Searcy again leads field heading into state event

A year ago, Searcy girls wrestling was considered the favorites to win the girls state wrestling tournament.

With seven seeded wrestlers, the Lady Lions appeared likely to repeat their 2020 title against a field that included 150 wrestlers across 33 teams. However, with 173 points and three individual state champions, Mountain Home was able to upset the favored Lady Lions and win its first-ever girls wrestling state title.

“There was definitely anger,” Searcy senior Mykenzie Clark said. “A lot of anger.”

Clark was one of three wrestlers who lost to a Mountain Home competitor with an individual title on the line. But as Clark and Searcy return for this year’s championships, they’re again highly favored to find success at the Jack Stephens Center in Little Rock.

Part of a field that includes 193 wrestlers from 41 schools, Searcy has wrestlers competing in all 10 weight classes, eight of whom are a top-three seed in their class. The team has been led by four seniors in the No. 2-seed Clark and No. 3-seeds Shelby Webb, Madison Sickels and Lily Dias.

None of the four have won an individual state title, but Clark was the runner-up in

the 132-pound class in 2021 and Dias and Webb both finished fourth in their respective classes. Clark and Dias were also third-place finishers in 2020.

“This group of seniors have been great leaders,” Searcy Coach Jerry Evans said. “Very tough girls. Very focused on building a program. Not just winning individually but building a program. They’ve really been the centerpiece to Searcy wrestling.”

Evans said it’d mean “a lot” to send off his four seniors with either an individual or team title, but the road to a championship looks as difficult as ever.

“There’s so many good teams,” Evans said. “We’re hoping we do our part. We’re hoping we win the matches that we should and we earn the state title, but there’s a lot of good teams. It’s going to be a tough tournament.”

Mountain Home brings five wrestlers to Little Rock to defend last year’s title, including defending individual champion Amelia Frounfelter, who will be wrestling in the 165-pound weight class. Fayetteville, Springdale Har-Ber and Rogers Heritage will also bring defending champions to the competition.

For Har-Ber, that’s Archer Jones, who is the No. 4 seed at 165. Jones and Frounfelter, a No. 2 seed in the 165, are part of the only weight class to include multiple returning champions in the girls competition. Heritage brings Skylur Lewis, who won the individual title at 140 in 2021. She’ll be wrestling as the No. 1 seed in the 150.

Evans acknowledged Fayetteville as a team that’s “loaded with talent.” The Lady Bulldogs will travel seven wrestlers, four of whom are No. 1 seeds in their respective classes, including Lillian Jones (100), defending-state champion Katie Palmer (124), Hailee Moore (165) and Margaret Jordan (235). Fayetteville’s state wrestlers have a combined record of 194-25.

“Nothing’s going to be easy,” Evans said.