When last we checked in with John Kincade’s GHS wrestlers (in December) the Bulldogs’ mat record was a paltry 1-6 after competing shorthanded against mostly Class 6A schools with excellent programs. Of course, the coaching staff and the team were also dealing with the tragic death of senior Garrett Haralson in an auto accident. The remainder of their season has been dedicated to his memory.
But with the arrival of several top wrestlers at the end of football season, the Bulldogs went unbeaten deep into January until losing to conference foe Van Buren on the 27th. The Pointers are only a couple years removed from competing in Class 6A and their wrestling program is on the rise.
“The only match we’ve lost since [early December] was to Van Buren last Thursday night,” said the coach. “As a matter of fact, it’s the first conference match we’ve lost in four years. We’ve had quite a run, but it was bound to happen some time. [Van Buren] has done a great job. They have some good kids and they’ve earned every bit of what they’ve gotten.”
The Bulldogs wrestled this past Tuesday against Sallisaw, Oklahoma, winning handily 47-23. It was their final tuneup before Saturday’s scheduled dual state tournament at Russellville. They will follow up with a final regular season match against Vian, Oklahoma, next Tuesday at the PE gym on the GHS campus before the conference tournament on the 12th.
Last week, as referenced above, the Bulldogs hosted both Russellville and Van Buren in a conference match on the 27th, splitting the two matches. Greenwood bested the Cyclones 45-33, but narrowly lost to the Pointers, 46-36. The same three teams will soon be competing against each other in the postseason.
“It’s going to be a dogfight,” said Kincade of the upcoming postseason, including the dual state tournament this coming Saturday and the 5A state tournament soon after. “[The Pointers] are ranked #1 on our side of the state [and] they are pretty salty. We’re ranked #2 in the West. We’ll wrestle Sylvan Hills first [at duals]. It ought to be pretty good this year. There are basically seven teams that are right there together.”
Road conditions and weather permitting, eight teams will compete at Russellville this weekend, four from the East and four from the West. However, a recent winter storm could force a postponement. But whenever it happens, Coach Kincade’s wrestlers will compete for their fourth straight dual state championship.
Greenwood’s conference consists of nine teams including El Dorado, Greenbrier, Sheridan, Hot Springs Lakeside, Lake Hamilton, Russellville, Van Buren, Hot Springs, and the Bulldogs. “We went 7-1 in our duals,” said Kincade, making Greenwood the league’s two-seed behind Van Buren (8-0).
The Bulldogs have won the dual state title three consecutive years, 2019-2021. Greenwood is also the two-time defending champion in Class 5A. They won last year’s 5A crown by a wide margin, but Coach Kincade expects this season’s tournament results to be much closer.
“We won the state tournament last year by over 120 points. It wasn’t even close,” he said back in December. “No way that will happen this year. It will be a real tight race. The younger kids, depending on how much they grow up and what they can do, will determine which way we go, which is a challenge. We’re always striving to be the best and we don’t change anything up. We want to work hard and get in shape and continue to wrestle on a state championship level. We’re still going to fight for that title.”
One of Kincade’s strategies since starting the GHS program in 2012 has been a concerted effort to fill all 14 weight categories, allowing his wrestlers to score valuable points up and down the lineup in every match, not just depending on his top athletes to win their individual sets. But this season has been an exception, at least until now. Starting this weekend at the dual state tournament the Bulldogs will be at full strength for the first time with a new entry at the 195-pound level.
“I had a sophomore on December 8th look at his descent plan and he weighed 226 pounds. But on February 4th, this Friday, his plan allows him to wrestle at 195 pounds. He’s dropped 30 pounds and that just shows you his heart and dedication. He wanted to be a part [of things] and help us and we didn’t have anybody at 195. So now we’re going to have all 14 weight classes, and that won’t just help us at dual state, that’s going to help us at regular [5A] state too.”
The sophomore in question is Bryce Williams, and Coach Kincade couldn’t be prouder of what the young man has accomplished. “He’s not only a kid getting down to 195 [pounds], he’s a good [wrestler] getting down to 195,” referring to his mat skills. “I can’t say enough about [him]. He makes us really strong now.” Williams is a skilled competitor who had the misfortune of being in the same weight class (220) as two-time state champion and GHS teammate Tyler Crossno.
The senior gridiron and wrestling star is unbeaten this season after dropping some weight at the end of football season and is one of several Bulldogs who will anchor Greenwood’s hopes of repeating as state champs this weekend and beyond. In our interview conducted on the last day of January, Coach Kincade talked about some of his top performers this season, starting with senior Antonio Martinez.
“He’s a 113-pounder,” said the coach, “and his record may not show it - he’s probably 9-6 or something like that - he lost some matches at 120 pounds. But he won a state championship at 113 [as a sophomore] and won third place [last year] at 120. So he’s back for his senior year at 113 and he’s going to be tough to beat. I can’t say enough about him.
“Then we have Hayden Rofkahr, a 138-pounder, is probably going to be seeded #2 at state. For the season his record is probably 20-something-and-three, off the top of my head. Lucas Honkala is also a returning state runner-up who has not been beaten [this season] in his weight class at 182 pounds.
“Tyler Crossno is undefeated at his weight (220). At heavyweight Jeremiah Presson just got beat by a kid from Russellville, and they are [ranked] one-two. All those guys are seniors and they are leading the way, but I’ve got a lot of younger guys who I think have a chance to place at the state tournament, and that’s really going to make a difference. That will help us point-wise.”
Asked about his fledgling girls’ team, Kincade said, “Out of the ten weight classes we’ve got about seven of them filled, and every one of those girls are freshmen and sophomores. I’ve had a couple other girls come in late and some junior high girls that are coming up and already wrestling for us in seventh and eighth grades. They’ve won some matches too.” The girls’ dual state tournament was held last Saturday, won by Searcy, but Greenwood did not qualify to participate.
The boys’ conference tournament will be held on February 12th at Hot Springs Lakeside, with the top finishers moving on to the 5A state tournament February 18-19 at the Jack Stephens Center on the campus of the University of Arkansas at Little Rock. The girls’ tournament will also be held there on the 17th.
“We had a Cinderella year last season, [but] it’s going to be close this year,” said Kincade. The coach further speculated that the top three or four teams could be separated by only a handful of points, a testament to the rapid growth and improved quality of high school wrestling across the state. Arkansas high schools have only participated in the sport since 2009.