SPRINGDALE — Twenty-two teams in Class 7A/6A will meet in Little Rock today for the Arkansas State Wrestling Championships, but only one will return as defending state champion.
That’s Springdale Har-Ber, which scored 331 points to top a field of 20 teams in last year’s
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.
state tournament. Little Rock Central finished second with 274 points and Bentonville was third with 270 1/2 points.
Har-Ber, Bentonville, and Little Rock Central are among the favorites again for the fifth annual state wrestling tournament, which will be held today and Saturday at the Jack Stephens Center on the campus of Arkansas-Little Rock. Opening ceremonies begin at 1 p.m. today and Saturday’s second session will begin at 9 a.m.
Har-Ber has a handful of wrestlers capable of winning individual state championships, including Nick Smith (195 pounds), who lost to 0’Dell Lee of Byrant in the state finals last season.
Smith is 50-3 this season after finishing 38-5 last season as a junior.
“Nick has had a stellar performance this season,” said Har-Ber coach Nika West, who was selected Coach of the Year for 2012 after leading the Wildcats to state championship. “Two of his losses were to wrestlers from strong programs from out of the state, and the other came when he was disqualified for an illegal slam.
“The thing I admire about Nick is his calmness. He doesn’t mind if he gets taken down or gets behind. He keeps working, and he usually finds a way to win.”
Smith enters the state tournament as a No. 1 seed after winning an individual title in last week’s Big West Tournament in Fort Smith. Bentonville (175) won the 12-team tournament, with Har-Ber (157) second and Rogers (148.5) third.
“It was a meet that should help us for the state tournament,” said Smith, who began wrestling as a freshman at Poteau, Okla. “Bentonville is tough and Little Rock Central is really good, too. We lost four guys off last year’s team that won the state championship, but should be right up there again.”
Lee won consecutive state championships at Bryant before continuing his career at Ouachita Baptist, which is one of only three college wrestling programs in the state.
Smith hopes to take the top stand vacated by Lee during the awards ceremony on Saturday.
“Losing makes you better and more motivated, especially after losing in the state finals,” said Smith, who was pinned by Lee. “I’m way more experienced than last year, but I know there will be a lot of good competition again at the state meet.”
Har-Ber finished 26-13 during the regular season, but the Wildcats had a strong schedule that included tournaments in neighboring states where wrestling is more established. Still, the Wildcats generally handed themselves well as defending state champions in Class 7A/6A.
“Missouri, Oklahoma, Texas, we went all over and faced some tough competition, in and out of state,” West said. “We’ve taken some hits, but the kids represented themselves well. We’re ready to see what we can do again in Little Rock at the state tournament.”