ROGERS — Logan Evans hasn’t rested on his laurels this season.
He said winning the Class 6A/7A state wrestling title at 138 pounds last year only pushed him to improve.
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 just wanted to get better and do it again,” Evans said. “It means everything to me.”
The Rogers Heritage senior appears on the right track.
Evans has cut his losses nearly in half from a year ago, and he currently has a 41-7 mark. He also earned the top seed at 138 pounds for the 6A-7A state tournament, which starts today in Little Rock.
Heritage coach Doug Freeman said there’s no doubt Evans is much-improved from a year ago.
“Last year, he had one unstoppable move and took everybody down,” Freeman said. “This year, he’s been able wrestle with different techniques and styles now.
“He can still hit that one move now, but he just doesn’t rely on it anymore, which makes him a better wrestler.”
Evans was dominant en route to winning the state tournament a year ago. He pinned two of his first three opponents in less than a minute and pinned the third in the final period.
Evans then defeated crosstown rival Chris Ogle of Rogers High 8-2 to win the title.
This season the bracket at 138 is rather deep with talent this year, Freeman said.
Evans has lost to third-seeded Austin Tull-Cochrane of Bentonville and fourth-seeded Jaxson Nolen of Fayetteville earlier this season, but he has since avenged those losses.
He’s also 2-0 against second-seeded Taylor Compton of Greenwood. That includes a pinfall victory last weekend in the finals of the Big West Tournament.
Evans is responsible for two of Compton’s three losses this season. Compton has a 33-3 record.
Freeman and Evans agreed he didn’t wrestle to his strengths in the second match against Compton, but still managed to win.
“I was on the mat a lot more instead of shooting,” Evans said. “I won’t do that again. The other time I was more in control. I was up like 10-1 in the second period.”
A preseason knee injury slowed his training, Evans said.
“It affected my cardio. I couldn’t run,” Evans said. “It doesn’t both me anymore, though.”
Freeman said it also cost Evans a few matches early in the season.
“He lost three matches in the Miami (Okla.) tournament, and he was ahead in all three and kind of gassed out,” Freeman said.
But Evans’ work ethic is what’s made him successful, Freeman said. Evans dedicated himself in the offseason to improve, including qualifying to represent Arkansas at the freestyle national tournament in Fargo, N.D., over the summer.
“That’s the reason he’s gotten good,” Freeman said. “He did all the stuff the get better. He’s very confident on the mat and that comes from being out there a lot.”
Despite wrestling just a handful of matches his freshman year, Evans will finish as the school’s all-time leader in wins and takedowns. And he has the opportunity to be only the second Heritage wrestler to win two state titles.
But Evans said he’s not looking to end his wrestling career this weekend. He also has an eye toward wrestling in college, possibly Baker University in Kansas.