Experience Helps Mounties

Moore One Of Top Returnees After Finishing Second Last Season

Rogers’ Edwin Santos, top, and Har-Ber’s Nick Smith compete in the championship bout for the 195-pound division on Feb. 4 during the 7A West Conference wrestling meet at Har-Ber High School in Springdale. Go to photos.nwaonline. com to see more photos.
Rogers’ Edwin Santos, top, and Har-Ber’s Nick Smith compete in the championship bout for the 195-pound division on Feb. 4 during the 7A West Conference wrestling meet at Har-Ber High School in Springdale. Go to photos.nwaonline. com to see more photos.

— Experience and a better familiarity with second year coach Ken Simmons will be a plus for the Rogers High wrestling team.

The Mounties have almost 30 wrestlers on the roster and several more will be eligible the second semester, which will help with depth.

“I’d like to have a little bit more, but it is a good number,” Simmons said. “It’s my second year and the kids are used to my practices and my terminology. They have seen it all before, so it is just a process of refining things. The kids are getting better with their setups and their timing.”

Senior Justin Moore is one of the top returnee after fi nishing second at 132 pounds last season, but will make the jump to 145. Edwin Santos is fresh out of football and the senior was third in at 195 a year ago. Santos battled foot and shoulder injuries in football but Simmons expects him to be at full speed.

Nick Mulcahy was third at 145 at the state tournament and will wrestle at 152 this winter and spring. Madison Montgomery was fifth at 126 and will jump up to 132 while Ricardo Rodriguez was sixth at 113 but will compete up at 120 this season.

Giovanni Soto was sixth at the 285 division while wrestling for Rogers Heritage last year but moved into the Rogers boundaries after last school year.

“We have five returning kids from my program that were state medalists,” Simmons said. “We have one from Heritage that moved in to make six medalists, and that should make us strong right there.”

Santos will drop down to 182 after dropping weight this past summer.

“Edwin is looking really good,” Simmons said. “Edwin is going to be fine. I’ve had kids wrestle with injuries, it just depends on how much pain tolerance you have. It’s just how bad you want it. Edwin was second in team points and second in falls last year.”

Simmons said it is not unusual to have players jump up in weight class.

“Kids are going to grow,” Simmons said. “We hit the weights pretty good, and our kids have got a lot stronger.”

The Mounties will tackle a competitive schedule and Simmons is hoping the team peaks at the state tournament, which will be held in February in Little Rock.

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