VAN BUREN — Rogers High took control early in the finals of the inaugural Arkansas Wrestling Coaches & Officials Association Class 6A-7A Dual State Championship and cruised to the 42-25 victory over Springdale Har-Ber on Saturday in Claire Bates Arena.
The Mounties won six of the first seven matches and Har-Ber never recovered.
At A Glance
Arkansas Wrestling Coaches & Officials
Association Dual State Tournament
At Claire Bates Arena, Van Buren
Quarterfinals
Rogers High 76, Russellville 6
Rogers Heritage 41, Searcy 32
Springdale Har-Ber 44, Little Rock Central 18
Greenwood 47, Little Rock Catholic 19
Semifinals
Rogers High 46, Rogers Heritage 27
Springdale Har-Ber 46, Greenwood 23
Finals
Rogers High 42, Springdale Har-Ber 25
Third-Place Match
Rogers Heritage 63, Greenwood 12
Dual State Finals
Rogers High 42, Springdale Har-Ber 25
160: Gary Frederick, Rogers, def. Robert White, Har-Ber, 13-6.
170: Christian Brummett, Rogers, def. Owen Bailey, Har-Ber, by fall, 3:31.
182: Wyatt Steiner, Rogers, def. Sam Taylor, Har-Ber, 6-4 in overtime.
195: Josh Lee, Rogers, def. Colt Rush, Har-Ber, 7-2.
220: Treyton Baker, Har-Ber, def. Max Wester, Rogers, 3-1 in overtime.
285: Ray Brummett, Rogers, def. Eli Espe, Har-Ber, by fall, 5:52.
106: Stephen Waterhouse, Rogers, def. Austin Bosley, Har-Ber, by fall, 0:31.
113: Matt Seiter;, Har-Ber, def. Chris Alanis, Rogers, by fall, 3:54.
120: Kimble Jennings, Har-Ber, def. Daniel Perez, Rogers, by fall, 0:35.
126: Hunter Dyer, Rogers, def. Jackson Nichols, Har-Ber, 10-7.
132: Tanner Collins, Har-Ber, def. Jacob Rownak, Rogers, 14-1.
138: Heath Henman, Rogers, def. Milton Ortiz, Har-Ber, by fall, 0:37.5.
145: Coltin Morgan, Har-Ber, def. Matthew Hunter, Rogers, by fall, 3:03.
152: MadisonMontgomery, Rogers, def. Grant Thornton, Har-Ber, by fall, 3:59.
Rogers coach Ken Simmons said his team was solid, winning their sixth tournament of the season. The Mounties improved to 33-2 in dual competitions and are unbeaten against in-state teams.
“I thought we wrestled pretty well overall,” Simmons said. “I thought I had a couple guys who didn’t have their best matches, but most of the guys stepped it up and performed well. I was pleased.”
Simmons said his team made tremendous progress, after returning only three varsity starters from last year. Winning a dual state title shows how much the team has grown this season, Simmons said.
He wasn’t even sure the Mounties would qualify for the dual state tournament, but credited his team for progressing throughout the season.
“This is huge,” Simmons said. “We only had five guys back who wrestled at state last year and two of those were JV guys we bumped up into the lineup. I almost scheduled another tournament in this place thinking we weren’t going to be here.”
The seventh annual Arkansas High School Wrestling 6A-7A State Championships comes up in two weeks, but Saturday’s dual format stresses the team aspect more since every match in all 14 weight classes is important.
The dual state tournament is not sanctioned by the Arkansas Activities Association, but coaches came together this season to put one together in hopes of getting it sanctioned in the future. Teams in 6A and 7A were divided into two regions and criteria was set forth to determine the top four teams in each region to qualify for the dual state, Har-Ber coach Nika West said.
Rogers crushed Russellville 76-6 in the first round, then defeated crosstown rival Rogers Heritage 46-27 to make the finals.
Simmons said every match is important and not just winning or losing, but how you win or lose. For example, a pin is worth six team points, while a normal decision nets just three. He used one of his own wrestlers Jacob Rownak, who lost 14-1, as an example.
“Rownak, he didn’t get pinned,” Simmons said. “He fought off his back and saved us team points. That’s a big thing right there in a dual and the kids recognize that and they were cheering for him.”
West said Rogers, which also beat his team 36-30 in a dual earlier this season, was just a little better Saturday. But also said his Wildcats will turn their attention to the state tournament in two weeks.
“Rogers wanted it a little bit more than we did today,” West said. “They came out fired up and ready to go. But I’d rather lose today than in two weeks.”
Paul Boyd can be reached by email at [email protected] or on Twitter @NWAPaulB