ROGERS -- Rogers Heritage's Caleb Royal is tired of finishing second.
The senior made it a habit last year as he couldn't find a way to get past Bentonville's Aaron Grigsby.
At a glance
Caleb Royal
School: Rogers Heritage
Height: 5-6
Weight: 126
Class: Senior
Notable: Finished second in the Class 6A-7A state wrestling tournament in the 126-pound weight class a year ago with a 42-10 record … Took second at the recent Republic (Mo.) Invitational and fourth at the 47th annual Kinloch Classic in Springfield, Mo., right after Christmas. … Won the 132-pound class at the Fayetteville Bulldog Invitational two weeks ago. … Finished fifth in the state tournament at 106 as a freshman but did not medal as a sophomore.
Royal lost to his chief rival six times during the high school wrestling season last year, including in the Class 6A-7A state finals at 126 pounds. The two also met in the finals at 128 in Brute Nationals, one of the top national high school wrestling tournaments, last spring, with Grigsby again coming out on top.
The senior acknowledged losing to Grigsby time after time last season took a toll on him mentally.
"Oh yeah, I'll admit to that," Royal said. "It made me want to work harder, but I would get pumped up for the match. Then it would be like 'I've lost to this kid like five times now.' I try not to think about that kind of stuff now."
This season Grigsby is likely headed up to the 132-pound weight class for the state tournament, leaving Royal back at 126 as one of the favorites to win a state title.
He got some measure of revenge last weekend in Republic, Mo., where he finished second and defeated Tristan Barr of Rolla, Mo., 9-8 in two overtimes in the semifinals. The significance of that specific match is Barr is responsible for Grigsby's lone loss this season.
Royal even trailed 5-1 after two period against Barr, but scrambled back to force overtime and persevered for the win.
"I just knew if I wanted to be in the finals I had to get my crap together," Royal said. "It felt good, putting so much work in that whole match. It would have sucked to put all that work in and then lose."
Rogers Heritage coach Doug Freeman said Royal dedicated himself to wrestling after failing to medal at the state tournament as a sophomore. He finished fifth at 106 as a freshman and enjoyed a solid sophomore season but came up short in the state tournament.
"That really pushed him," Freeman said. "It was kind of like a slap in the face. He hit the weights really hard and continued to improve. "
Royal recalled exactly what happened at the end of his sophomore season. In hindsight, he would have been better off competing at 120 instead of 126 when he was younger.
"I was actually confident," Royal said. "I really wasn't cutting to make 120, but I went with 126 instead. It was a bad idea. The kids were just bigger."
Royal then got serious about wrestling after that state tournament.
"Oh yes, it fueled me," Royal said. "I went to four or five camps that summer. I wrestled freestyle."
Even Bentonville assistant coach Steve Grigsby, Aaron's father, had nothing but praise for Royal.
"Caleb's very dedicated to the sport and, in my opinion, one of the best wrestlers in the state," Grigsby said. "He is a kid that nobody can look past. He will battle you from the very beginning to the last whistle."
The wins have piled up for Royal, who has his sights set on the Heritage school career record of 121 held by Logan Evans. He's only two away after this weekend's Greenbrier Invitational.
The record is important, but his biggest goal as a senior is to be a state champion.
Paul Boyd can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter @NWAPaulB
Sports on 01/26/2015