Harris Sutton didn't waste time as the top wrestler in the 6A-7A 220-pound weight class Friday.
The Cabot senior scored three pinfalls to get through the first day of the Arkansas state high school wrestling tournament Friday at the Jack Stephens Center in Little Rock.
Sutton improved to 37-0 with victories over Little Rock Catholic's Brandon Dobbins, Jonesboro's Bruce Heard and Bentonville West's Kendall Doctorello.
Two years ago, work on the wrestling mat wasn't as smooth for Sutton.
Sutton was in the state's largest weight class at 285 pounds as a sophomore. In the 2015 state tournament, Sutton lost on the first day, falling to Luc Bequette of Little Rock Catholic in a 5-1 decision.
Entering his junior season, Sutton dropped to the 220-pound weight class, the state's second-largest class.
Moving from the 285-pound class to 220 was beneficial for Sutton, who weighed 240 pounds as a sophomore wrestling some of the biggest wrestlers in the state. He won the 6A-7A state championship at 220 with a 4-2 overtime victory over Jacob Robertson of Springdale Har-Ber.
"The cut at 220 was tough, but it was worth it," Sutton said. "The school year came around and I said, 'I was only 20 pounds over, so I might as well cut from 240 to 220.'
"I was a lot stronger and a lot faster than the ones in the 220s. I was so used to wrestling heavyweight and going the distance. I put those guys to work. I work hard every time."
Sutton, 6-3, weighed in at 218 pounds Friday morning before competing in his third state tournament. He said he always tries to eat healthy, especially leading up to meets.
"I always think to myself at meals, 'Maybe I want to make a bad choice or something. Maybe I want a Coke. But I'll have an apple,' " Sutton said. "I always try to do the little things. It's really stacked up to help me maintain."
Cabot Coach David Payne said having Sutton for three years has made the Panthers' program better.
"It's a lot easier to coach the rest of the players when you can coach your best one as hard as you can," said Payne, a 2001 Cabot graduate who is in his third season as wrestling coach at his alma mater. "You don't have to worry about how you're treating everybody else when you can drill him as hard as you can.
"He does his job outside with the nutrition. You can't ask for a better kid to coach."
Sutton's family moved to Arkansas from Georgia when he was in ninth grade. He began wrestling as an eighth-grader at Camden County High School in Kingsland, Ga.
When he moved to Cabot, Sutton played football at Cabot North Junior High as a nose tackle. But after his sophomore year at Cabot High School, Sutton focused on wrestling full-time.
"It wasn't me. I didn't really like it," Sutton said of football. "[Switching to wrestling] made a big difference."
Entering today's competition, Sutton is one of five undefeated wrestlers left in the state along with Pulaski Academy's Michael Crockett and Layne Hatcher, Maumelle's Jacob Beene, and Central Arkansas Christian's Braden Quesinberry.
Sutton is comfortable being one of the targeted wrestlers. He prefers it to being a No. 3 seed a year ago or where he was two years ago.
"I don't feel any pressure," Sutton said. "I just want to go out there and wrestle."
Payne won a state championship with Cabot's football team in 2000 under Coach Mike Malham. He would like nothing more than to see Sutton win a state championship in his final high school wrestling meet for the Lonoke County school.
"To finish that way, there's nothing better, I don't think," Payne said.
State high school
wrestling tournament
TODAY Championship semifinals start at 9 a.m. Finals start at 3:30 p.m. WHERE Jack Stephens Center, Little Rock TICKETS $8 SCHEDULE Semifinals: Class 1A-5A on mats 1 and 2; Class 6A-7A on mats 5 and 6. Championship finals: Class 1A-5A on mat 2; Class 6A-7A on mat 5.
Sports on 02/18/2017