The last time we checked in on the GHS wrestling teams was before the holidays. But now the 2025-26 high school wrestling season has ended for the Bulldogs and Lady Bulldogs. Head Coach John Kincade, assistant coach Hunter Moreton, and their expanded staff of volunteers, along with a hard-working group of varsity mat warriors have labored since December to learn if their efforts were good enough to pay off in the regional and state tournaments starting January 31st for the girls and culminating in the first two weeks of February for both the girls and boys.
The answer to that question is a resounding yes! Several GHS wrestlers qualified in the regionals to participate in the state tournament, and several of those athletes earned high honors at the annual state tournament held at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock, one of the top collegiate wrestling schools in the nation. The cherry on top was Lady Bulldog Farah Crossno winning her third state championship in the last four years.
The end of the season also hit a speed bump with the winter storm that dumped up to a foot or more of ice and snow across the state in late January. Classes at Greenwood were closed for the entire last week of the month, but most of the high school sports teams in Arkansas were able to navigate the potential interruption to their schedules to stay on course, and the GHS wrestling teams were among them.
Diamond State Duals, Springdale, AR
One of the early 2026 highlights, the GHS boys finished fourth in the annual Diamond State Duals held at Springdale the first week of January. The Bulldogs competed against seven opponents and finished behind first-place Salina, OK, second-place Seneca, MO, and third-place Springdale Har-Ber, which was Greenwood’s first opponent. They also competed against Lakeside High School, Salina, OK, Pulaski Academy, Ft. Smith Northside, Seneca, MO, and Niceville, FL.
The Bulldogs were beaten by the Har-Ber Wildcats, 46-30, then defeated Lakeside, 45-36. In their third round match the Bulldogs were dominated by Salina, OK, 71-6, before rebounding to defeat Pulaski Academy, 54-30. Greenwood also defeated Ft. Smith Northside, 69-10. Finally, the Bulldogs fell to Seneca, MO, 67-12, before beating Niceville, FL, 54-24.
The Lady Bulldogs also competed, finishing with 145 points for eighth place overall. In the 170-pound weight category, Afton Bridges had Greenwood’s best performance, winning all six of her matches by fall to earn first place honors. At 100 pounds, Addibell Holloway won two of her eight matches. Also at 100 pounds, reigning Arkansas state champion Farah Crossno won five of her seven matches for second place. At 115 pounds, Isabella Thomas won three of her five matches for third place. At 190 pounds, Brianne Mancini won four of her six matches to finish in third place.
Other tournaments
There were other regular season varsity tournaments along the way, including three scheduled events at Greenwood against Poteau (OK), Mena, Paris, and Fort Smith Southside. The Bulldogs and Lady Bulldogs also competed at Greenbrier against the host Panthers, Van Buren, and Vilonia, and in tournaments at Sand Springs, OK, and at Van Buren against the host Pointers and Russellville. The annual Dual State tournament had to be rescheduled due to the snowstorm but was eventually held in Russellville on the last day of January. Results were not readily available.
Then came the regional tournaments the first week of February with the girls on the 4th at Van Buren and the boys on the 7th at Searcy. Coach Kincade offered the following comment about the GHS wrestlers who performed well at regionals, earning the right to move on to the state tournament: “I want to congratulate the following wrestlers (boys) who placed at the regional tournament in Searcy and have qualified for the state tournament next weekend at UALR in Little Rock.”
Among those Bulldogs who placed in the regionals were Ashton Neece (1st @ 132 lbs.), Rhett Holloway (2nd @ 138 lbs.), Logan Gunderson (3rd @ 157 lbs.), Ty Kennedy (2nd @ 106 lbs.), Dylan Friend (3rd @ 126 lbs.), and Brayden Stockton (4th @ 150 lbs.). At the state tournament at UALR the Bulldogs lost four matches in the blood round (the round before placing). But Ashton Neece finished in 4th place at state at 132 pounds while Brayden Stockton finished as state runner-up at 150 pounds. Stockton was also named to the All-State team, an honor bestowed on the top three finishers in each weight category.
Five Lady Bulldogs qualified for state competition, including senior Farah Crossno, first place at 100 pounds, sophomore Addibelle Holloway, third place at 105 pounds, senior Mariah Bartok, third place at 110 pounds, junior Afton Bridges, third place at 170 pounds, senior Brianne Mancini, first place at 190 pounds, and junior Isabella Thomas at 115 pounds, who finished in fifth place and was one match away from placing. “[Senior] Marin Youngblood at 145 pounds had an awesome season but failed to qualify for the state meet,” said Kincade. He added, “I felt like our girls had an incredible year. We only had seven girls on the team. But out of those seven, five qualified for state.”
Those Lady Bulldogs who qualified for state at the regional tournament were headlined by Farah Crossno, who won her third state title at 100 pounds and was named as the outstanding wrestler from 100-120 pounds. She won state championships in her freshmen and junior years, and now again in her senior year. She is a three-time state champion along with her older brother, Tyler, who was also a three-time state champion and earned the outstanding wrestler designation. Farah and Tyler Crossno join the likes of Taylor Compton and Ty Moose who also won a trio of state titles for Greenwood. Afton Bridges and Brianne Mancini finished in third place and made All-State along with Farah Crossno. Lady Bulldogs Addibelle Holloway and Mariah Bartok did not place.
“I felt like we had a successful season,” the coach added. “The girls’ team is going to lose four girls to graduation. But we are looking to fill those weights and add more girls to the roster. We were very young with our boys' team. We only had one senior (Ashton Neece) in the lineup and started five freshmen. So, they look very promising for the future,” said Kincade.