Junior Tanner Collins bends down and straps a green band around his ankle. He steps his foot on the line and squats into his wrestling stance. His hand jolts out for a quick handshake with his opponent, and the whistle blows.
Fourteen wrestlers from Har-Ber trekked down to the Jack Stephens center in Little Rock to compete in the 6th annual Arkansas state-wrestling tournament and ten out of the fourteen wrestlers came out with a medal. The victories of all the wrestlers combined enough points that allowed them to come home with third place overall. The team came up short to Bentonville High School and Little Rock Catholic.
Wrestlers are seated first, second, third and so on according to how they place at conference. Once they’ve arrived at state wrestlers are separated into brackets according to their weight. When a wrestler wins a match they are awarded points toward their teams overall score.
The number of points the team receive all depends on the way the wrestler comes out victorious. For example, a pin fall would result in six points being awarded, and a tech fall (wrestler being ahead by fifteen points) is worth five points. However the further in the tournament that you get, the more points you are awarded
Senior Cristian Arredondo placed third in his bracket at the tournament. Arredondo wrestles the weight 120 pounds. Arredondo placed fifth in the tournament last year, and 2 places up from that this year, but claims that he would’ve done better, if the refs would have had a closer watch on the match.
“I feel like the refs robbed me in my semi-finals match costing me to not make it in the finals and overall win the tournament, so you could say I’m pissed,” said Arredondo.
Junior Tanner Collins was optimistic about his placing at state. Collins has been wrestling since his ninth grade year, and this year was his first time to place at state.
“This being my first time placing just goes to show that my hard work is paying off. It shows that the hard work isn’t for nothing. It really makes me want to keep doing it ” said Collins.
Being a wrestler who places at state not only comes with the medal and the bragging rights, but also with great athletic and educational opportunities. Scouts come to state tournaments to watch the placers wrestle, and evaluate whom they would like to offer scholarships to. Being in the top six at state substantially increases your chances of receiving more offers from colleges to wrestle for them.
Arredondo talks about how he wrestles with the decision about whether or not he wants to wrestle in college. He has already received offers from two colleges.
“I have offers from Lyons, and Williams Baptist right now, and wrestling in college is an option but I’m not sure if I want to do that yet,” said Arredondo.
Collins speak on how being a junior wrestler who places at state increases his chances even more of receiving offers. He has not received any offers yet, but only being a junior that is to be expected.
“I think my chances are better now, because a lot of scouts look at junior state placers, and then return their senior year to take note of their improvement,” said Collins.
Overall, Har-Ber ended up taking third in the tournament as a team. Fourteen wrestlers made the journey down to Little Rock and ten came back with medals around their neck