CONWAY — Conway didn’t get any individual state titles at the Arkansas state high school wrestling tournament Saturday, but the Wampus Cats still took home the prize.
Nine wrestlers placed, five reached the championship matches of their respective weight classes and three others won key third-place matches for Conway.
That ability to keep the majority of its team in the tournament longer than anyone else allowed the Wampus Cats to hold on for the Class 6A-7A team title, first state wrestling championship, at the Jack Stephens Center in Little Rock.
Though Conway wrestlers went 0-5 in the championship finals, the Wampus Cats scored 255.5 points. Fayetteville, with one champion and nine place winners, finished second with 236 points and Little Rock Central, which went 3-1 in its finals matches, was third with 226.
Sessions was pleased with the team title, but wished it had come with a bit more individual success.
“Don’t get me wrong, I’m ecstatic that we won it,” Sessions said. “But I hate it for those seniors because I know what they went through.Without them we wouldn’t be where we are.”
Conway’s day began with three consecutive losses in the semifinals Saturday morning, including one by No. 1 seed Conner Lusby at 119 pounds.
But the Wampus Cats rebounded by sending five to the finals and later Saturday had three wrestlers win their third-place matches by pin.
Conner Lusby, Elliot Lusby (125) and 130-pounder Tanner Branscum’s pins were enough to have Sessions claiming a victory after heavyweight Hal Hoggard beat Little Rock Central’s Keidrick Usifo to reach the finals.
“It’s over,” Sessions said to one of his assistants.
It didn’t end up being that easy.
Conway lost championship matches in the 140, 145, 171 and heavyweight classes.
Meanwhile, Fayetteville’s 215-pounder Devin Bowers won his second state championship and the Bulldogs loaded up on place winners.
Central won titles with 112-pounder Justin Arnall (his second), 130-pounder Tanner Mann (his third) and at 145 pounds when freshman Tyler Mann upset No. 1 seed Corven Alexander 5-3 in overtime.
All that made for a little bit closer finish than Sessions expected when the day began.
“I hate to use the cliche overcoming adversity, but you’re going to have to,” Sessions said. “Not everything is going to come out the way you want. You’re going to have to keep your head up even when you lose.”
First-year Fayetteville Coach Trey Selmon couldn’thave asked for much more than for Conway to falter as much as it did in the finals. But Fayetteville did too much of that in the semifinals.
Starting the day with six wrestlers in the semifinals, the Bulldogs pushed only Bowers through to the finals.
They finished with two third-place finishers, two fourth-place finishers, a fifth and three who finished in sixth place.
“We didn’t do what we were capable of early,” Selmon said. “And it just kind of worked out the way it did.”
The Class 1A-5A race began Saturday with most wondering how quickly Little Rock Christian would pull away from the field. The Warriors entered with eight wrestlers in the semifinals, advanced five to the finals and crowned four individual champions, more than any school in either classification.
But Little Rock Christian Jack Stephens Center, Little Rock
FINAL TEAM RESULTS
Arkansas State High School Wrestling Tournament
CLASS 6A-7A 1. Conway ..................255.5 2. Fayetteville .................236 3. LR Central .................226 4. Rogers Heritage .....191.5 5. Bentonville ............186.5 6. Searcy .......................172 7. Springdale Har-Ber ...157 8. Cabot ......................129.5 9. LR Catholic ............128.5 10. FS Northside ...........11011. Russellville ..............103 12. Rogers ...................97.5 13. Bryant ........................ 97 14. FS Southside ..........94.5 15. Van Buren ..............68.5 16. Mountain Home ........ 56 17. Springdale .................51 18. Jonesboro .................30 19. NLR ...........................28 20. Benton ......................... 8 CLASS 1A-5A 1. Beebe .....................255.5 2. LR Christian ..............253 3. CAC ........................206.5 4. Gentry ....................205.55. Des Arc .....................167 6. North Pulaski .........149.5 7. Oak Grove .................131 8. Bismark ..................113.5 9. ASB .............................89 10. Mountain View .......... 81 11. Episcopal ................... 74 12. Pulaski Academy ...... 70 13. Ashdown ................... 69 14. APC ........................66.5 15. Union Christian ......... 57 16. Berryville ................43.5 17. Glen Rose .................26 18. Hughes ...................... 26 19. Riverview .................. 12 20. Robinson .................... 8
Sports, Pages 34 on 02/27/2011