FORT SMITH -- Springdale Har-Ber used strong depth to cruise to the Big West Conference wrestling tournament title Saturday at Ramsey Junior High School.
The Wildcats placed 10 of 14 wrestlers among the top three in their respective weight classes, rolling up 258 points to easily outdistance second-place Bentonville's 212.5.
Prep Wrestling
Big West Conference tournament
at Ramsey Junior High, Fort Smith
Championship Results
106: Tre Ponce, Springdale, def. Stephen Waterhouse, Rogers, by fall.
113: Stephen Fox, Bentonville, def. Ben Blickle, Rogers, by fall.
120: Matt Seiter, Har-Ber, def. Zane Sims, Bentonville, by fall.
126: Kimble Jennings, Har-Ber, def. Jake Turner, Rogers, 3-2.
132: Bryce Arroyos, Fayetteville, def. Jackson Nichols, Har-Ber, 18-6.
138: Payton Morris, Springdale, def. Joseph Adkins, Har-Ber, by fall.
145: Gaven Long, Heritage, def. C.J. Bottorff, Shiloh Christian by injury default.
152: Shae Chafin, Heritage, def. Josh Tyler, Har-Ber, 5-1.
160: Luke Brandon, Bentonville, def. Isaac Bautista, Har-Ber, 8-0.
170: Kyle Nolte, Fort Smith Southside, def. Robert White, Har-Ber, 8-4.
182: Jesse Cureton, Fayetteville, def. Chandler Thrush, Heritage, by fall.
195: Treyton Baker, Har-Ber, def. Bobby Hill, Bentonville, by fall.
220: Jacob Robertson, Har-Ber, def. Ray Brummett, Rogers, 6-4 in overtime.
285: Jon Womack, Greenwood, def. DeAndre Mendez, Heritage, 7-3.
Team Scores
1, Springdale Har-Ber 258. 2, Bentonville 212. 3, Rogers High 177.5. 4, Rogers Heritage 154.5. 5, Greenwood 150. 6, Fayetteville 132. 7, Springdale High 113. 8, Fort Smith Southside 82. 9, Fort Smith Northside 61.5. 10, Van Buren 41. 11, Gentry 36. 12, Shiloh Christian 24.
Har-Ber coach Nika West, whose team also claimed the Arkansas Wrestling Coaches/Officials Association dual state tournament a week ago, said the Wildcats can focus on their final goal of winning the Class 6A-7A state championship.
"It's a work in progress right now," West said. "But it's definitely a steppingstone in the right direction. We've just got to stay focused over the next week and stay healthy. We wanted to come out and prove a point, let it carry over to next week and build some confidence."
Har-Ber picked up four first-place finishers, but West singled out Jacob Robertson at 220 for his effort. He forced overtime with a late escape and won 6-4 with a takedown to notch his second win of the season over Ray Brummett of Rogers High.
"He really stepped it up," West said. "We have a state seeding meeting on Tuesday, and I feel he's put himself in good position for a high seed. To be down one with eight seconds left and get and go into overtime and win, that's huge.
Har-Ber's Kimble Jennings, a two-time defending state champion, claimed a hard-fought 3-2 win over Rogers High freshman Jake Turner at 126 and likely locked up the top seed in the state tournament. Jennings' composure is a strength for him, West said.
"Kimble doesn't let anything rattle him," West said. "He's very calm, very smooth. He knows how to win matches."
Jennings (57-3) earned the Outstanding Wrestler award for the lower weights, while Shae Chafin of Rogers Heritage claimed that honor in the upper weights.
Chafin, the defending state champion at 152, improved to 40-0 with a 5-1 win over Har-Ber's Josh Tyler in the finals at that weight class.
Bentonville couldn't catch Har-Ber this weekend, but Tigers coach Bill Desler was pleased with his team's effort Saturday. Luke Brandon, a defending state champion, and Stephen Fox both won their respective weight classes as Bentonville placed eight wrestlers among the top three.
"We only had one kid wrestle in the first round, and we were down quite a ways," Desler said. "But we had a good day and had some kids step up. Fox and Luke and Bobby (Hill) performed well. But our middle weights, 132, 38, 45 and 52, they all did real well."
Bentonville's 212.5 points put them a strong second, ahead of third-place Rogers High (177.5) and Rogers Heritage (154.5).
Desler acknowledged Har-Ber has a strong, deep lineup, but he wasn't ready to concede next week's state tournament.
"They are graduating seven kids," Desler said. "I'm glad we're graduating only one. You just never know. Bentonville could show up to the state tournament and take the whole thing."
Sports on 02/14/2016