GHS wrestling coach John Kincade doubles as a junior high assistant football coach and understands that football in Greenwood almost always means a deep run in the playoffs for the varsity Bulldogs, who have reached the state finals four consecutive years.
After their season ends, the junior high coaches provide additional support to the varsity. But that also means a slow start for Kincade’s wrestling program, which has blossomed since its inception just seven years ago. Many of his top wrestlers also compete in football and aren’t available until December.
But now that his full complement of athletes have arrived, the Bulldogs’ head coach is excited about the prospects for this season and beyond.
“Currently we have 16 Freshmen, eight sophomores, six Juniors, and four seniors,” said Kincade. “We are 6-0 in dual [meets], defeating Rogers, Rogers Heritage, Little Rock Central, Bryant, Ft. Smith Northside, and Fayetteville,” he added.
“Our current starters consist of five freshmen, three sophomores, five juniors, and one senior, so the future looks bright,” he explained.
“We have a tough schedule finishing up this year with a dual with Bentonville and Bentonville West, a tournament at Fayetteville this weekend, and going to Jenks, Oklahoma, January 4th and 5th.
“I believe strong scheduling will help us down the road in the new 5A division that we will wrestle in at state, compared to the largest classification we’ve been wrestling in since 2012,” said Kincade.
Greenwood competed at Poteau, Oklahoma last weekend and traveled to Bentonville this past Tuesday. They will wrestle at Fayetteville this coming weekend before the Christmas holiday, then compete at Jenks to start the new year.