Bill Creps heard the comments about District 5 wrestling: Sub-par. Spotty. Unable to compete with the big boys.
So did Jan Clark.
And while both former coaches are officially retired, they can still be found regularly at high school gymnasiums around the state. But they’re no longer hearing whispers or snickers about the quality of District 5 wrestlers, and it’s not because of any hearing loss.
It’s because the quality of competition in District 5 is, arguably, the best it has ever been.
“We were kind of the laughingstock,” said Creps, who coached at Bedford for 34 years and is still a regular at Bisons’ meets now that his son, Brian, coaches Bedford. “Now, District 6 can’t laugh at us.”
When Bedford hosts the District 5 Class AA Dual-Meet Tournament semifinals at 11 a.m. this morning and the championship at 2 p.m., the Bisons will be favored to win their record seventh title – and fifth consecutive – but it’s far from a certainty. In fact, Bill Creps thinks it might be easier to win a District 6 title this season, something that probably could never have been said in the past.
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