Long stays cool, wins 195 match

Cabot senior C.J. Long wasn't going to back down in the high school state wrestling tournament Saturday at the Jack Stephens Center in Little Rock. Near the end of the second round of the 195-pound championship match, Long took down Springdale Har-Ber's Logan Collins for two points to go ahead 6-4. But Collins was not pleased with the move, shoving Long as both wrestlers had to be separated. "He finished second last year, so he didn't want to finish second again," Long said of Collins who lost last year's 195-pound match to Greenwood's Austin Collins. Long was restrained by Cabot Coach Justin Turner, who told him to settle down. He heeded his coach's instructions. "I told him if you really want to be the tough guy here, win the match," Turner said. "You'll be a state champion forever or you'll be a clown forever." With one second remaining in the third and final round, Long escaped Collins to earn a 7-6 decision to win his first Class 6A-7A title. "I did everything I could to get away from him," Long said. "We were just going at it." Long was proud to win a state championship for Cabot, where he moved in 2012 from Gresham, Ore. "The people have supported me ever since I came here," Long said. Nice showing Mountain View freshman Irelan Powell was the last female standing in the state high school wrestling tournament. Powell faced Beebe junior Dylan Winspear in the third-place match Saturday, but was pinned in 45 seconds to finish fourth. Of the seven females entered in this year's tournament, Powell was the only one who placed. Joe T. Robinson sophomore Riley Holman, who finished sixth as a freshman in 2017, lost in this year's consolation round. Powell became the highest-placing female wrestler in the state tournament since Beebe's Destiny Nunez won the 1A-5A 106-pound title in 2015. Coach's honor Greenbrier Coach Jayson Howard is this year's Arkansas chapter inductee into the National Wrestling Hall of Fame. Howard has been the Panthers' coach since 2012. He led the Faulkner County school to consecutive Class 1A-5A state championships in 2016 and 2017. Before arriving at Greenbrier, Howard was an assistant coach at Conway. Howard will be honored at the Hall of Fame banquet in June in Stillwater, Okla. Getting in on the act The Arkansas state high school wrestling tournament Friday and Saturday featured two of the sport's top public address announcers. A.L. Haslip and Sandy Stevens, who have both called the NCAA Division I wrestling championships, were the featured announcers for this year's state tournament. Haslip is the action announcer for Oklahoma State University and the Big 12 Conference wrestling championships. In addition to calling the Division I wrestling championships, Stevens has been an on-site announcer for the Olympic Games and the national high school folkstyle, freestyle and Greco-Roman championships. Stevens called the Class 6A-7A action, while Haslip was in charge of Class 1A-5A. Best of the best Maumelle's Jakob Beene (106-132 pounds), Pulaski Academy's Dregan Smith (138-170 pounds) and Pulaski Academy's James Noel (182-285 pounds) were honored as the top wrestlers in Class 1A-5A. In Class 6A-7A, Bentonville West's Stephen Fox (106-132 pounds), Rogers' Jake Turner (138-170 pounds) and Fayetteville's Matthew Muller (182-285 pounds) were honored as the top wrestlers. Pulaski Academy's Bruce Dickey (Class 1A-5A) and Bentonville's Aaron Wise (Class 6A-7A) were the top coaches.

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LONG STAYS COOL, WINS 195 MATCH

JEREMY MUCK

Arkansas Online | 2/18/2018

PHOTO CREDIT: Mitchell PE Masilun