Fayetteville wrestling coach Casper Petty said his girls’ team is happy for another shot at Searcy.
His Lady Purple Bulldogs have come up short twice against Searcy in tournaments earlier this season, but they appear to be on a collision course in today’s Arkansas Dual State Tournament.
Searcy comes in as the top seed, followed by Fayetteville as the two seed in the eight-team event, which is slated to begin at 10 a.m. in Fayetteville’s Bulldog Arena.
This is the second year for the event, which is not sanctioned by the Arkansas Activities Association. Mountain Home defeated Searcy in the finals a year ago in the inaugural tournament. Fayetteville finished third, losing in the semifinals by a point to Searcy.
Petty said his team is anxious to face Searcy again — this time in a head-to-head competition. That’s the difference between the dual format and the format of a bracket tournament. In a dual, the teams square off in each of the 10 weight classes. In the other format, wrestlers from different teams compete in a bracket in each of the weight classes.
Searcy racked up 206 points to win the Conway tournament in early January, while Fayetteville was second with 182. But Petty pointed out his wrestlers won five of the 10 weight classes and defeated Searcy in three finals matchups — the only times wrestlers from the two teams met in the tournament. But Searcy’s overall depth won out.
But Petty said his team, which returns eight of 10 from last year’s lineup, still recalls the one-point loss to Searcy a year ago.
“A bitter taste has been in their mouth for about 365 days now,” Petty said. “They definitely never forgot it. It’s kind of been a team joke that Searcy didn’t realize how we consider them our rivals.
“They may not know it, but we’re coming after them. … it’s definitely a motivator for practice and stuff. We are wrestling really well right now.”
But Searcy is the No. 1 seed for a reason. The Lady Lions have won all six tournaments they have entered this season. They return a state runner-up in McKenzie Clark at 132 pounds, along with three other state medalists in the lineup.
The third AAA-sanctioned state girls wrestling tournament is scheduled for Feb. 17 at the Jack Stephens Center in Little Rock.
At a glance
Arkansas Girls Dual State Wrestling Tournament
Today
WHERE At Bulldog Arena, Fayetteville
High School
EVENTS First Round
No. 1 Searcy vs. No. 8 Fort Smith Northside
No. 2 Fayetteville vs. No. 7 Rogers Heritage
No. 3 Mountain Home vs. No. 6 Rogers High
No. 4 Springdale Har-Ber vs. No. 7 Little Rock Central
WHEN Action begins at 10 a.m. Finals slated for around 2:30 p.m.