Searcy boys finish as state runner-up
SEARCY — Coming off a state-championship run last season, head coach Jerry Evans thought his Searcy High School boys wrestling team would have a chance to repeat their performance this year.
“But we lost a few kids along the way, with different things coming up,” he said. “We had four state placers from last year’s team that we either lost to graduation or different things that had happened about midway through the season.
“So were trying to teach freshmen to fill in some of those spots, and it made us re-evaluate where we were.”
He said that for Searcy to finish as runner-up at this year’s Arkansas High School Championship Tournament in Little Rock was a great accomplishment.
“I am extremely proud of this team, especially our senior leadership and them meeting their personal goals,” Evans said.
He said he had some guys who decided to leave the team for different reasons, and he had to fill the holes in the lineup.
“The guys who stepped up were freshmen and were getting some mat times that we didn’t expect,” Evans said. “And even though we had some freshmen in the lineup and didn’t score as many points as we could have, it gave those freshmen mat time and experience they needed so we could be competitive next year.”
Despite the adversity, the Lions finished with nine state placers, including senior Demaceo Whittier.
“He is one of the best athletes in the state,” Evans said. “He is an all-state football player and a two-time state champion [in wrestling].
“Last year, he had an ACL injury during his last football game of the season and wasn’t able to return to wrestling until conference. He is an exceptional athlete.”
This year, Whittier finished 45-0 for the season, and only three times during the season did he have a match get out of first period, which means that only three times did he not pin his opponent within the first round. He never went into a third period.
“He is the most dominant wrestler in Arkansas,” Evans said. “He won his finals match in 17 seconds.”
Evans said he has only had three undefeated wrestlers in his entire 12-year career, with two of them on the team this year. Whittier has signed with Williams Baptist College to continue his wrestling career.
Landon Valdez finished the two-day tournament as state runner-up and earned all-state and the Victory With Honor award. He is a multiple-year team captain for the Lions and is “one of those guys who always does the right thing.”
“He is at practice on time and does the right thing in the classroom,” Evans said. “He is a kid that you love to have and has a great personality and is a great leader.
“Unfortunately, he came up a little short in the state tournament. He had beaten the guy earlier this year, but it just didn’t work out for him in the finals.”
Senior Joseph Desk was a state champion, and senior C.J. Yocham was a state runner-up.
“C.J. has been a great story for us,” Evans said. “He came late into the program, but has really battled and learned every day.
“He’s become one of those guys that nobody really notices, and he always goes out and finds a way to win. He was able to beat a couple of tough opponents [in the tournament]. I’m so proud of everything he has accomplished in such a short amount of time.”
Evans finished with seven seniors on the team this year, but he said he is excited for next season.
“I have a couple of juniors who are ready to step into a leadership role,” Evans said. “And I have some freshmen coming up that I am really excited about seeing.”