LITTLE ROCK — Ed Viera figured midway through this week that his Maumelle wrestling team was thinking a bit too much about lofty expectations.
All season, the Hornets have listened to others talk about how they’re the runaway favorite to win the Class 1A-5A state high school wrestling tournament. In the week leading up to the season’s final event, Viera sensed the nerves building.
So on Wednesday, Viera ditched a portion of practice and had his team film a “Harlem Shake” video in the school’s practice room. It was only 43 seconds of the team - including Viera - shimmying, but the coach said he thinks it worked.
“Now all the teams want to do it,” Viera said. “The greatest form of compliment is imitation.”
The other schools would probably like to have imitated the Hornets’ Friday performance, too.
Maumelle, which finished second last year, pushed nine wrestlers into today’s championship semifinals and closed Friday with 163.5 team points at the Jack Stephens Center in Little Rock.
Second-place Beebe (135) has six wrestlers in today’s semifinals and third-place Central Arkansas Christian has 132 team points and five wrestlers in the semifinals.
“We’re all chasing Maumelle,” CAC Coach Keith Almond said. “It is tough to come in and be the favorite. [But] they’ve been ready for it.”
Almond’s Mustangs have three wrestlers - at 120, 138 and 160 pounds - who could match up with Maumelle wrestlers in today’s semifinals or finals. Beebe has two wrestlers in the same situation.
But Maumelle also has experience of heading into a state tournament’s final day with a chance to win the title. Last year, the Hornets finished Friday night tied with Little Rock Christian before the Warriors won their first state title.
Today, Maumelle’s two returning state champions will try to repeat and hope to capture a team title, too.
Cole Brainerd, the No. 1 seed at 120 pounds, received byes into the quarterfinals, where he pinned Pulaski Academy’s Usama Khan in 11 seconds.
Justin Butler, the No. 1 seed at 138 pounds, had a bye in the first round, pinned his second round opponent in 26 seconds and then pinned Ashdown’s Darren Hope in 52 seconds to advance to today’s semifinals.
In Class 6A-7A, the state’s first wrestling power has positioned itself to reclaim the team title and the state came closer to seeing its first four time individual champion since the sport was sanctioned by the Arkansas Activities Association in 2008.
Bentonville won the final two club state titles in 2007 and 2008 and the first state title sanctioned by the AAA in 2009. But the Tigers haven’t been in the running for the team title in the three seasons since, won by Rogers Heritage, Conway and Springdale Har-Ber.
Bill Desler’s team advanced six wrestlers into today’s semifinals and scored 165.5 points to take the team lead after the first day. Little Rock Catholic, which finished seventh last year, is in second with 131.5 points and has seven wrestlers in the semifinals.
Rogers (121.5) has six wrestlers still in line for state titles.
“We’ve got a long ways to go,” Desler said. “We’re right where we should be. ... [But] a lot of wrestling left to happen, a lot of good kids out there.”
Justin Arnall (132 pounds) and Tyler Mann (160), both of Little Rock Central, moved into today’s semifinals in pursuit of their third titles, and Cabot’s Tyler Kurz (182) had three first-period pins in pursuit of his fourth title.
Sports, Pages 25 on 02/23/2013