat q NAIA and is coaching Today.

Not sure what the all CAPS thing means. I did not forget Jayce or Stephen. I listed a group of kids that competed and trained together from middle school through high school. Jayce was always a little heavier than them through middle school and not in their bracket at the high school state tournament. Stephen was a great one, but I considered him a middle weight when he moved to Kentucky.

On 1/28/2017 at 4:31 PM, ukpridewrestler11 said:

Jarvis Elam wrestled two years varsity and  got 4th then 1st. His first two years of high school he was the third string 103 pounder behind Aaron and Adam Carr. That's a stack group of 103s at one school. 

That's impressive.

Knable won 112 as a freshman and that weight class had:

4th Anthony Smith: Two time finalist, 4 time placer

6th Chad Haydon: state champ,  All American

2nd Jason Daviaux: 2 time champ, 3 time finalist

5th Neal Crawford: state champ

DNP Josh Kenneweg: finalist

Stacked weight class like that won by a freshman is ridiculously impressive.

On 1/28/2017 at 0:00 AM, Zeus said:

The Carmens won two titles, one each in 98 and 99 I believe.

In addition to being a champ, Parks placed 5th as a freshman and junior before tearing his ACL.

Kyle Ruschell- 2x champ at 103 and 119

Nathan Boston- 2x champ in KY, ranked #1 in the country his senior year.

Matt Zarth- 3x champ in 07, 08 and 09 at 119

Travis Sullivan- 2x champ, maybe 3...

Billy Clark- 1x champ in 02 but was for sure the best wrestler at 103 probably two other years, just didn't win.  Beat by a 19-year old senior as a sophomore and then I think got hurt as a junior.  Billy should also get more love on this site especially...

Chris Valentine- back in the days right before the weight-cutting rules came into play, physically a man among boys in 96 at 103.

Definitely a great group there!

Sullivan was indeed a 3x champ and was undefeated for his entire career until the finals his senior year.  I think he was 23x-0 or something crazy like that.  He was a dominant champion who really did toss opponents around like a rag doll, especially his freshman and sophomore years, as someone else said before me.

Zarth was another great wrestler who I think doesn't get the credit he deserves as one of the best our state has seen.  He had a certain intensity about him that is seldom seen in Kentucky.

Of course Billy Clark belongs on the list.  He was one of the biggest 103/112 to ever wrestle in Kentucky. Mean high crotch and was great on top. Should have been a multi-time state champion, but appendicitis his junior year wrecked those plans.

Surprised no one has mentioned Jacob Murton... I mean, he beat Jordan Burroughs among other things.

2 hours ago, BroOfCoach said:

Definitely a great group there!

Sullivan was indeed a 3x champ and was undefeated for his entire career until the finals his senior year.  I think he was 23x-0 or something crazy like that.  He was a dominant champion who really did toss opponents around like a rag doll, especially his freshman and sophomore years, as someone else said before me.

Zarth was another great wrestler who I think doesn't get the credit he deserves as one of the best our state has seen.  He had a certain intensity about him that is seldom seen in Kentucky.

Of course Billy Clark belongs on the list.  He was one of the biggest 103/112 to ever wrestle in Kentucky. Mean high crotch and was great on top. Should have been a multi-time state champion, but appendicitis his junior year wrecked those plans.

Surprised no one has mentioned Jacob Murton... I mean, he beat Jordan Burroughs among other things.

 

I think it's mainly because both Murtons by the time they were seniors were ~145 at least if I am recalling correctly. Same reason Knable isn't listed by every poster here, he ended his career at roughly 'medium guy weight'. 

7 hours ago, justaref said:

I think it's mainly because both Murtons by the time they were seniors were ~145 at least if I am recalling correctly. Same reason Knable isn't listed by every poster here, he ended his career at roughly 'medium guy weight'. 

Jacob finished at 135, so yeah, he is on the edge.  Jairus was heavier.

4 minutes ago, BroOfCoach said:

Jacob finished at 135, so yeah, he is on the edge.  Jairus was heavier.

I just remember watching Johnny W. from Fern Creek and Murton going head to head in the room in the off season of like 07, made him seem bigger (John was ~145-160). Jarius was indeed bigger.

Was Brad Cooper S K a small guy with 3 titles and a 2nd

Cooper was nasty.

1 hour ago, Jrodc said:

Was Brad Cooper S K a small guy with 3 titles and a 2nd

His senior year he wrestled 135, which is kind of big for a "small guy" in my opinion.  I know his junior year he was 130, and I imagine smaller than that as a sophomore when he won his first title.

I don't remember which Cooper I wrestled (2004 @ 135), but it was not pretty.

11 minutes ago, ukpridewrestler11 said:

I don't remember which Cooper I wrestled (2004 @ 135), but it was not pretty.

I think that would be Brad, if I'm recalling right that's the year him and Metzger met in the state finals (EPIC match)? Could have been Austin's little brother too (can't recall his name atm), but that would have been I think his freshman year? The names start to blend together after years now.  Austin was like 145/152 that year I think. 

Kyle Cooper was at 145 and Neil Cooper was at 152 in 2004. Josh Cooper was at 112 and  Brad Cooper was at 135 in 2003. All of these guys are Simon Kenton Coopers. The legendary Metzger Cooper match was in 2003 at 145 but that was Scott Cooper of Larue. No relation that I know of.

4 minutes ago, Nike Man said:

Kyle Cooper was at 145 and Neil Cooper was at 152 in 2004. Josh Cooper was at 112 and  Brad Cooper was at 135 in 2003. All of these guys are Simon Kenton Coopers. The legendary Metzger Cooper match was in 2003 at 145 but that was Scott Cooper of Larue. No relation that I know of.

Ugh, yeah sorry. So many Coopers, Ervins, etc. It starts to run together sometimes. Not being from that region, just admiring some of the matches from state, it's even harder. Ha

That was my first year wrestling, and it was at a dual meet tournament Fern Creek hosted. Could have been anywhere from 125-135. Not sure what weight I was at. It was during the 2003-2004 season. Those Cooper's knew how to win. Back on track, Travis Sullivan's overall record was insane. That one blemish in his last match changed the tone, but very impressive what he did. He launched one of my teammates both times in the finals back to back years. 

The Metzker/Scott Cooper match in 03 was at 140.

I stand corrected.

21 hours ago, justaref said:

I think that would be Brad, if I'm recalling right that's the year him and Metzger met in the state finals (EPIC match)? Could have been Austin's little brother too (can't recall his name atm), but that would have been I think his freshman year? The names start to blend together after years now.  Austin was like 145/152 that year I think. 

That's the dream match up everyone wanted to see but it never happened.

Some Henry Clay wrestlers were mentioned above. I would like to mention Coach Headley who hand in making these guys great to include coaching the Whalens, Hernandez twins, the Miller twins, and Stork. Critchfield and Headley have definitely produced some quality guys over the years.

For little guys I say Cibull was an absolute monster. I might be bias because of tc, but he was so tough and mean as hell. He would come in and make me damn near cry when I was a freshman and sophomore.  Lexingtons first 2x champ as well. He had technique that was great, but he added a nasty attitude and he was jacked too. 

Adam Carr 

I wrestled a lot of these guys back in my day. Lawson, Cibull, the Lee brothers from Simon Kenton. Think they ended up middle weights by the time we were all out. I liked to watch Jason Talbott when he was coming through.

23 minutes ago, 119Rider said:

I wrestled a lot of these guys back in my day. Lawson, Cibull, the Lee brothers from Simon Kenton. Think they ended up middle weights by the time we were all out. I liked to watch Jason Talbott when he was coming through.

Cibull won at 125 his senior yr. 

Talbott was awesome to watch as a kid who was new to wrestling

Chris Dunn deserves mention. The most fluid wrestler I ever saw in KY in the neutral position.  Coasted thru undefeated his senior season only using like 3 moves (he could score on any wrestler in the state regardless of weight class with a front headlock I'm not kidding he just perfected it). It was phenomenal the raw talent he possessed. 

Ya, Coach T I meant the Lee's were middle weights when we all graduated. I wrestled Tom his junior year at 119 in Danville finals. Looked for the rematch at state but unfortunately we didn't get to make that happen. Another one would be Brandon Wilkins, think he wrestled 130 or 135 his senior year.

Some tough guys from the 80's and 90's:

Pat Martz/Conner - 3 timer

Tommy Storms/Simon Kenton - 2 timer (lost in the finals in OT his senior year wrestling up 2 weight classes)

Dave Ritchie/Caldwell County - 3 timer

Dave Ritchie was nothing short of an animal.  Especially in the light weights.  He would just assume rip your head off than pin ya.  I believe he was also the beginning of the back flip in Ky wrestling after winning a state title. 

22 minutes ago, grappler-of-old said:

Dave Ritchie was nothing short of an animal.  Especially in the light weights.  He would just assume rip your head off than pin ya.  I believe he was also the beginning of the back flip in Ky wrestling after winning a state title. 

I remember seeing Dave Ritchie suplex Todd Adams in a freestyle tournament.  That kid had talent.

Todd Adams was also a state champ and 2x finalist.  Fern Creek had some tough light weights in  the 80's.  Todd King, Brett King, Todd Adams, Robert Hall, Troy Adams.  Then there was 2xer Tim Whitfil and Charles Smith in the 90's. and Caleb Wood in '05.  All 126 and below.

3 hours ago, ccbcdeke said:

I remember seeing Dave Ritchie suplex Todd Adams in a freestyle tournament.  That kid had talent.

Todd Adams was also a state champ and 2x finalist.  Fern Creek had some tough light weights in  the 80's.  Todd King, Brett King, Todd Adams, Robert Hall, Troy Adams.  Then there was 2xer Tim Whitfil and Charles Smith in the 90's. and Caleb Wood in '05.  All 126 and below.

Tim Whitfil was a great wrestler.  He was slick for sure.

On Tuesday, January 31, 2017 at 10:04 PM, BroOfCoach said:

Definitely a great group there!

Sullivan was indeed a 3x champ and was undefeated for his entire career until the finals his senior year.  I think he was 23x-0 or something crazy like that.  He was a dominant champion who really did toss opponents around like a rag doll, especially his freshman and sophomore years, as someone else said before me.

Zarth was another great wrestler who I think doesn't get the credit he deserves as one of the best our state has seen.  He had a certain intensity about him that is seldom seen in Kentucky.

Of course Billy Clark belongs on the list.  He was one of the biggest 103/112 to ever wrestle in Kentucky. Mean high crotch and was great on top. Should have been a multi-time state champion, but appendicitis his junior year wrecked those plans.

Surprised no one has mentioned Jacob Murton... I mean, he beat Jordan Burroughs among other things.

 

Travis Sullivan's high school career ended with 304 wins.

Derrick fassbender from ryle was a animal as well.

9 hours ago, ccbcdeke said:

LI remember seeing Dave Ritchie suplex Todd Adams in a freestyle tournament.  That kid had talent.

Todd Adams was also a state champ and 2x finalist.  Fern Creek had some tough light weights in  the 80's.  Todd King, Brett King, Todd Adams, Robert Hall, Troy Adams.  Then there was 2xer Tim Whitfil and Charles Smith in the 90's. and Caleb Wood in '05.  All 126 and below.

Lets not forget about one of the best to wrestle in the state of ky, Johnny wolseifer

What about Tyler Baldwin from Woodford?  2 years varsity= 2x champ.

42 minutes ago, Zeus said:

What about Tyler Baldwin from Woodford?  2 years varsity= 2x champ.

Another good one.  Always turned it on under the lights.

6 hours ago, TECHnWIN said:

Lets not forget about one of the best to wrestle in the state of ky, Johnny wolseifer

Johnny was DEFINITELY middleweight haha. Most freakish blend of speed, power, balance, technique I'd ever personally gone against. Fern Creek has had tons of stellar lower and middleweights throughout the years. 

Rick Barker from NewCath.  3 X state champ.  One of the best technicians I've ever seen.