Bobcats send 4 wrestlers to state tournament

Four Berryville High School wrestlers will compete in this weekend’s Class 4A state championships in Little Rock after qualifying at last weekend’s 4A North Regional in Springdale.

“It was kind of a tough day for us, overall,” Berryville coach Ryan Whetham said. “We had a good feeling we were going to get a few in state but not all of them.”

Seniors Jarrett Mann and Tun Oo and sophomores Justin Allen and David Moreno will represent the Bobcats at the state tournament.

Allen won the 132-pound weight class at the regional, winning both his matches by pin.

“He had a tough opponent right off the bat, which was good for him,” Whetham said. “He wrestled really well.”

Oo took third place at 190 pounds, bouncing back after a semifinal loss to win his next two matches.

“He made a mistake in his first match,” Whetham said. “He went out there too gung-ho and got himself on his back and got pinned. … We know he can beat that kid. We’ll see him again in the semifinals of the state tournament.”

Moreno finished third at 285 pounds. He won three of his four matches, two by pin.

“David busted his tail end,” Whetham said. “He was pretty exhausted afterward.”

Mann, who had wrestled at 157 pounds most of the season, moved up to 165 and placed fourth. He won four of his six matches, three by fall.

“We felt like 165, with less opponents, was going to better for him than 157 where he’d been wrestling all year,” Whetham said. “It paid off. He looked really good.”

Whetham said he was especially glad to see Oo and Mann advance to the state tournament as seniors.

“I’m super excited for Tun and Jarrett,” he said. “They’ve put their heart and soul into it this year. And Tun Oo, all year long, he was going to be a state champ. He’s just got to go do it now. He knows he can do it.”

Oo finished third in the state tournament at 170 pounds as a sophomore in 2021. Allen was third at 132 pounds last season as a freshman.