February 2021 WIN Magazine Now Available

February may be short on the calendar in terms of days, but the month is usually the biggest in terms of state high school postseason events. And for the most part, that is what is happening in this pandemic era as 29 of 49 states, which sponsor high school wrestling, will still host their state tournaments over these next two months.

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But for many other states, high school wrestling won’t start until March and finish in June, while some have cancelled their prep campaigns because of COVID-19.

WIN Magazine has tried hard to keep up with all of these changes and you will find them and other features on high school, college and Senior-level wresting in the latest issue of WIN, which was printed on Feb. 17 and is now available in digital form. 

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Here are highlights from many of the stories, columns and rankings that appear in the latest issue of WIN.

Page 7 — DAN GABLE COLUMN

The legendary coach asks young wrestlers to rely on the sport and their friends as they get through this pandemic high school season … and relays his story how he used the sport to help him and his family overcome the murder of his sister.

Page 8 — IKWF-ILLINOIS/USA WRESTLING UPDATE

The state of Illinois has become a powerhouse at U-16/Junior Nationals the past 20 years and much of that success can be credited to IKWF Vice President Don Reynolds.

Page 9 — WASHINGTON STATE WRESTLING UPDATE

Matthew Weinert of Cedarcrest High School stands 6-foot-8 and the two-time state placer made even bigger news when he committed to compete in college at Little Rock.

Pages 10/11 — KID’S CORNER

Have fun going through a special Olympic Maze to give young wrestlers a fun way of thinking how USA’s most elite wrestler will try for 2021 Team in Ft. Worth in April and end up in Tokyo in August of the Olympics. Also, Mike Clayton of USA Wrestling tells a five-year-old and parents what they should expect in learning the sport.

Pages 12 — JOHN KLESSINGER COLUMN

The high school coach talks about the importance of mental health of wrestlers during this tough time in the country.

Page 17 — BOYS NATIONAL HIGH SCHOOL RANKINGS

Page 21 — AL FONTES’ WIDE WORLD OF WRESTLING

Few people have known more people in the sport than this former coach and editor of The California Wrestler as the Hall of Famer has taken on a new chapter in his life and returned to coaching in a move to Idaho.

Page 22 — GIRLS NATIONAL HIGH SCHOOL RANKINGS

Page 23 — FREEDOM & FAITH

Parents Rafael and Summer Diaz enjoyed a good life in Miami, but wanted more for their four wrestling children — including high school stars Madison and Eva — when they moved to Iowa last summer.

Page 24 — WAITING GAME

While many states have been able to hold a normal winter high school wrestling season, coaches and wrestlers from states like California, Illinois and New York have seen many postseason dreams delayed or dropped.

Page 26 — MAKING HISTORY IN A HISTORIC YEAR

In just its second year as a Div. I program, Little Rock not only tasted its first D-I success but the Trojans have been one of the few teams to finish the regular season without having matches postponed or cancelled.

Page 27/28 — WIN’s NCAA DIV. I TPI, TEAM DUAL AND INDIVIDUAL RANKINGS

 Page 32 — WAISTED SEASON FOR WABASH?

This NCAA Div. III program from Crawfordsville, Ind., hoped for a chance to become the first school since 1994 other than Wartburg and Augsburg to win a team title until nationals was cancelled for a second straight year.

Page 33 — MULTIPLE-DIVISION NOTEBOOK

The NCAA announced that the Division II tournament would be moved to St. Louis — one week before the Division I Nationals in the Arch City — after the pandemic ended the NCAA Sports Festival in Alabama.

Page 34 — NON-DIV. I COLLEGE RANKINGS

Page 35 — WOMEN’S WRESTLING NOTEBOOK

As many of nation’s top NCAA or NAIA women prepare to compete in one of two national tournaments, many other elite female wrestlers showcased their skills in the inaugural Captain’s Cup in Iowa.

Page 35 — WOMEN’S NCAA & NAIA RANKINGS

Page 38 — BLACK WRESTING ASSOCIATION UPDATE

Nate Jackson, who helped start the Black Wrestling Association last summer when the world dealt with racial injustice, believes the BWA can make an even bigger impact on the sport.

Page 39 — FLO BUYS TRACKWRESTLING.COM

No website has provided wrestling fans more video coverage of big events than FloWrestling, which has now bought Trackwrestling, which adds Track’s results database and content to the Flo site.

Plus other columns by Rob Sherrill, Kyle Klingman, Mike Chapman, Sandy Stevens, Bryan Van Kley and Mike Finn