After much debating I thought that Coach KW would give us some history on who really has been the best school or coach over the past 10 years. From all accounts he has been busy so I took it upon myself to post the accomplishments of the great coaches here in Dade. TheRankings are my own and your input is appreciated.
Please remember how hard it is to break the top 10 at states and how much harder it is to come in the top 5 especially when your region is the hardest in the state. I congratulate all coaches who dare to venture into this county to try and make a name for themselves. In closing, ALL HAIL THE MIGHTY BUCKS AND BALMACEDA ! ! ! !
Top 5 Coaches in Dade the past 10 years 1997-2007
1. Balmaceda:
1 – State Title (w/Mcoy) (Was really the Head coach that year because McCoy was Near Death)
4 - State Titles
5 - Runner-ups
1 - 4th
24 - Individual State Champs
2. Husk/Johnson:
2 – State Titles
2 – Runner-ups
1 – 5th
1 – 8th
15 – Individual State Champs
3. Tejada:
1 - Runner-up
1 - 4th
1 - 5th
1 - 6th
1 - 7th
8 - Individual State Champs
4. Phillips/Hatcher:
1 - 3rd
2 - 4th
1 – 7th
1 – 9th
5 – Individual State Champs
5. Pardo:
1 – Runner-up
2 – 3rd
1 – 5th
1 – 10th
7 - Individual State Champions
6. Soderholm:
2 – Runner-ups
1 – 4th
1 – 8th
1 – 10th
5 – Individual State Champs
7. Osorio:
1 – 4th
2 – 6th
1 – 9th
4 – Individual State Champs
8. Mendez:
1 – 3rd
1 – 10th
1 – Individual State Champ
9. Turner:
1 – 10th
4 – Individual State Champs
This should settle this stupid popularity poll and truly honor all the coaches who have worked and worked to give their kids a chance to be great.
Please remember how hard it is to break the top 10 at states and how much harder it is to come in the top 5 especially when your region is the hardest in the state. I congratulate all coaches who dare to venture into this county to try and make a name for themselves. In closing, ALL HAIL THE MIGHTY BUCKS AND BALMACEDA ! ! ! !
Top 5 Coaches in Dade the past 10 years 1997-2007
1. Balmaceda:
1 – State Title (w/Mcoy) (Was really the Head coach that year because McCoy was Near Death)
4 - State Titles
5 - Runner-ups
1 - 4th
24 - Individual State Champs
2. Husk/Johnson:
2 – State Titles
2 – Runner-ups
1 – 5th
1 – 8th
15 – Individual State Champs
3. Tejada:
1 - Runner-up
1 - 4th
1 - 5th
1 - 6th
1 - 7th
8 - Individual State Champs
4. Phillips/Hatcher:
1 - 3rd
2 - 4th
1 – 7th
1 – 9th
5 – Individual State Champs
5. Pardo:
1 – Runner-up
2 – 3rd
1 – 5th
1 – 10th
7 - Individual State Champions
6. Soderholm:
2 – Runner-ups
1 – 4th
1 – 8th
1 – 10th
5 – Individual State Champs
7. Osorio:
1 – 4th
2 – 6th
1 – 9th
4 – Individual State Champs
8. Mendez:
1 – 3rd
1 – 10th
1 – Individual State Champ
9. Turner:
1 – 10th
4 – Individual State Champs
This should settle this stupid popularity poll and truly honor all the coaches who have worked and worked to give their kids a chance to be great.
39 comments:
Heroes,
As you post your comments, please take note that this list only includes the past 10 years. Also take into consideration the amount of time a coach has been coaching. Phillips only coached for a few years and has had better results than Pardo with his extensive resume.
Pardo has had more State Champions than Soderholm in these past 10 years and they have about the same number of top 10 finishes so that is why I ranked Pardo ahead of Soderholm. Keep in mind that my intention is to show the amount of work that it takes for coaches to break the top ten much less the top 5. Great job to all of you.
Your Stupid list is full of inconsistencies and ridiculous rankings. How the hell are you going to include Johnson with Husk and Hatcher with Phillips and not include the little rodent that helps Tejada? No one asked about assistants, or Johnson would be number one hands down. Hatcher was only Phillips assistant one year anyway, his real assistant was Severe. You are combining Hatchers and Phillips accomplishments, and that is not right either. As for the stupidity of your rankings, how the hell are you going to have Phillips ahead of Soderholm when Soderholm was twice a runnerup, and had the same amount of top 10 placing as well the same amount of champions. If you had put Pardo ahead of Soderholm it would be something to argue, but Phillips should be dropped behind Osorio to tell you the truth because you managed to combine his accomplishments with Hatchers as one. Any list Without Rivera in the top 8 is crap anyway, Rivera is easily in front of Mendez and Turner, and likely debateable between him and Osorio. If you are going to take the time to make a list, you should at least use some sense when putting it together. This list is crap.
I just want to add that Osorio was never given the credit for being the one who was actually responsible for training Mike Domingez, Gabriel, and Geovani Harris into state champs. With that being said, I think he deserves a higher ranking than 7; that's a slap in the face.
You must be kidding. While your at it why don't you give Osorio credit for inventing the internet instead of Al Gore. O yeah and screw whatever Cozart did for Marco Toledo, well just call him Varona's state champ. The real slap in the face here is to Phillips. To think that someone would give credit to Osorio over phillips for Harris is just plain stupid. I hope Osorio is not on board with this comment because if he is he should be ashamed of himself. As for Dominguez crediting Osorio for that one is a slap on the face to the NMB coaches. Im sure the NMB coaches would holeheartedly disagree with the statement that Osorio is responsible for Dominguez. Gabriel Espinosa is not an Osorio product either, you must be kidding me, he spens one summer at Hialeah and that makes him an Osorio champion, PLEASE. That's like saying I adopted the kid that made Rohan Gardners wrestling shoes in China, which is the real reason he beat Karelin. You are a moron, please stop making these rediculous comments and get a grip on your words before you remove all doubt about your intelligence. None of these wrestlers wrestled for Hileah, and Osorio was not in there corner when then won it either. As for moving Osorio up on the list, I think he should be moved down, Rivera did not even make this silly list and he is twice the coach Osorio ever could be. He should be above Osorio Mendez and Turner.
Anonymous, I think I might've gone too far as to say that Osorio made them champs by himself, but they've all thanked him for getting them up there. Have you every talked to any of these kids about him or know any of them on a personal level? Just because a wrestler is forced to wrestle for another school because of where they live doesn't mean that school is 100% responsible for making that kid a champ. The truth is, you don't know all the facts. And if anyone is talking out their ass here, it's you.
Where are the inconsistencies? I placed both Phillips and Hatcher together because Hatcher took over for Phillips that one year where they had multiple State Champs. The same goes for the Godfather and Johnson. If you remember the Godfather (HUSK) was dismissed from his post as the head wrestling coach in the middle of the season. Those rankings are not to include Hatcher or Johnson.
Coach Rivera is one hell of a coach and noone is stupid enough to debate that. But he has had 2 State Champ in the past 10 years and no top 10 finishes. Please tell me how he belongs above Mendez. Mendez is the true defenition of a coach. He gets the most out of his kids when it counts and his kids love him to death. No way in hell Rivera should be above him.
ryu,
Are you kidding me? Osorio had nothing to do with those kids. Did you see him in their corner at all? Stop before you even start on that route. If you do then you will have to give credit to so many other coaches (Johnson) who won state titles with kids that transfered to other schools (Kakra and many others). Osorio is a nice enough coach but he hasn't coached for ten years so he really doesn't even belong on this list.
The reason I placed Phillips above Soderholm is because Phillips accomplished the same as Soderholm (as you noted) but in fewer years. In my mind that counts for alot.
When it comes to a wrestlers success Nobody is 100% responsible for anything that is understood. The parents the unbringing the dedication factor, coachability, what age they started, what program they went to, what style that program has, what kind of practice partners etc. all these are factors osorio might have been a factor for some of the wrestlers you mentioned, but that's as far as it goes,the programs were they wrestled the singlet they wore and the coach in the corner deserve the credit, to look at it any other way is to lessen the accomplishements of some fine coaches and their dedication and time.
Now Now Boys...
Things are getting heated here, I like it.
I wish you guys would get aliases though, it's hard to tell if one anonymous is the same as the other.
Probably not.
ANY1 SEE THE PHOTO IN HERALD ABOUT WATSON STIFF ARMING SANDERS. WONDER IF THEY MEET IN MAT.
Anonymous,
Can you be a little more specific?
What picure?
Attach the link.
Give us a little history.
RAYMOND WATSON STIFF ARMING SHAKENDRICK SAUNDERS. FOOTBALL IN THE HERALD.
http://www.miamiherald.com/908/gallery/293020.html?number=12
and it's Sanders, stupid.
Anonymous,
Nice pic thatnks for sharing. Looks like Watson got the better of that exchange.
The boards are quiet but don't forget to vote, the boards close today and ultimately the votes will reflect the readers sentiments regardless of what I or Moonie or anyone else thinks.
I meant to say the poll closes today, not the boards, and this thing does not yet have an edit your comments feature, but I understand it's coming soon.
If you could have a dream coaching staff in Dade, who would be your head coach and two assistants? Your assistants could also be current head coaches or assistant coaches.
Anonymous,
I like that question.
Definitely Balmeceda as head coach, the problem is choosing the assistants. It has to be people that gell with Balmacedas ego, so Husk is out of the question, as well as Soderholm. I don't know that He and Tejada would work well together either because of the difference in styles and philosophies. I think Osorio might be a good choice if he and Balmeceda could avoid a pissing contest, and Pardo might do nicely if he had the interest he used to have. Mendez and Balmeceda were team mates if I recall, but I think their relationship is cordial at best. Rivera Mmmmm... Turner is a possibility...
This is a very tough question indeed.
I agree with the majority that Bic Balmeceda is the best coach in Dade,if not the state.However I fear that all this adulation is making his head grow like Barry Bonds'One quality that he has that i have not seen in others is making an inexperienced athlete into a competent wrestler faster than anyone else.Additionally,his wife is a babe.
Spidey,
I posed the question so that you could use both head coaches and assistants. If Balmaceda is head coach, his assistants might need to be assistants already, considering the transition would be easier. Hell, he already has Duck and I'd call him the best assistant out there right now. Borgan? Baez? Any others you would choose?
Also, it might be a stronger coaching staff if you use a different head coach with which other head coaches could serve as good assistants...Husk and Johnson were great, Severe and Phillips were fantastic at Krop.
It was a very good question, and certainly there are some wonderful combinatios out there. In fact the more I think about it, the better the question gets. Look at it this way, what has Husk really done without Johnson, and what about Severe without phillips, and Pardo without Meret? Come to think of it, What did meyers ever do without DeLaHoz, and what about Jacoby without coach Mac and visa versa. In any case it is a very intriguing subject, I'm glad you brought it up.
whitch are the best middle school coaches in dade. i think varona and duberry are some good ones.
Anonymous,
Duck is the best assistant by far. I thought Varona and Duberry were the only middle school coaches. Balmaceda does not get nobodys to be state champs he gets great wrestlers to step up and become great champs. His kids come to him experienced and well versed in wrestling. Remember those kids have to go thru Duberry and Varona before they get to Balmaceda.
Moon Your last post is incorrect.Balmeceda has taken many inexperienced wrestlers and made them champs.boza,perez,aldo victor.to name some
Galactus,
I believe you are right but you must also know that most of his kids come with many years of experience and abilities. He does great with his kids and nobody can match his accomplishments. There are kids here and there who come to him with little to no experience but overall his room is filled with great athletes who are experienced and hungry. What he does best is prepare them for those final two tournaments of the year. That is where you find out what great coaching is. Can you make your kids peak at the right time.
Moon Knight,
The list of South Dade wrestlers that started in high school is longer than the list with extensive pre high school wrestling.
There are several State Champions that started wreslting in high school for the first time: 2 timers Danny Perez and Raymond Stephens, 1 timers Eddie Boza, Aldo Victor, Jonathan Rojas, and countless other state placers and GMAC placers that start in high school, like Homer Vallejo, Omi Acosta, Josh Williams, Willie Wiggins, Ruben Granados, Jonathan Lucas, Alex Flores, Robert Orta and Chris Glassmer. As hard as it is to believe, usually half the team at South Dade started wrestling in high school (at least that was the case the 5 years I was there)
Now yes South Dade has been blessed with some wrestlers coming to high school with extensive wrestling backgrounds: Tico Baez, Kendrick Sanders, Rat Williams, Darin Baldwin, Tramaine Franklin, Pat Williams, Eric Brown, and Shawn McCoy. Even some of these wrestlers were coached by Balmeceda and other South Dade coaches before high school.
Dewberry has had some great wrestlers that have trained under him come thru South Dade and done some great things. Going back to when he was at Homestead Middle with Brown and McCoy, the Homestead Pal with Franklin, Baldwin, and Alfonso Hernandez, and now with the Homestead YMCA. South Dade has not gotten as many kids from the Homestead Y as people think, but it has been a great place for the kids to go and get some tough workouts in before they get to high school. Baez, Sanders, Rat and McPhearson all had successful FAWA careers under the Homesteadh YMCA banner. But please remember, that Duck was with the YMCA for a couple of years before he branched out with Downrite and those 2 County Championship years at Campbell Drive came from Pat Lugo and Danny Anguiano and that is where Rat, Magarito Cruz, and Miguel Rios started. Plus we are starting to get the little brothers and cousins of successful South Dade wrestlers coming up now.
Varona has not coached any of the middle school kids that are wrestling at South Dade yet. Varona has come down a couple times a season to the room with some of his kids during the freestyle and greco seasons, but none of his Doolin or Hammocks kids are at South Dade.
There is also a big group of kids that come to South Dade having started to wrestle in middle school, but not to the point of traveling all over the state with a club. Kids I coached at Homestead fall into this category more often than not. Shawn King, Mauricio Villanueva (wrestles 2 weeks and stopped, came back out in high school), then the ones who have stopped wrestling for South Dade Ray Watson, Mauricie McIntyre, and Josh Comer. This year you might start to see some more Homestead Gators making a splash.
Redland has been the longest running program, but those middle school wrestlers tend not to come out for high school. This year's junior squad is lead by Royals, Sanders, Luis Montalvo, and Stephon Moore, also staring for the Bucs from Redland were Baldwin, Anguiano, and Coco for a short time.
Campbell Drive has not feed South Dade too many wrestlers lately. Quint was the last one and the only one to go to South Dade in the past 3 years.
Balmeceda is often denied some credit because of his assistants and how good they are, but remember he coached most of them himself in the mid 90s. Also, Balmeceda does a great job of surrounding himself with people capable of doing a variety of different things that allow him to concetrate more on the teaching aspect. The list of his assistants, Mike Woodrome (high school teammate), Larry Wiegel (hold over from McCoy, he did the scorekeeping and keeping things organized), Danny Anguiano (SD Grad), Humberto "Duck" Reyna (SD Grad), myself (he hired me when not many other people would take a chance) and now Alex Hernandez (SD Grad). Then he brings in others to help out during club season, like Chino Duran (SD Grad) and Nestor Varona (who is also looking for the toughest room to get his kids better). Balmeceda even placed the coaches at the middle school as best as he can, myself at Homestead and Pat and Danny at Campbell Drive. His fingerprints are all over the South Dade Dynasty and why they have had the success they have sustained all these years.
Good points all around.
I agree Balmeceda has had success with less experienced wrestlers, but some credit should also go to the room. Meaning, you are only as good as your practice partners. In that wrestling room, a kid who is new to wrestling but athletic and strong will quickly learn the ropes, and not long after could be making serious noise. South Dade is not the only school to benefit from this, for years and years it was the formula that kept South Ridge on top year after year, and we are now seeing a similar situation at Braddock.
Coach KW,
It is nice to see you didn't abandon us for some other forums KW. I agree with you and you point out some great arguments and examples. Spiderman also points to what I tend to see more than not. A room full of great wrestlers who push each other and can make any kid with great desire and ambition to the top rather quickly. I know for a fact that Balmaceda has his fingers in the whole dynasty and without him the system falls. As an example I give you Southridge. Johnson is a great coach but without the influence of Husk that program has suffered more than what anyone ever expected.
I would like to give credit to the kids who work their asses off to become succesful. Balmaceda has been blessed with some really great kids and they work their asses off. By the same token I don't think Balmaceda's assistants have gotten as much credit as they deserve. They are a major part of the reason why they have been so damm succesful. Braddock also has the same situation now a days. A bunch of assistants and a great big helping of former wrestlers coming in and working with new kids in order to keep that program on its way up.
Moon Knight,
Actually from what I've seen with Johnson, he doesn't put up with as much stuff as used to be allowed at the Ridge.
It doesn't help when Rio goes to Columbus and the "transfer" of athletes stop. Johnson sufferred from the decline of the academics at Southridge. I can't count the number of times he had a promising wrestler in middle school, move out of the county when it came time for high school. Luckily some of them have moved back (Plain). Southridge became a hard sell for some parents, becuase in their eyes Johnson was an uncertainty.
Johnson, also hasn't had as many assistants as Husk had back in the day.
For the most part, Johnson is starting over at Southridge and he is doing a good job. He just hadn't had the support of athletes, who wanted to put in the hard work.
Why are we talking about this guy Osorio. His name should not be mentioned anymore. Is everyone blind, all this guy is good at is finding a way to cheat. If there was a list of top cheaters then he would definitely be #1. Stop givig him so much credit. Anyone who goes out of their way to cheat, will be succesful
Anonymous,
It would be nice if you were a little more specific with what exactly it is you think Osorio did to cheat? The one transfer he tried to get was rejected and went back to his home school to wrestle, so be specific with what you mean or shut your yap.
How can you accuse someone of something and not even bring forth the allegations?
Some of you guys are logically impaired, it would suit you well to stay in school, or drop the hell out and go pound nails cause using the brain is not your forte.
osorio is a cheater.
he cheats at hydration certification.
he has his kids bag (i've seen it).
he has his kids wrestle at a weight never having made min. wt.
he lies about his kids rec. at seed meetings.
lier equals cheater
Anonymous,
Everyone worth their salt cheats at Hydration. Cutting before the hydration test in and of itself is cheating.
Everybody bags, it has always been the case, this is not cheating it is dangerous cut not really cheating since wrestlers do countless other things to cut weight that are just as bad, including taking laxatives, sitting, in a car with the heater on, spitting till you have not more saliva, vomiting. Those things are harder to police, but are just as wrong as bagging.
Lying about records is not cheating, everyone does it. It is however unethical, for it to be cheating you have to get caught, if other coaches are less prepared and allow this, the are the ones that should be ashamed, if he does this and they call him on it he won't try it again.
Same thing goes for not having made minimum weight, if no one calls him on it then he did not cheat because there is no proof he did it.
Sounds to me like someone is a little Green from Hialeah beatings.
Assistant Coaches never get the credit they deserve, but anybody who knows anything about sports in general already knows this. Behind every great coach is a great assistant and sometimes two. The difference between a great coach and an average coach is that the great coach has the ability to select and to surround himself with great people. People who are LOYAL and who compliment their coaching style. People who help do what the head coach can no longer do or was never good at in the first place. Great coaches are great delegator and are secure enough to let others teach in practice and take over the reins when needed.
One thing is certain, Balmaceda has seven state titles and 5 runner up finishes because he has the BEST assistants in the county and maybe the state. His coaches are the best fit for him because he, himself coached them and they are LOYAl to him. They are an extension of him and his wrestling style. They also serve as role models to the younger kids because they are living proof that his system works and that wrestling can lead them out of Homestead and to a better life.
It is ignorant to think that any of these coaches on this list have succeeded without great assistants but it shouldn't take away from them either. Great coaches usually know how to select great assistants, that's part of what makes them great.
Doom,
Well said Doc. Many times a program goes through turmoil and even decline when the valuable assistant leaves, the problem today is finding coaches. I think Balmeceda has been very lucky that many of his come back to help out, as I look around the city, not too many teams have that luxury. I fear coaches are a dying breed; there is little or no money in it. In fact, many times you coaches have to put in your own money to make things work, money that could be better spent on your own families. It's not just a wrestling thing either, athletics at the high school level and in many colleges that are not national powers have been greatly devalued. When I went to college, sports teams thrived, there was money for all, and an athlete was a revered part of the institution. We are victims of the pussifying of America by women in power and armed with their powerful weapon the Title-9. When I went to school, teachers loved their athletes, then women’s lib lead to resentment, and the attitude towards athletes changed. Today athletes and coaches are mostly tolerated; it's definitely not what it used to be. Many teachers dislike athletes, and some even persecute them for no other reason than they dedicate time and love to something non academic.
Spidey.If one looks deeper into the IX issue,its the administering of the rules by lazyass administrators. I am in favor of women's sports but I don't believe that men's sports need suffer because of it.an administration taking the easy way is why this happens,causing resentment from the affected men.Resent the sdministration,not the women.Look at what's happened at UM,getting rid of women's platform diving,my favorite sport no longer will we see the likes of Daphne Jongejans on the platform in her wet translucent bathing suit a vision of competitive glory.Remember when all FL colleges had wresling teams?When Title IX came, it was Bobby Bowdens brilliant idea to comply by eliminating wrestling.Football budgets have increased at the expense of other sports.there is the inequality.
Glactus,
It's really a money issue, and I agree the AD and school presidents carry most of the blame. While I myself am all for womens sports even though most are pathetically boring, the way in which Title iX is handled is Disgusting. Either way, Title IX is the culprit because without it, college wrestling teams would fund raise and find their own way to have a team without the universities financial support, but with Title IX in place they can't even do that.
I have seen Balmeceda's coaches in action and can tell that they are a competent well trained group who truly care for their young charges.This is the reward a good head coach receives when he does a great job.Like a CEO of a company, he fosters a great work atmosphere one of success.this is his reward.PS.I think that the word you were looking was 'pussification'not 'pussifiying'LOL
Galactus,
I don't always do well with made up words, thanks for the correction. In any case you understood what I was talking about so...
Post a Comment