There is no more well-liked and highly respected teacher and coach on the GHS campus than John Kincade, affectionately known to many friends and admirers as “Coach K.” But though small of stature, Coach K is a true giant in the world of high school wrestling in the state of Arkansas, and this month he kicks off his second decade at the helm of the mat program he founded in 2012 and has taken to unbelievable heights of accomplishment in a very short time.
In the last five years the Bulldogs have won three consecutive dual state championships (2019-21) and back-to-back 5A state wrestling titles (2020-21). They finished fourth last season, but could easily have battled for the 5A title again except for an unfortunate Covid-related illness that kept one of his top performers from competing in the state tournament, costing the team valuable points. Still, Coach K is understandably proud of what his teams have achieved over the past 10 years.
But injuries and illnesses aside, the 2022-23 campaign is a new season, the eleventh in the brief history of the GHS wrestling program, and time marches on, students graduate, and there is inevitable turnover with the roster. Nothing stays the same and constant adjustments must be made to remain competitive in a sport that is still growing and improving in the state of Arkansas. Other schools have caught up to Greenwood in many ways and the competition is now tougher than ever.
During an interview last month, Coach Kincade talked about his program and the prospects for the upcoming season, one he sees as something of a rebuilding year with a lot of young talent lacking in experience, but also a team with a lot of potential if the cards fall right. The Bulldogs officially open their season on Tuesday (Dec. 6th) at Rogers Heritage.
Very much like Head Coach Donnie Husband’s basketball team, the GHS wrestling team has awaited the arrival of several key athletes after the conclusion of football season, which ended last Saturday night at Little Rock’s War Memorial Stadium against the Pulaski Academy Bruins. Unfortunately for GHS fans, the Bulldogs fell to the Bruins in a close game, 42-35.
While it will take time for the gridiron reinforcements to make the transition to their winter sports, whether basketball or wrestling, their presence courtside will certainly have an immediate and positive influence on their teammates. For one thing, it helps Coach Kincade fill out his lineup that includes 14 different weight categories, a key factor in making his team competitive throughout the season by avoiding lost points from forfeitures.
But that could be an issue this season for the young Bulldogs, who still have a couple vacancies to fill but are short on wrestlers in certain weight classes, some of which have been adjusted by the national governing body for high school wrestling. The current GHS roster has 31 names, ten of which are girls, and includes just three seniors, 11 juniors, 12 sophomores, and five freshmen.
“The years have gone by pretty quick,” said the coach when asked to reflect on the past decade. “We started in 2012 and it goes by fast.” As for how his team finished last season, Kincade said, “We finished fourth as a team in the [5A] state tournament and finished as dual state runners-up. In the 5A tournament we were nine points behind [first place] Van Buren. Things just didn’t go our way last year. Bryce Williams just couldn't breathe [or compete], and I felt like if we’d had him, we could have still won it.”
Despite falling short of repeating as state champions, the coach still has plenty to boast about regarding his team. “We’ve won two academic [boy’s] state championships (2021-22) and one girls’ academic championship (2022), and I’m proud of that, the kids making their grades in the classroom,” he said.
As for graduation losses last spring, Coach K mentioned the now departed Hayden Rofkahr, who is wrestling for the University of the Ozarks, and Antonio Martinez, wrestling for Ottawa University in Kansas, and multiple state champion Tyler Crossno. “We took a pretty good hit, so we’ve got to rebound and come back, but we only have three seniors this year,” revealed the coach. “But we’ve got a tremendous number of younger kids, which is good for the future.”
Among those three seniors, Caden Erskine is the only homegrown product on the GHS roster, having started with Coach K years ago in youth wrestling. Probably competing at 157 pounds, Erskine is expected to fill a void on the team and has already shown promise in the pre-season. “I expect good things out of him,” said Coach K, who took Erskine and fellow senior Michael Ruark to Rogers last month for some early competition. “They finished fourth and fifth and ended up wrestling each other, but we’ll be able to separate them into different weight classes. [Caden] has a lot of experience and has been with us a long time. He’s a program guy who’s been around forever.”
The other two seniors, Logan Taylor and Ruark, are both move-ins from other districts who’ve arrived within the past year. Taylor (6’, 225) also played football for the Bulldogs along with his younger brother, Cody, who saw significant time on the varsity offensive line as a freshman. Cody (6’3”, 275) is also on the wrestling team. The two brothers should contribute nicely in the upper weight classes for Greenwood.
While the coach expects seniors Taylor and Ruark to fit into his starting lineup somewhere, wrestling coaches across the nation are dealing with changes to the weight categories. “They changed the weight classes this year and it’s thrown me off a little bit,” Kincade admitted. The weight classes remained the same up to 138 pounds with the changes occurring in the middle and upper weight categories based on national research, according to the coach.
“They also added four weights for the girls to make them even [with the boys]. The girls only had 10 weights, but they now have 14 weight classes. We’ve got ten girls [wrestling] now, from grades 9-12, so that’s pretty neat,” said the coach. “Everything is going up exponentially all across the state. It’s exploding. More and more schools are adding wrestling and there’s a lot more youth clubs. It’s definitely growing.
“[The future] definitely looks bright,” he continued. “We may give up a couple [spots] in the lower weight classes because at 113 and 120 pounds I just don’t have [anyone]. I don’t have those little guys this year, but next year I will,” referring to his youth wrestlers in grades seven and eight who will be moving up next season.
As for his junior class, “It’s headed up Jarod Pace (120-126 pounds) and Jackson Witherington (126-132),” said the coach. “They’ve been with me since they were about 10 years old, so they are a great addition to our lineup and they’re going to help us tremendously.” The other male junior wrestlers include Tanner Fouch, Mason Meier, Landon Nelms, Eli Whitaker, and Bryce Williams.
Jonathan Martinez is a sophomore who will wrestle at 106 or possibly 113 pounds, along with classmate Parker Branton, who brings years of experience in Coach K’s youth program. Pablo Ambriz is another tenth-grader who will wrestle at around 145 pounds. Other sophomores who will compete for varsity mat time include Talen Denham, Keagan Dust, Jeremy Johnson, Landon Rofkahr, Rhett Williams, and Kevin Yang.
Despite losing three-time state champion heavyweight Tyler Crossno to graduation, Coach K is still well stocked in the upper weight divisions. “We will have competition in the upper weights, but I have the luxury of having two good heavyweights that are freshmen,” he said, referring to Cody Taylor and Sam Hicks, both offensive linemen on the gridiron. Hicks was promoted at the end of the ninth grade season to join Taylor on the varsity squad.
Also contributing will be Bryce Williams and his younger brother Rhett, who also runs cross country, along with Landon Nelms and Eli Whitaker, both good athletes coming out after football. “We’re going to have some pretty good depth,” said the coach. “We’ve got some kids that have been working hard. It’s just going to depend on how fast we can grow up and where we’re at [come] the end of the year.”
The coach also mentioned another significant change for this season. “We’re going to have a regional qualifier this year,” he revealed. “We’ll have to qualify for regionals before we can go to the state tournament. Now we’re going to have a north and south qualifier and we’ll have to finish in the top four in our region before going to the state. So in the state tournament there will be only eight wrestlers in each weight class, and I’m excited about that.”
Obviously, the coach is confident his team can make the cut, but he did admit some of the top teams in the state reside in the same region as Greenwood. Teams like defending state champ Van Buren, Searcy, Mountain Home, and Russellville. The south region will likely be dominated by Lake Hamilton, a team Coach K sees as the favorite to win the 5A state title, along with Van Buren. “As a whole, we’ve got the tougher regional,” he added.”
The GHS coach is also very pleased with the development of his girls’ wrestling program. “I took four girls to wrestle at Rogers last weekend (Nov. 5th) and all four of them placed,” said the coach, referring to juniors Jorja Betts and Mary Skacel, and sophomores Kaylea Brooks and Sadie Marshall. “We had two third placers and two first placers [Bettts, Skacel] in that tournament.”
Another Lady Bulldog with a lot of potential is Farrah Crossno, the younger sister of Tyler Crossno. A freshman, Farrah was a kicker for the ninth grade football team and has been a part of Coach K’s youth wrestling program for years with a lot of experience wrestling the opposite sex. “She’s going to give people fits this year,” said the coach.
Another promising female wrestler is junior Charity Rogers. “She’s lost a ton of weight since last year – like 90 pounds – she was dedicated to work out and watch her diet. I’m hoping to fill eight to nine weight classes this year for the girls,” said the coach, while also acknowledging the challenge of recruiting young ladies interested in wrestling while also competing with volleyball, basketball, and softball for a limited number of female student-athletes.
“We’re not looking to steal anybody from those programs,” said Kincade. “We’re wanting to find girls who aren’t doing anything [sports wise] and get them involved [in wrestling]. The scholarship money for girls is growing across the country. Carl Albert [Poteau, OK] has a girls’ team. The University of the Ozarks has a girls’ team. Williams Baptist has a team. It’s an opportunity to help girls go to [college]. My goal is to build up the girls’ program here. Our girls do the exact same workouts as our boys. They get after it and I’m proud of them.” Other Lady Bulldogs not previously mentioned include sophomore Lanie Atkinson, freshman Jadynn Reames, and junior Elaina Stewart.
In summary, Coach K said, “I’m excited about this year. We’ve got younger kids and we’re going to have to coach a little bit more. We’re going to have to coach’em up this year. It will be a growing year. It’s kind of like a gap year. I’ve got some seventh and eighth graders who are three-sport athletes and they get after it. They’ve been wrestling for years, and they know what it takes, and I’m excited about those kids coming up.
“We’re going to wrestle a tough schedule before Christmas like we always do, and we’re going to get beat up. We’re going to wrestle some good teams and we’re going to have to fight,” said the coach. “But we’ll find out where we’re at. But if last weekend was any indication, without having my football players out, the guys that went to Rogers, I was very pleased. They didn’t cower down and I was very proud of them.”
After Tuesday’s official opener at Rogers-Heritage, the Lady Bulldogs will compete in a tournament at Van Buren on Friday while the GHS boys travel to Van Buren on Saturday. The following Tuesday (Dec. 13th) both GHS teams will compete at Bentonville. Coach K is assisted by registered volunteer Robert Moore, Caleb and Ashley Erskine, and assistant coach Hunter Moreton, who replaced his older brother, Austin, on the staff this year.