ROGERS — Nick Mulcahy will be the center of attention in the 152-pound division at the Class 7A/6A State Wrestling Tournament, and the Rogers High center is embracing the attention.
Mulcahy is the top seed in his weight class after finishing sixth and third in lower weight divisions the two previous state tournaments.
At A Glance
Fifth Annual Arkansas State Wrestling Championships
WHEN: Today-Saturday
WHERE: Jack Stephens Center, Little Rock
ADMISSION: $8, free for children 5 and under.
NOTABLE: The 6A-7A and 1A-5A tournaments will be held at the same time beginning at 1 p.m. today. ... Saturday’s session begins at 9 a.m. with finals slated to begin at 3:30 p.m. ... Area wrestlers who earned top seeds in their respective weight classes are Ryan Flynn (113), Aaron Grigsby (120) and Jeff Bizzle of Bentonville, Nick Smith (195) of Springdale Har-Ber; Logan Evans (138) of Rogers Heritage; Nick Mulcahy (152) of Rogers High; Austin Hubble (285) of Fayetteville.
“I like that challenge,” Mulcahy said. “I have a goal of winning it all, so I drilled and practiced hard. I lifted a lot of weights over the summer to get bigger and stronger.”
Mulcahy has had a solid season as he has increased his takedowns from 88 to 240 to earn the top seed. In the 145 division last year, Mulcahy lost in overtime in the quarterfinals at the state meet.
“Nick has a lot more confidence,” Rogers coach Ken Simmons said. “He is really dominant on his feet and that has given him a lot more confidence. Nick is hard-nosed and he can take guys down.
“Everybody knows by his record that he is the top guy going in.”
Mulcahy said he believes he is peaking at the right time and that has been one reason for the increase in his takedowns.
“I have more confidence in what I can do with my body,” Mulcahy said. “I think if we all do a little better that our seed, we have a chance to do real well. I just want to do my part to help the team.”
Simmons said Mulcahy is one of the hardest working wrestlers on the team.
“Nick didn’t get here by accident,” Simmons said. “He got there by hard work. He is a smart kid and he thinks things through.”
Rogers has 10 seeded wrestlers and Simmons said the Mounties have a shot at winning the team title.
Edwin Santos is the No. 2 seed in the 182 division, while Justin Moore (145) and Gio Soto (220) are No. 3 seeds. Raul Rodriguez (126) drew a No. 4 seed and Heath Henman (138) and Austin Rodriguez (160) are No. 5 seeds.
Jose Sandoval (106), Madison Montgomery (132) and Juan Balderas (195) are all No. 6 seeds.
“Edwin has a chance to make the finals,” Simmons said. “I think Raul Rodriguez is the man to beat at 126. All our guys have shown good talent.”
Josh Lee is unseeded at 170 but is capable of finishing strong, Simmons said.
“Lee is a possible bracket buster,” Simmons said. “He didn’t wrestle well last week, but maybe that is a good sign.”