After battling a round of widespread sickness last month, the Bulldogs and Lady Bulldogs have persevered with the turn of the calendar, competing well in several January tournaments into early February. Both squads also recently competed in the dual state tournament last weekend and are preparing for their respective regional tournaments the next two weekends. Head Coach John Kincade recently offered the following comments about his wrestlers and their performances this season.
“Our boys won the Will Rogers Tournament in Tulsa on January 18th and the girls took third place. There were 17 teams in that tournament. On January 25th, the boys wrestled at the Paul Post Tournament in Sallisaw and the girls were in Bryant on January 24. Those were very tough tournaments. But when we came back from the Tulsa Tournament, the flu bug hit us pretty hard with both the girls and boys,” revealed the longtime GHS coach.
“This coming Saturday, February 15th, our girls will be wrestling at their regional tournament in Searcy starting at 10 am. We have four girls seeded with Farah Crossno seeded first at 100 pounds. Mariah Bartok is seeded 4th at 115 pounds, Afton Bridges is seeded 2nd at 170 pounds, and Brianne Mancini is seeded 4th at 190 pounds. Others who will be wrestling include Isabella Thomas at 105 pounds, Jocelyn Martinez at 110 pounds, Amanda Adkisson at 120 pounds, and Marin Youngblood at 145 pounds.”
Kincade continued, saying, “The boys will wrestle at their regional tournament at Searcy on Saturday, February 22nd, also starting at 10 am. The top four wrestlers at regionals in girls and boys in each weight class will then qualify for state. The state tournament will be at University of Arkansas Little Rock (UALR) on Friday and Saturday, February 28th and March 1st.
“Junior Farah Crossno has had an impressive season,” the coach added. “She finished first at Henryetta, Oklahoma, second at Springdale Har-Ber, fourth at Cabot, third at the Tulsa Nunnley Memorial, first at the Tulsa Morey Villareal Memorial, and first at Bryant. Farah lost to one in-state girl when she was sick and has since beaten her back. She lost to a Ft. Scott, Kansas girl twice at Cabot, to an Edgerton, Kansas girl, also at Har-Ber, and to a girl from Hereford, Texas in the Tulsa Nunnley Tournament. Her record is 32-5. Sophomore Afton Bridges, 16-14, also placed 4th at state last year. She took fourth at Cassville, Missouri, second at Henryetta, fourth at Har-Ber, first at the Tulsa Nunnley Memorial, and fourth at Bryant.
“On the boys’ side, these guys have a chance to get seeded,” Kincade concluded. “At 113 pounds, freshman Dylan Friend (34-8); at 126 pounds is junior Aston Neece (30-15); at 132 pounds is sophomore Brayden Stockton (23-9), who finished 3rd in state last year; at 138 pounds is sophomore Rhett Holloway (20-15); at 150 pounds is senior Pablo Ambriz (17-12); at 157 pounds is senior Landon Rofkahr (24-14): at 165 pounds is senior Jeremy “Cade” Johnson (30-12), who was 4th at state last year; and at 175 pounds is senior Wyatt Thornsberry (28-12). Other Bulldogs competing are Frankie Yang at 106 pounds, Maddox Adams or Christian Morgan-Webb at 120 pounds, Logan Gunderson or Noah Gilbert at 144 pounds, Keagan Dust or Toumeng Tung at 190 pounds, and Adam Chance at 215 pounds.”
Tournament results
Just before Christmas, the Bulldogs and Lady Bulldogs competed in the “Bring The Hammer” tournament at Cabot, Arkansas. With 186 points the GHS boys finished 18th out of 30 teams, many of them from out-of-state. Thirteen Bulldogs scored in the tournament, led by Wyatt Thornsberry, going 11-1 for the tournament, Brayden Stockton (11-2), Dylan Friend (10-2), Jeremy Johnson (9-4), and Ashton Neece (8-2). Others who scored included Frankie Yang, Maddox Adams, Rhett Holloway, Logan Gunderson, Pablo Ambriz, Landon Rofkahr, Zachary Williams, and Xander McDonald. For the Lady Bulldogs, Farah Crossno and Afton Bridges finished fourth in their weight classes.
Their first outing of the new year was on January 3rd at Springdale Har-Ber, both boys and girls, participating in the Diamond State Duals. In boys wrestling, Har-Ber defeated Greenwood 46-30 in the first round. In round two, the Bulldogs topped Hot Springs Lakeside, 45-36. Tournament winner Salina, OK, defeated Greenwood, 71-6, in round three. The Bulldogs then bounced back in round four to beat Pulaski Academy, 54-30. In round five Seneca, MO, defeated Greenwood, 67-12, before the Bulldogs felled Niceville, FL, in round six, 54-24. In the semifinals, Greenwood lost to Cassville, MO, 41-38. Finally, in the third-place match, Greenwood lost to Shiloh Christian, 59-24.
On the girls’ side of things, the Lady Bulldogs finished eighth overall out of a dozen teams, scoring 82 points. Scoring points for Greenwood were Farah Crossno, who finished 15-3 in the meet, and Mariah Bartok at 10-4 on the day. Afton Bridges went 11-7 and Brianne Mancini finished the day at 8-9. Marin Youngblood also scored for the GHS girls.
The annual Garrett Haralson Youth Tournament at H.B. Stewart Arena was slated for Saturday, January 11th, but a massive winter storm dumped several inches of snow across the region, forced its cancellation. The event brings in hundreds of attendees and participants to Greenwood every year, but due to scheduling conflicts, it was held this year on Super Bowl Sunday, February 9th, and Coach Kincade’s youth team won the event. Creating interest and developing young talent is a key part of Coach Kincade’s program and has proven to be one of the most successful components of the top wrestling programs in the state and around the country.
Returning to the regular season schedule in January, the two GHS squads hosted the reigning state champion Van Buren Pointers on the 16th. Still the team to beat in 2024-25, the Pointers won the match, 50-24. But six GHS wrestlers won their matches, including Dylan Friend, Brayden Stocketon, Landon Rofkahr, Jeremy Johnson, and Wyatt Thornsberry. Unable to fill all the weight classes, the Lady Bulldogs lost to Van Buren, 42-18. Jocelyn Martinez (110 pounds), Mariah Bartok (115), and Brianne Mancini (190) won their matches for Greenwood.
On the 18th the Bulldogs traveled to Tulsa for the Will Rogers tournament, with the GHS boys finishing first and the GHS ladies placing third. “We did have a good showing,” said Coach Kincade. “Our girls finished third in the team [competition].” Farah Crossno finished first and Mariah Bartok also placed first. Jocelyn Martinez finished second in her weight class while Isabella Thomas was third, Afton Bridges fourth, and Brianne Mancini fourth.
“The boys finished first [among] 17 teams from around the Tulsa area,” said their coach. Frankie Yang was second at 106 pounds while Dylan Friend placed first at 113 pounds. Ashton Neece finished second at 126 pounds, Brayden Stockton was also second at 32 pounds, Logan Gunderson finished second at 144 pounds, and Pablo Ambriz was first at 150 pounds. Landon Rofkahr placed first at 157 pounds, Jeremy Johnson was first at 165 pounds, and Wyatt Thornsberry placed first at 175 pounds.
On January 21st the two Greenwood squads competed against Greenbrier and Beebe held at Greenbrier High School, and the GHS boys won both of their matches in the triangular tournament. The Bulldogs defeated the host Panthers, 51-27, and topped the Beebe Badgers, 42-36. The Lady Bulldogs lost to Beebe, 42-30, but defeated the Greenbrier girls, 34-12.
Against Greenbrier, the Bulldogs got victories from Dylan Friend, Ashton Neece, Aiden White, Logan Gunderson, Pablo Ambriz, Landon Rofkahr, Jeremy Johnson, Toumeng Tung, and Keagan Dust. GHS winners against Beebe included, Friend, Neece, Ambriz, Rofkahr, Johnson, Landon Ward, Logan Kehler, and Frankie Yang. Against Beebe the GHS ladies got wins from Farah Crossno, Isabella Thomas, Isabelle Martinez, Mariah Bartok, Amanda Adkisson, and Afton Bridges. Individual results against Greenbrier were not available for the GHS ladies.
On January 23rd the Bulldogs hosted the Conway Wampus Cats for Greenwood’s senior night, with several GHS seniors honored before the matches began. When wrestling commenced, the GHS boys more than held their own against their 6A opponents, winning the scoring battle, 44-30. Eight Bulldogs celebrated in the winner’s circle, including Frankie Yang, Dylan Friend, Jonathan Martinez, Ashton Neece, Landon Ward, Rhett Holloway, Landon Rofkahr, and Jeremy Johnson.
Also against Conway, the Lady Bulldogs were very competitive despite losing the overall scoring battle, 48-36. Winning wrestlers for the Greenwood girls included Farah Crossno (100 pounds), Jocelyn Martinez (110), Isabella Thomas (115), Mariah Bartok (120), Kaylea Brooks (155), and Afton Bridges (170).
The next day a weakened Bulldogs squad traveled to Sallisaw, Oklahoma for the 64th annual Paul Post tournament (boys only) featuring dozens of teams from several states. Despite not placing among the top finishers in any weight class, Landon Rofkahr won three of his four matches to finish 15th overall at 157 pounds. At 175 pounds, Greenwood’s Wyatt Thornsberry won half of his six matches. Freshman Dylan Friend won four of his six matches to finish seventh overall at 113 pounds. Maddox Adams won three of his seven matches to finish 13th at 120 pounds. At 126 pounds, Ashton Neece won three of his six matches. At 138 pounds, Rhett Holloway won three of his seven matches, while Logan Gunderson defeated four of his seven foes to claim 11th place overall at 144 pounds.
“We definitely had a rough time at the Paul Post Tournament,” said Coach Kincade of the tournament at Sallisaw. “We brought the flu back with us [from Tulsa]. Out of 14 weight classes, I took 10 [wrestlers] on the first day of the tournament and took eight the second day. We didn't have anyone place in the tournament. But if the flu was going to hit us, it picked a good time. We are [now] trying to get healed up and get ready for the boys' regionals.”
With his athletes continuing their recovery, Coach Kincade and the Bulldogs returned to Sallisaw, Oklahoma on January 28th to face the Black Diamonds, and the results heavily favored the home team. Sallisaw overwhelmingly won the scoring battle, 60-17. The few winners for Greenwood included Brayden Stockton at 132 pounds, Logan Gunderson at 144 pounds, and Jeremy Johnson at 157 pounds. Among the GHS ladies, Farah Crossno won her match as did Afton Bridges, accounting for all of Greenwood’s points. The Sallisaw girls won the match, 72-12.
Greenwood’s final scheduled meet of the regular season at Poteau, Oklahoma on January 30th was cancelled, giving the Bulldogs and Lady Bulldogs several days to rest, practice, and continue to get healthy before the dual state tournament on February 8th at Van Buren. The GHS boys were matched against the Beebe Badgers, and each school won seven of the 14 matches. But the Badgers recorded more falls than the Bulldogs, earning more points to take the match, 40-32. GHS winners included Frankie Yang, Dylan Friend, Ashton Neece, Pablo Ambriz, Landon Rofkahr, Jeremy Johnson, and Toumeng Tung.
The Searcy Lions were also on the GHS dance card and the Bulldogs pulled out a 45-23 victory, winning eight of the 14 individual matches. Scoring wins for Greenwood were Keagan Dust at both 190 and 215 pounds, Dylan Friend, Ashton Neece, Brayden Stockton, Logan Gunderson, Pablo Ambriz, Landon Rofkahr, and Jeremy Johnson. The Bulldogs also wrestled the defending 5A state champions, with Van Buren winning handily, 63-12. Dylan Friend and Rhett Holloway were the only Bulldogs to win their matches.
The Lady Bulldogs also competed in the dual state tournament, losing to the Lady Lions of Searcy, 63-18. Bright spots for the GHS ladies included wins by Farah Crossno at 100 pounds, Afton Bridges at 170 pounds, and Brianne Mancini at 190 pounds. Other Greenwood wrestlers included Isabella Thomas, Jocelyn Martinez, Amanda Adkisson, and Marin Youngblood. The GHS girls were also matched against the Lady Cyclones of Russellville, but no scores were available for those matches.
“We have been wrestling strong with our girls and boys,” offered their coach. “I thought at dual state our girls wrestled really well against #1 Searcy. We wrestled them in seven matches and won three. Searcy had a girl in all 14 weight classes. We usually have eight out of the 14 classes. But for each weight class you forfeit, because you don't have anyone in that class, and the other team does, that’s six points for them. So before we [even] started against Searcy, we were down 42-0. We are really trying to work on our numbers,” admitted the coach, now in his 13th season at the helm of the GHS wrestling program.