BENTONVILLE, Arkansas - Greg Hatcher and Don Schuler had a vision of bringing wrestling to Arkansas high schools. These two leaders, who had a background in wrestling from other states, wanted to bring their sport to the youth of Arkansas, which does not sponsor wrestling on the high school level. On Saturday, March 17th, upon the completion of the inaugural high school state tournament, Hatcher and Schuler knew that their vision had come to fruition. Hatcher, an insurance agent in Little Rock, vowed to donate mats to the first 20 high schools to add a wrestling team. Because of his donations and work, 19 schools were able to field a wrestling team this season. "Because of the work of Greg Hatcher and Don Schuler, and many others in the state of Arkansas, high school wrestlers from around the state were able to compete in their own state high school tournament," said Tony Black of USA Wrestling. "The development of amateur wrestling programs is a primary focus of USA Wrestling. Working with Greg, Don, and others in Arkansas is fulfilling a key mission of USA Wrestling and the goals of several individuals in Arkansas. USA Wrestling is hopeful that the success of this inaugural wrestling season and state tournament will allow for the sport to become officially sanctioned by the Arkansas Athletic Association by next season," he said. In 2007, USA Wrestling membership in Arkansas has nearly tripled, with new clubs and high school teams joining the family. The new state tournament should help fuel continued growth for wrestling in the state. Sixteen teams competed at the state championships, with host school Bentonville claiming the team title. Crowning seven individuals champions allowed the Tigers to run away with the team championship. Runner-up Fayetteville crowned five champions, with Little Rock Catholic and Little Rock Central each crowing one champion. Sean Sullivan, one of Bentonville's seven champions, claimed Arkansas' first high school state title with his pin in the finals at 103 pounds. Another Bentonville wrestler, Blake McCollum, was involved the most exciting match of the finals against Springdale's Tyler Edwards. Their match at 160 pounds came down to the final seconds. Though Edwards led early in the match, McCollum was able to come back for the 10-9 victory. The 2007 Arkansas State Wrestling Championship was hosted by Bentonville High School. Former University of Arkansas Razorback football star, Tony Cherico, served as the tournament director and Bentonville Athletic Director Lauren West made sure it was a first class event for wrestlers, spectators, and visitors. The next big date on the calendar for wrestlers and fans in Arkansas is June 6th, when the AWA goes before the Arkansas Athletic Association in an attempt to have wrestling sanctioned as an official high school sport in Arkansas. Arkansas is one of two states to not have high school wrestling be an officially sanctioned sport, and with the recent development of high school wrestling in Mississippi, it appears as though all 50 states may soon have high school wrestling. For more information on Arkansas wrestling, go to: www.arkwrestling.com 2006 ARKANSAS HIGH SCHOOL STATE CHAMPIONSHIPS TEAM STANDINGS 1. Bentonville 298.5 2. Fayetteville 193.5 3. Little Rock Catholic 146.5 4. Mountain Home 119 5. Springdale 87 6. Russellville 83.5 7. Pulaski Academy 79 8. Little Rock Central 65 9. Des Arc 59 10. Bismarck 58 11. Springdale Har-Ber 51 12. Arkansas School for the Blind 37 13. Central Arkansas Christian 34 13. Barton 34 15. Little Rock Hall 27 16. Gentry 14 INDIVIDUAL RESULTS 103 1st - Sean Sullivan, Bentonville 2nd - Nolan Moyer, Fayetteville 3rd - Antonio Guerrero, Springdale Har-Ber 112 1st - Josh Segovia, Little Rock Catholic 2nd - Lucas Frazee, Russellville 3rd - Jeremy Pilcher, Bismarck 119 1st - Brandon McCuien, Little Rock Central 2nd - Adrian Hubbard, Mountain Home 3rd - Devin Johnson, Bentonville 125 1st - Cappy Leaf, Fayetteville 2nd - Adam Irons, Bentonville 3rd - Steven Gorgas, Little Rock Catholic 130 1st - Markies Eubanks, Fayetteville 2nd - Kile Coatney, Bentonville 3rd - Josh Koenen, Mountain Home 135 1st - Andre Knox, Fayetteville 2nd - Colton Steele, Bentonville 3rd - Jimmy Corder, Gentry 140 1st - Mark Canoy, Fayetteville 2nd - Bruce Bauer, Bentonville 3rd - Nick Holloway, Des Arc 145 1st - Michael Gordon, Fayetteville 2nd - Mario Ramos, Bentonville 3rd - Allen Reed, Little Rock Catholic 152 1st - Cody Conklin, Bentonville 2nd - Odell Lee, Arkansas School for the Blind 3rd - Chris Rabe, Springdale Har-Ber 160 1st - Blake McCollum, Bentonville 2nd - Tyler Edwards, Springdale 3rd - Aaron Butler, Little Rock Central 171 1st - Torrey Garrison, Bentonville 2nd - William Hughes, Russellville 3rd - John Bautista, Springdale 189 1st - Zeid Khalaf, Bentonville 2nd - Nick Rynders, Central Arkansas Christian 3rd - Cody Loftis, Mountain Home 215 1st - Nick Stewart, Bentonville 2nd - Tyler Lawrence, Pulaski Academy 3rd - Kareem Matthews, Barton 275 1st - Josh Anderson, Bentonville 2nd - Kelvin Walker, Des Arc 3rd - Coty Cox, Mountain Home