SPRINGDALE — Springdale Har-Ber wrestling coach Nika West wanted to make the Diamond State Duals one of the top tournaments in the region and it looks like he’s gotten some attention in only the third year for the event.
The two-day, 24-team tournament has drawn schools from fi ve diff erent states and a school from a sixth (Louisiana) pulled out because of some injuries, West said. But filling that spot was no problem at all.
AT A GLANCE
DIAMOND STATE DUALS
WRESTLING TOURNAMENT
AT SPRINGDALE HAR-BER
FRIDAY-SATURDAY
NOTABLE: Third year for Har-Ber
to host a dual tournament over the
Christmas break. … This year’s fi eld
is 24 teams from fi ve different states
… Teams are divided in four sixteam
pools. … Pool A includes host
Springdale Har-Ber, Smithville, Mo.,
Monett, Mo., Conway, Greenwood
and Blackwell, Okla., while pool B
has Rogers Heritage, Staley, Mo.,
Springdale High, Lebanon, Mo.,
Fayetteville and St. Benedict, Tenn.
… Two-time defending tournaent
champion Edmond Santa Fe leads Pool
C along with Maumelle, Van Buren,
Springfi eld (Mo.) Kickapoo, Bentonville
and Fort Gibson, Okla., while the fi nal
pool consists of Rogers, Sulpher, Okla.,
Searcy, Northwest High of Justin,
Texas, Collierville, Tenn. and Nixa, Mo.
… Wrestling will be contested on eight
mats in Wildcat Arena, the back gym
and the cafeteria at Har-Ber High. …
Action begins at 9 a.m. on Friday and
Saturday.
“We’ve actually got a waiting list now of four or five teams who want to get in the tournament in the future,” West said. “I wanted to make it into something where people wanted to come and it’s happening a little bit.”
Edmond (Okla.) Santa Fe, the two-time defending tournament champion, returns, but faces some outstanding competition from three Missouri schools — Nixa, Staley and Smithville. All four of those teams are in different pools. Lebanon, Mo., which lost in the finals last year, is back, as well as Blackwell, Okla., which took third.
Collierville, Tenn., is another team that could content, West said.
Nixa coach Dustin Martin said he stumbled across the Har-Ber tournament, after his team was unable to travel to a tournament near Kansas City earlier in December because of winter weather.
Nixa finished third at the 46th annual Kinloch Classic in Springfi eld, Mo., last weekend, but were missing three state qualifi ers.
Nixa is led by two-time Class 4 state champion Joe Velliquette, who will be seeing his first action of the season this weekend because of injuries, Martin said. He won the title at 126 last year and won at 106 as a sophomore, but will compete at 138 this year. He has verbally committed to wrestle at Pennsylvania. Class 4 is the largest class in Missouri. Nixa has four individuals ranked in their specific weight class in Missouri, not including Velliquette.
In addition, Staley, which is located near Kansas City, comes in ranked second in Class 3 behind Neosho. The Falcons have two wrestlers currently ranked No. 1 in the Class 3 in their weight class. Both were state runners-up a year ago.
Martin said he and his wrestlers are looking forward to the tournament and the chance to face out-of-state competition. The dual format also allows Martin to plug in diff erent wrestlers throughout the two-day event, which guarantees each team seven duals.
The tough competition could be tough sledding for Arkansas teams, which are by comparison not as experienced, but West said it will be good for his team.
Har-Ber finished ninth out of 24 teams in Springfield, while Bentonville was 12th and Rogers Heritage 17th. However, Bentonville coach Bill Desler pointed out his team was 12th with only nine wrestlers competing.
The Tigers were led by Aaron Grigsby (126) and Jeff Bizzle (145), who both won their weight classes in Springfield. Kimble Jennings (120) and Douglas Matthews (182) of Har-Ber each fi nished fi fth. Ramsey Gonzalez of Rogers Heritage (170) fi nished third and teammate Caleb Royal (126) was fourth.
Desler and West agreed the strong competition will be good for their wrestlers. Heritage coach Doug Freeman said the dual format will hurt his team since the War Eagles will have two open weight classes.
“It will be fun,” Freeman said. “All the Oklahoma and Missouri teams are tough. It’s a great tournament.”