Shorthanded Rogers girls win crown
Despite having just nine wrestlers, Rogers still claimed its first Class 6A state girls’ wrestling team title Saturday at the Jack Stephens Center on the University of Arkansas-Little Rock campus. And it wasn’t that close. Rogers rolled up 164 points to easily outdistance second-place Little Rock Central with 117. Springdale Har-Ber was third with 98. The Lady Mounties also claimed all three Outstanding wrestlers.
The Lady Mounties came up four points short of the team title a year ago, but grabbed the lead on day one and claimed the state championship this time despite having five open spots in their 14-person lineup.
Rogers Coach Willie Wright credited his group with coming up with a great performance on a big stage. Wright knows a little about winning a state title himself. He was part of a Maumelle team that won back-to-back team titles and he made the finals twice, coming up with the win once.
“We showed up,” said Wright, who is in his first season at Rogers. “We put seven in the finals. We had six state champions. … We brought nine girls and eight of them placed. Nobody ever has a perfect tournament, but we were pretty close to it.
“I think our girls, we trained smart. We trained right. We were consistent and we peaked at the right time. I’m pretty happy because they trusted the system, trusted the process and it all paid off.”
Rogers senior Skylur Lewis earned a little history becoming the first girls’ fourtime state champion and was one of six Lady Mounties to win titles. Lewis, the champion at 155, was the Outstanding Wrestler for the upper weights, while teammates Isabella Weiner (130) and Dalani Hornbuckle (105) claimed the awards for the middle and lower weights.
Lewis said she dealt with some nerves today, but came through with the win in the end.
“I was really nervous,” Lewis said. “There was a lot of pressure on me, but I pulled through and did it.”
Lewis said the bond within her team is special.
“These girls, a lot of them are in their first year [wrestling],” Lewis said. “This team, there’s not another like it. It’s like a family and the amount of work they’ve all put in, it’s really great.”
She will wrestle in college at St. Mary’s in Leavenworth, Kan., where she will join her brother, Zayne.
Searcy won its third title out of the last four in Class 5A. The Lady Lions finished with 187 points to edge second-place Sylvan Hills, which finished with 174.5.
Searcy Coach Jerry Evans pointed to a pair of matches in particular that probably proved to be the difference in the team race. Junior Gracie Webb at 110 and sophomore Emerson Pulley at 130 both avenged earlier losses to win state titles.
“At 110, that was a huge victory for her,” Evans said. “Nobody picked her to win. She had a plan and she went out and executed it and got a first-period victory. And at 130 Emerson Pulley, a sophomore, lost to the same young lady a couple of times this year and went out and went all three periods and came away with a win.”
Evans also pointed out his group is relatively young.
“We’ve only got three seniors,” Evans said. “We’ve got a great core of juniors and a lot of freshmen. It looks good for the future.”
Searcy’s Alena Williams, Russellville’s Avrey Taylor and Sylvan Hills’ D’Mysha James each earned Outstanding Wrestler honors in Class 5A. James finished 60-0 in winning the title at 190. Taylor won at 135 and Williams (43-1) won at 115.