Bentonville's Bizzle, Grigsby Enjoy Big Years

STAFF PHOTO ANTHONY REYES Jeff Bizzle, right, and Aaron Grigsby, both of Bentonville, are the NWA Media Co-Wrestlers of the Year.
STAFF PHOTO ANTHONY REYES Jeff Bizzle, right, and Aaron Grigsby, both of Bentonville, are the NWA Media Co-Wrestlers of the Year.

BENTONVILLE -- Jeff Bizzle and Aaron Grigsby are the same but different.

Both earned their second consecutive state wrestling title with relative ease, dominating in-state competition for the most part. But the way they were successful was far from the same.

NWA Media Wrestlers of the Year

Aaron Grigsby

School: Bentonville

Weight: 126

Class: Junior

Notable: Won second consecutive state title, finishing with a 56-1 record. … Lone loss came in first match of the season when he bumped up to 132 versus a two-time state placer from Moore, Okla. … Named Outstanding Wrestler for lower weights at 6A-7A state tournament. … Won six tournaments including the Springfield Holiday tournament. … Was state champion at 120 as a sophomore and finished 49-4. … Has topped 130 career wins heading into his senior season.

Jeff Bizzle

School: Bentonville

Weight: 145

Class: Senior

Notable: Won second consecutive state title, finishing 58-1 with lone loss coming in the finals of the Seneca, Mo., tournament to a Missouri wrestler a couple weeks prior to state tournament. … Won five other tournaments this season. … Will wrestle in college at University of Nebraska-Kearney. … Won state title at 132 and finished 52-3 as a junior.

Bizzle and Grigsby were selected to share the NWA Media Wrestler of the Year honor thanks to their outstanding accomplishments.

Bizzle, who moved to Bentonville prior to his junior year from Oklahoma, is like a surgeon on the mat, calculating in his movements and precise in their execution.

Grigsby moved from Webb City, Mo., prior to his freshman year. He's more aggressive, sometimes to his detriment, according to Bentonville wrestling coach Bill Desler.

"Aaron is so aggressive, he'll get in a bad position sometimes, but he can still score from it," Desler said. "Jeff may not make many moves during a match, but they are usually very effective."

Both were equally effective. Bizzle finished 58-1, winning at 145 pounds, while Grigsby went 56-1 and won the state title at 126. They also each had a goal of going undefeated. Grigsby's hopes were dashed quickly as he lost the first match of the season.

Desler said that loss comes with an explanation though. The coaching staff chose to bump Grigsby up a weight class for the first tournament, since the lineup was still taking shape.

"He had been working, cutting weight to get down to 126, and then we bumped him up to 132," Desler said. "Plus that kid he wrestled was a two-time state placer in Oklahoma."

Grigsby proceeded to then reel off 56 consecutive victories, winning six regular-season tournaments. He won all five matches on his way to the title by fall and topped 130 wins for his high school career with another season left and also claimed Outstanding Wrestler in the state tournament for the lighter weights.

Bizzle lost his only match in the finals of the last tournament of the regular season.

Despite all their success, they also agree the one loss is the thing that sticks out in their minds about the season. Bizzle is his own worst critic, always pushing himself to be better, Desler said.

"Every time I step on the mat, I try to perform my best, and if I don't perform my best, I get mad at myself," Bizzle said. "I got mad at myself even after I won a state championship."

Tough critic? Bizzle won four matches on his way to the state title, two by fall and two others by major decision. He defeated Rogers Heritage's Shae Chafin 10-0 in the finals.

They also earned national attention at the ASICS/Vaughan Junior & Cadet National Championships in Fargo, N.D.

Grigsby earned All-America honors in the Greco-Roman style, while Bizzle needed only one more victory to claim that honor. That's a huge accomplishment considering wrestling has only been a sanctioned sport in Arkansas for six years.

Both wrestlers agreed it was special to represent Arkansas on a national stage.

"I just view it as people shouldn't underestimate Arkansas wrestlers without knowing their background," Grigsby said. "It helped me feel like I represented the state."

The two share the common interest of wrestling, and both can thank their families for that. They each started at an early age.

"When I was two months old, my mom made me my own singlet to wear and found me wrestling shoes to wear," Bizzle said.

Bentonville assistant coach and Aaron's father, Steve, said they both had older brothers who excelled in wrestling, too.

"Jeff's older brother was a four-time state champion in Oklahoma, and my oldest, Patrick, was a four-time state placer at Webb City, Mo.," Steve Grigsby said.

Bizzle will move on next year to wrestle at Nebraska-Kearney, while Grigsby will look for a third straight state title.

Even though they won't be together next year, they agreed the bond of wrestling will always keep them close.

Sports on 03/29/2014

Upcoming Events