Now in its fifth season of existence under Head Coach John Kincade, the GHS wrestling program continues to thrive, and now that the holidays are over, the Bulldogs can go full speed ahead in their pursuit of a state title, to be determined in February.
In fact, several wrestlers have already distinguished themselves just four meets into the season. Freshman Colton Tuck, competing in the 120-pound class, is 21-4 so far this season. Sophomore Dylan Wilson (138 lbs.) is 14-2, while senior Carson O'Neal sports an identical record at 152 pounds.
Sophomore Isaac Johnson (160 lbs.) is 16-5 overall and senior Austin Collins (220 lbs.) is 7-4. Greenwood's best competitor based on winning percentage is heavyweight Jon Womack (285 lbs.) with a record of 15-1. Womack, a junior, also plays nose guard for the football team.
The Bulldogs participated in two tournaments sandwiched around the Christmas holiday. They were at Poteau, Oklahoma for a two-day event on December 16-17, then returned to the Sooner state for the Vian Duals held in Tahlequah (OK) on December 29-30.
Poteau Tournament
Greenwood placed second overall behind Poteau, scoring 222 points to 241 for the host Pirates. Ten teams took part in the tournament, including five Class 7A schools from Arkansas.
Individual weight classes and results were as follows: heavyweight Jon Womack (285) and Dylan Wilson (138) both earned first place honors; Austin Collins (220), fellow senior Drew Dundee (195), Carson O'Neal (152), and Sammy Johnson (132) all finished second in their matches; Matthew Smith (106), Colton Tuck (165), Braxton Horne (145), and Isaac Johnson (160) all placed third.
Vian Duals
At the end of the month Greenwood competed against Fort Smith Northside, Van Buren, five Oklahoma schools, and one mystery team in a two-day meet at Tahlequah.
Individual results were not available, but as a team the Bulldogs won five of its eight matches. Greenwood defeated Van Buren (66-12) and Northside (57-22) handily, and also won big (64-12) over the junior varsity squad from Bixby, OK.
The 'Dogs also topped a combined team from Tahlequah and Sequoyah (42-30), but lost to Vian, OK by a score of 48-27. Greenwood easily defeated a mystery team put together from various tournament participants, 64-12, but lost (53-21) to Wagoner, OK and again to Poteau (63-13).
Schedule
Next Tuesday, January 10th, Greenwood will compete at Russellville against the Cyclones and Pulaski Academy starting at 5 p.m. Two days later they will travel to Van Buren to battle the Pointers and the Fayetteville Purple Dogs.
Coach Kincade is also holding a youth wrestling tournament on Saturday, January 21st. The event is called the Bulldog Brawl and is co-sponsored by the GHS wrestling booster club.
The event is open to any youngster interested in competing, regardless of skill level or weight class. There will be multiple divisions of competition to accommodate all participants. No high school wrestlers will be allowed to compete.
For information about the event, call 225-572-1087 or send an email to: Markmoose@ymail.com. The cost of the tournament is $17 per wrestler and is non-refundable. The admission price to attend the event is $5 for adults and $2 for students. Concessions will be available.