Going from humble beginnings to a state championship contender in just five seasons, Lakeside's wrestling program has staked its claim as one of the best in Arkansas.
Senior Judson Spellings gave the Rams another accomplishment on Monday, becoming the first Lakeside wrestler to sign a national letter of intent when he inked a commitment with Ouachita Baptist University.
"This is just a stepping stone," Spellings said. "When I first started wrestling, it was the second year that we had the program, and we were not doing that well at state. We climbed up the ladder, and this year we got second (in Class 1A-5A), and we had four guys in the state championship match.
"It's not going to be just me. I was lucky enough and blessed to be the first, but there's going to be more."
Despite finishing fifth in the 195-pound weight class as a junior and putting himself in position to compete for a state championship as a senior before suffering an injury, wrestling at the next level wasn't a part of Spellings' plans until he made a visit to the campus in Arkadelphia.
"Before I went and took my visit, I had it planned out where I wanted to go to college, and it wasn't OBU," said Spellings. "I took my visit as a chance to just kind of see what it was like and maybe we'll find something that we like. I talked to the assistant coach before, took the visit around the campus and then talked to (head) coach (Kevin) Crutchmer.
"I think when the reality hit me that I have an opportunity to do what I love and get paid to do it at the next level, it just moved me, and I didn't think I could pass that up."
Much like Lakeside, OBU has reached tremendous levels of success in its brief history. Since its birth in 2010, the OBU wrestling program has claimed two top-five finishes in the NCAA Division II National Championships.
Little Rock native Tyler Mann became the eighth OBU wrestler to garner All-American honors this season, reaching the national semifinals in the process.
While the accolades speak for themselves, it was Crutchmer and his coaching staff that drew Spellings to OBU.
"One thing that I've noticed already is that the coach cares about the wrestlers on more than just a wrestling level," Spellings said. "He cares about them in the classroom and in real life; it's not just wrestling to them. To me, it's really crucial to how the program does, and it's why they are so effective."
As the first four-year senior under Lakeside coach H.E. Burchard, Spellings has been through all of the ups and downs during his career.
The senior credited Burchard and assistant coaches Nick Ballard and Tony Bradley with helping him become the wrestler that he is today.
"It's really an honor to get to be coached by them," said Spellings. "One of our assistant coaches is a hall of famer, coach Bradley for his service in Tennessee. Just their combined knowledge has helped me so much.
"They know so much individually and when they put it together, you see different perspectives and different ways to work something. If you take all of that in, there's nothing that beats that."
Having never considered wrestling before his freshman year, Spellings proved a quick learner on the mat, working his way up from a beginner to one of four team captains during his senior campaign.
Spellings said he never put much thought into a collegiate wrestling career until receiving interest from Crutchmer and OBU.
"I think one of the reasons it shocked me so much and made me think about OBU so much is because I didn't think that was me," he said. "I didn't think I would have an opportunity to wrestle at the next level. You see the guys on TV from the Big 12, and they are absolute monsters. I'm not one of those guys.
"On self evaluation, I have worked hard enough, and I feel like I deserve this. I'm really blessed with the opportunity, and I'm just going to go out there and give it all I've got."
Leaving Lakeside as a top-five individual finisher and helping lead the Rams to top-three team finishes as a junior and senior, Spellings already has his sights set on even more with the Tigers.
"Our goals are going to be to come up on the national stage and compete well," Spellings said. "Anything is possible from there. We have a big freshmen class coming in, and I know everybody is excited. We're going to get after it and see what we can do."
Sports on 04/17/2018