When senior Dylan Collins was lifted onto his teammates’ shoulders after winning first place his sophomore year in the Gentry tournament, he felt success rising within. He wanted more.
Collins weighed in at 93 pounds, and since then he has become better, faster, and stronger. Now at 112 pounds, at the peak of Collins’ senior season, he stands at 45-6 and undefeated in Arkansas.
Meeting weight is not as simple as you would think. Time in the sauna, running on the treadmill, and working out sometimes twice a day has kept him trim with 5.7 percent body fat. In order to wrestle, Collins has had to get a doctor’s note stating that he’s healthy enough to compete.
“ I don’t eat carbs like bread or pasta, no sugars, no sodium because it hangs onto water. So when I run, I can sweat all of the water out,” said Collins.
His efforts to maintain his wrestling weight comes at a price. His mother no longer purchases cookies or his favorite ice cream. Bunny Tracks ice cream and chocolate chip cookies are his nemesis.
“My mom stopped buying them because I eat them whenever they are around,” he said.
Collins has now been wrestling for three years, and his view of the sport has changed.
“I’ve become obsessed,” he said. “At first I was just doing it to be apart of something. Once I won my first tournament, I started hitting the gym everyday.”
With a work ethic that few can match, Collins has a hit list to remind him of who he’s chasing and what he’s been wanting all this time: a state title.
“It’s always been a dream of mine. When I’m working out and I get tired, I think of my hit list and I think how hard they’re working, I try to out work them all,” said Collins.
James Chambers, the defending state champion from North Little Rock, is the man on Collins’ hit list. Collins beat him at the Central Arkansas Catholic Tournament in January and plans on beating him again at state.
Even though Collins is quite small, he uses his size as an advantage. It also serves to boost his confidence and to provide opportunity to critique his technique.
“This year I’ve gotten stronger so when I hit a move, it combines technique and muscle so I’m more successful,” said Collins. “I’ve never relied on strength alone to overpower my opponent.”
Har-Ber hosted the 7A West Conference Wrestling Tournament Feb. 4 and finished in second place behind Bentonville.
Senior 182-pound wrestler Ryan Harrison won first in his weight class at conference.
“It felt really good considering I got fourth last year,” he said.
Many wrestlers were disappointed with receiving second place in this tournament.
“Getting second was very disappointing because we are way better than last year, so we expected first,” said senior Ty Kirkland, who wrestles in the 152 pound weight class. “I wrestled poorly at conference. I mean I got first, but I did just enough to win.”
With a second-place finish in the conference, the wrestlers have their eyes on the state championship trophy. State will be held Feb 10-11 at the University of Arkansas Little Rock.
“Even if I don’t get first, I know my team will. All we have to do is wrestle as hard as we have been in clutch situations,” said Harrison.
