Bentonville Banks on Experience

By Tom Glave

Posted: November 29, 2009 at 4:46 a.m.

Justin Wedgworth
Bentonville’s Jason Bruno, right, wrestles against Kylan Larsen during practice on Wednesday.

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BENTONVILLE — Three-time state wrestling champion Bentonville has experience coming back this season, and coach Bill Desler is anxious to see how that will translate on the mat.

Desler will get a good idea during the Tigers’ tough December schedule.

“We’ll see who’s going to step up when we go into Oklahoma and Missouri,” Desler said. “We’ll see who’s going to be the team leaders there.”

The Tigers will go to three out-of-state tournaments in December, traveling Jay, Okla. (Dec. 4-5), Miami, Okla. (Dec. 18-19) and Springfield, Mo. (Dec. 29-30). They’ll also see some of the state’s top competition at the War Eagle Invitation at Rogers Heritage on Dec. 11-12.

The Tigers graduated five from last year’s team, which won the state’s first sanctioned state championship.

Bentonville, which won back-to-back Arkansas Wrestling Association state titles before the Arkansas Activities Association added the sport — has three defending champions back — sophomore Robert Lewis (112 pounds) and seniors Drew Coble (140) and Ben Nichols (189).

Coble is being recruited for wrestling, Desler said.

“He’s really our go-to guy,” Desler added.

Juniors Devin Asbill (119), Kylan Larsen (171) and Emerson DePeel (285) all placed at the state tournament last year.

Other wrestlers who have worked their way through the program will fill in the other spots.

“What we look for are the guys that have been here two or three years and wrestled (in practice) the guys who were state champions,” Desler said. “Finally when they get to be varsity, they’re the ones to look at.”

Senior 160-pounder Jason Bruno, for example, worked behind three-time state champion Cody Conklin, who was named a High School Honorable Mention All-American by Wrestling USA last spring.

The Tigers start the season Tuesday, hosting Gentry at Bentonville High.

The Pioneers are excited to get the new season started, said first-year coach Alonzo Pettigrew.

“They’ve been pestering me all through football season, looking forward to it,” he said. “They love wresting.”

The Pioneers took third in the Class 5A-1A State Tournament and return several experienced wrestlers.

Sophomore Kolby Rankin was a state runner-up at 135. Derek McCain and twins Seth and Shawn Johnson also wrestled last year.

Senior Robert Henderson wrestled for Rogers Heritage last year and finished fifth at 171 in the big-school division. He returned to Gentry this year and is one of the wrestling team’s leaders.

“Robert has been real good to instruct the younger kids,” said Pettigrew. “And he does it in a way they respond to him. He’s been a big help.”

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