Wrestling: Shields Leads Way For Fayetteville

FAYETTEVILLE -- Dane Shields has some unfinished business on the wrestling mat.

Shields, a senior at Fayetteville, finished second in the 160-pound weight class as a junior at the Class 7A/6A state tournament last year. The runner-up finish was nothing to sneeze at, as Shields was defeated by Tyler Mann of Little Rock Central, who was voted as the top overall wrestler in the state tournament a year ago.

But Shields doesn't worry about who kept him from the individual title. Instead, he sees an opportunity this year to grab the top prize.

"I would say coming back after placing second it's always about getting better and improving," Shields said. "It's fun to know that there's room for improvement and coming in second was really humbling, but it also motivates you because you know you can improve."

Shields could focus on his individual goal of winning a state title as he moves up to 170 this season. But the senior isn't about just personal achievement. As he's shown from his first days on the mat, and in the classrooms at Fayetteville, his goals also include everyone else on the team.

"He's on his way to a lot of accomplishments this year," Fayetteville wrestling coach Steve Adair said. "And not only is he a good wrestler for us, but he's also a class president, his grade point is immaculate. He's just a fine leader for us."

Shields has been with the Fayetteville wrestling team since his freshman year. He's worked his way up from young pup learning the ropes to strong, state title contender who is now the man in charge.

And with Shields at the front of the line, the Bulldogs appear to finally be breaking through as a group.

"When I started wrestling in my freshman year and got to know all these guys, it motivated me to not only wrestle for myself but also think about the entire team," Shields said. "I've worked to be a leader and talk to everyone to make sure everyone is improving. And that has helped me not only as a wrestler but in all phases of my life.

"There were people who came before me that I looked up to, not only in the wrestling room but in the classroom as well. It was fun to look up to them the last three years and now it's fun to have these sophomores and freshmen and juniors to look up to you. I take a lot of pride in that."

The Bulldogs host their own Fayetteville Invitational tournament Saturday, with a top lineup of teams expected to attend. For Shields, it's an opportunity to show he's ready to once again be one of the final wrestlers on the mat come state tournament time.

"Dane is getting stronger all the time and that's going to help him at the 170 class," Adair said. "His knowledge of the sport continues to improve and he is going to be a favorite to win the state this year at that 170.

"It's going to be exciting to see how Dane does at this meet. This will be a good test for him. We've got some of the top teams coming in. So it will be a good test to see how he does."

Sports on 01/08/2015