Shutout: Tascosa's Angel Diaz, top, builds a 14-0 lead before pinning
Austin LBJ's Raquel Woodruff during a 110-pound girls quarterfinal match
Friday at the state wrestling tournament.
News Page
Randall boys, Caprock girls star at state meet
|
Shutout: Tascosa's Angel Diaz, top, builds a 14-0 lead before pinning |
AUSTIN - After Friday's first two rounds of the University
Interscholastic League state wrestling tournament at the Delco Center in Austin, the
Randall boys are in a prime position to capture their first team title, and the
Caprock girls are in a position to successfully defend their title.
Team scores for the boys were not available at press time Friday night.
A UIL official said a computer malfunction created a situation in which
team results would not be made public until this morning.
Randall, with three wrestlers in the semifinals, appears to be one of
the schools with a strong shot to capture a championship.
The Caprock girls are in second place, two points behind leader Austin
LBJ and 2.5 points ahead of third-place El Paso Hanks. The Amarillo High
girls are seventh with 23 points. Tascosa is 11th with 17.
Randall's Brandon McDonald (103 pounds), Michael Gerber (140) and Gator
LeGrand cruised into today's semifinals.
"Al three of those guys had excellent matches in the quarterfinals,"
Randall coach David Quirino said. "What these kids have to do tomorrow will be
tough, but I know all three of them can do it."
McDonald earned a 16-0 technical fall against Alex Hill of Rockwall in
the first round and a 7-3 decision against Chris Wilcox of Lewisville
Hebron. He will face Azle's Michael Hortman in the semifinals.
Gerber, last year's state champ at 130, pinned Henderson's Kashmere
Sears in 0:48 in the first round and scored a 10-0 major decision against Azle's
Shay Lauderdale in the quarterfinals. He will face Houston Strake Jesuit's
Mike Brown in the semifinals.
"I'm feeling pretty good about the way I wrestled today, and I think I
can come out and win it tomorrow," Gerber said.
LeGrand outlasted Cypress Ridge's Nick Loucks 12-9 in the first round -
a match which was as close as 7-6 at the end of the second period - but
had no trouble in the quarterfinals, pinning Coppell's Josh Mayo in 1:30.
LeGrand will face The Woodlands' Matt Cole in the semifinals.
The boys 103-pound weight class might produce the most interesting
semifinals and finals, with three of the four wrestlers still alive
coming from Amarillo-metro teams. McDonald, Caprock's Harvey Suarez and River
Road's Kalvin King are in the semifinals.
Suarez topped Wylie's John Evans 7-1 in the first round and scored a
10-2 major decision against Austin Bowie's George Gogonas 10-2 in the
quarterfinals. Gogonas was 45-0 coming in.
King pinned Klein's Chris Nguyen in 5:46 in the first round and beat
South Grand Prairie's Darren DeLaCruz 7-0 in the quarterfinals, taking a 5-0
lead in the second period and never letting up.
"I was just trying to stay after him," King said. "I was attacking his
legs and staying on him, just staying aggressive and never giving up."
Borger advanced brothers Kris Luna (135) and Kaleb Luna (140) to the
semifinals. Kris will face Klein Oak's Kody Williams, and Kaleb will
face Arlington Martin's Matt Sansone in the semifinals.
Dumas advanced two to the semifinals and was a point away from
advancing three. Taylor Torisk (152) scored two pins and will face Coppell's
Spencer Covey in the semifinals. Jason Logan (160) scored a late takedown to
beat Azle's Bennett Horton 7-6 and advance to meet San Antonio Churchill's
Aaron Pelletier in the semifinals. Kyle Cambern (171) lost 4-3 to Arlington
Martin's Ben Rodermeyer in the quarterfinals.
Tascosa's Joe Quinto (130) pinned La Joya's Christian Sandoval in 5:09
and beat Bryan's Jonathan Taylor 6-3 in a match Quinto dominated from the
whistle, setting up a semifinal with Rockwall's Cory Falcon.
"I'm going to win it," Quinto said. "I'm going to go all the way."
Hereford's Juan Alvarez (145) scored a 19-3 technical fall against The
Colony's Wade Stowe and held off an escape attempt from The Woodlands'
Jeff Fogg for 28 seconds in a 4-3 win, setting up a semifinals match with
Arlington Bowie's Kamarudeen Usman.
The Caprock girls have three wrestlers in the semifinals, but head
coach Scott Tankersley said he is more concerned with Maci Alvarado, the one
of his four who will be wrestling through the consolation bracket. He said
his team's chances of defending its state title will be determined by the
number of points - out of a possible 16 - she earns today.
Caprock has Crystal Valdez (95), Amenda Howland (128) and Erica
Martinez (185) in the semifinals. Amarillo High has Hannah Skinner (138) and
Clarissa Dalke (165) in the semifinals. Skinner will face Arlington Martin's
Kacey Wimpy, and Dalke will face Pflugerville's Jamie White.
"It would be great to win a state title the same year we won the duals
title," Skinner said of her team's slim chances to win gold, "I'd love
for it to happen, but it's just not very likely."
Tascosa's Angel Valdez (110), who won the state title at 102 in 2003,
picked up two pins and will face defending state champion Crystal Molinar in
the semifinals.
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Parkersburg South, Oak Glen in control
Patriots, Golden Bears send 17 wrestlers to championship round
By DAVID WALSH - The Herald-Dispatch 2/26/05
Buckhannon-Upshur’s Brittany Woodall came within a match of becoming the first girl in Class AAA to place. Ripley’s Tyler Riddle ended her bid with a 5-2 win in third-round consolation. Wirt County’s Erica Dye took second at 103 in Class AA-A in 2002.
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Hard work paying off for LBJ girls ; Through raising funds, preparation, program has grown into state contender
Butch Hart, AMERICAN-STATESMANCORRESPONDENT. Austin American Statesman.
Austin, Tex.: Feb 25, 2005.
Selling corndogs at University of Texas football games has led six LBJ
girls wrestlers to the state high school tournament. The corndog selling was
one of the fund-raisers that enabled the 22- member squad to pay for
appearances at tournaments from Amarillo to Houston, which Coach Albert Gallo
credits as the key to the Jaguars' success.
"The best girls teams in Texas are in Amarillo and Houston. We wanted
to take the girls there and expose them to the situation and the quality
of wrestlers so that they would be prepared to wrestle at that level,"
Gallo said.
It paid off. Six Lady Jaguars will be in the state meet, which begins
today.
The LBJ girls program has grown from four wrestlers in 2003 to 22 this
season. The team has worked together on fund-raisers, from selling
corndogs to washing cars, creating not only the cash to help defray expenses but
also the teamwrk to make it all worthwhile.
Luz Hernandez and Helen Timmons won their respective divisions at the
regional tournament, while Raquel Woodruff and Deanna West were
runners-up. Freshman Katie Brackin and senior Marquesa Martinez finished fourth at
regionals, drawing the final qualifying spots for state in their weight
classes.
In all, 50 boys and girls wrestlers from Central Texas made the state
meet, from 17 schools. Fourteen of those 50 are girls.
Other regional winners among the girls are Crockett's Sarah Macias,
Travis' Sasha Avila, Bowie's Geneva Matthews, Pflugerville's Jamie White and
Vista Ridge's Carrie Clark.
Timmons has a 20-1 record and is unbeaten in her 102-pound weight
class. West is in her first year of wrestling; Martinez has been wrestling for
two years. Woodruff, meanwhile, is the team's "thinker" on the mat, Gallo
said.
"She works the angles and is working to stay one step ahead of her
opponent," said Gallo, in his third year at LBJ. "She is very
thoughtful."
Brackin, a freshman, is an all-around athlete, also excelling in soccer
and track and field.
"This has been a great year and some of the hardest work, from practice
to fund-raising and on the road trips, but the girls have really come
together and supported each other," Gallo said. "It's been a great season."
UIL state wrestling meet
When: ThroughSaturday
Where: Delco Center
Tickets: $10 adults, $5 students per session. All-tournament passes
$18.
Schedule: Matches begin at 9 a.m. today and 9 a.m. Saturday
-----------------------------------------------------------
Close-knit Knights
Hanks girls wrestlers on same page
John Erfort 2/23/05
El Paso Times
Mark Lambie / El Paso Times Hanks' Heroes Jenny Franco: Senior competes in the 119-pound weight class and is 23-1 this year. An alternate for the state meet last year, Franco was first at district and regionals. Janie Gonzalez: Sophomore didn't compete last year, but has made an immediate impact by posting a 16-4 record. Was fourth at regionals at 185 pounds. Awbrey Lowe: Sophomore is 19-2 this season at 102 pounds. Regional champ was fourth at state last year. Christine Ybarra: Sophomore is undefeated this year (18-0) in the 215 division. Finished first at district and regionals this season. Learn about the UIL state tournament at UIL state tournament |
It might not be what you'd expect from a group of girls whose chosen sport is basically a one-on-one fight.
But the Hanks High School girls wrestlers aren't any different from most other teenage girls walking the halls of their school.
They eat lunch together. When they're not at school they hang out together, fixing each other's hair or talking about boys.
"We're like sisters," sophomore Janie Gonzalez said. "They're always there for me."
Much like the student-athletes in any sport, the Knights work hard. But sometimes more is needed to reach an elite level.
What separates Hanks from other teams, along with talent, is good team chemistry. There is no jealousy regarding the success of others, only support.
"We work as a family," sophomore Christine Ybarra said. "Whenever someone needs help or support, we help them out."
That's what elevates the Knights to an elite level. It's also part of the reason why the team features three regional champions and four qualifiers -- half the number of girls on the Hanks team -- for the UIL state meet, scheduled for Friday and Saturday in Austin.
They are:
Jenny Franco: Senior competes in the 119-pound weight class. She's the district and regional champion, but didn't make state last year.
Janie Gonzalez: Sophomore competes in the 185 division. Despite not wrestling last year, she was fourth at regionals.
Awbrey Lowe: Sophomore competes in the 102 division. The regional champion is looking to improve on her fourth-place finish at state last year.
Christine Ybarra: The sophomore competes at 215. A regional champion, Ybarra is undefeated this season.
Hanks coach Anthony Carter had lots of praise for his charges. Here's what he had to say about each:
Franco: "Her work ethic is impeccable. And she doesn't just rely on what we do here at practice. She does extra on her own."
Gonzalez: "She's just a competitor. One of the reasons she joined wrestling was weight control, and she's lost 46 pounds since August."
Lowe: "She's an intense individual. She's a goal setter and a goal attainer. Her work ethic is what's made her so good."
Ybarra: "She's just aggressive. She's an animal. I don't think she's lost a match in town."
While togetherness helps the Knights, athletes have to be talented to make it to state.
Getting there is tough, a lesson that isn't lost on Franco. Last year, she was third at regionals and was an alternate for state. This year they changed the rules: now the top four wrestlers get to go to Austin.
But Franco left nothing to chance this time, winning every match but one so far this season.
"My goals were to win district and regionals and try to win state," Franco said. "So I have one more to go.
"This year, I'm more nervous because it's the last time I get to do this. It's hard. That's all I've been thinking about the past two weeks."
For Lowe, this season has been about making the jump from fourth place to state champion.
"All I really wanted to do was get to state and win this time," she said. "The fact that it's state makes me want it even more. I'm looking forward to it because I know if I do my best I'll be happy with the results."
Ybarra, who hasn't had a match go into the third period this season, had very lofty expectations. And she's lived up to them so far.
"I want to win everything, try to be undefeated," she said. "Now I'll just see where that takes me at state. I'm excited."
On the other hand, Gonzalez's goals were much more understated. Improvement was her biggest concern. The winning was icing on the cake.
"I wrestled last year, but I gave up on it," she said. "But then coach told us how he succeeded and I wanted to change my life.
"I was failing and doing stuff I wasn't supposed to be doing."
Wrestling became her motivation. Now, Gonzalez has a hard time believing how far she's come.
"I was surprised," she said. "I never thought I was going to make it this far. Now that I know I can do so much more, I'm pushing forward."
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HIGH SCHOOL WRESTLING
Kahuku sweeps OIA wrestling
Star-Bulletin staff 2/27/05
sports@starbulletin.com
For the third straight year, the Kahuku boys and girls wrestling squads each won the OIA championships, held yesterday at Leilehua.
"I'm proud of them, proud of their effort, being so young, coming so far," Kahuku coach Reggie Torres said. The Red Raiders have just four seniors on the varsity boys and girls teams combined.
Although Torres was happy with the wins, he also noted the victories came at a price. Two Red Raiders -- Mysia Kamakaala and Simione Mapu -- had to pull out of the tournament because of injuries.
"It's a good victory, but a sad victory," Torres said. "For states next week, we're pretty busted up."
Winning their fifth OIA title in six years, the Kahuku boys squad dominated the rest of the field, scoring 228.5 points to beat Pearl City by 36.5.
Three Red Raiders boys claimed individual titles. Sophomore Richard Torres won a 7-1 decision to take the 119-pound class, while defending state champion Daniel Morita took an 11-2 decision over Mililani's TJ Dowell-Howko in the 135-pound class. Senior Max Fairclough won the 275-pound class, getting a 5-2 decision over Shannon Saili of Waipahu.
"Those three have been the most consistent for us all year. They are the nucleus for our team," Torres said.
Led by freshman Danica Auna, the Kahuku girls posted 134.5 points en route to their third consecutive league title. Pearl City tallied 131 points behind the first-place finishes of Nicole Young in the 140-pound class and Stacey Ikawa in the 175-pound class. Moanalua finished third with 128 points.
Red Raiders Ashlee Estioko and Agrianna Aguino each fell in their respective championship matches, while Christina Meredith and Kamakaala lost their third-place matches. But the finishes were high enough to hold off the Chargers.
"Our coach told us, 'Even if you can't win individually, you can win as a team.' He told us to believe we can win, have no regrets," Auna said.
Auna notched the only Kahuku win in the 103-pound weight class, winning by pin over Pearl City's Tonya Kageno in 1.22 minutes.
OIA ChampionshipAt LeilehuaYesterday
varsity girls
Team
1. Kahuku, 134.5; 2. Pearl City, 131; 3. Moanalua, 128; 4. Farrington, 107; 5. Waipahu, 92; 6. Kaiser, 67; 7. Castle, 65.5; 8. Kapolei, 62; 9. Waianae, 49; 10. Aiea, 42.5; 11. McKinley, 34; 12. Kailua, 25; 13. Leilehua, 22; 14. Kaimuki, 20; 15. Roosevelt, 18; 16. Radford, 9; 17. Campbell, 3; 18. Waialua, 0.
Individual
98--1. Candace Sakamoto, Cas; 2. Agrianna Aguino, Kahu; 3. Rayna Hirata, Kais.
103--1. Danica Auna, Kahu; 2. Tonya Kageno, PC; 3. Keri Kaneshiro, Kaim.
108--1. Tani Ader, Farr; 2. Lisa Katsura, Moan; 3. Vanessa Cabinian, Lei.
114--1. Lianne Tomishima, McK; 2. Clarissa Reidy, Kapo; 3. Cory Arisumi, roos.
120--1. Ashley Polling, Kais; 2. Ashlee Estioko, Kahu; 3. Cheryl Lee, Moan.
125--1. Danica Kamikana, Moan; 2. Kalimari Billings, PC: 3. Chaelynn Tan, Kapo.
130--1. Jackie Baniaga, Waip; 2. Kuuipo Badayos, Wain; 3. Ashley Juhn, Moan.
140--1. Nicole Young, PC; 2. Krystal Kiyuna, Aiea; 3. BN Alafanso, Farr.
155--1. Delilah Joung, Waip; 2. Alicia Fu, Moan; 3. Amanda Soliai, Kahu.
175--1. Stacey Ikawa, PC; 2. Kiele Lehel, Kail; 3. Sheldeen Silva, Cas.
220--1. Chasity Molina, Wain; 2. Ashlee Lilo, Farr; 3. Andrea Reyes, Moan.
--------------------------------------------------
Stating its case
Caprock girls defend state title by point
By Jeremy Heath
jeremy.heath@amarillo.com
Amarillo Globe-News
Publication Date: 02/27/05
Happy Lady Longhorns: The Caprock Lady Longhorns engage in a group hug |
AUSTIN - Caprock head coach Scott Tankersley did not see the match that
gave his Lady Longhorns their third state title in six years and second in a
row.
When Killeen Shoemaker's Emerald Solomon beat El Paso Hanks' Chris
Ybarra 7-5 in the finals of the 215-pound weight division - giving Caprock a
76-75.5 win over Hanks - Tankersley was too nervous too watch.
"I was out in the hallway," Tankersley said. "I couldn't even watch."
Amarillo High finished fourth with 65 points, and Tascosa finished 10th
with 37.5.
Caprock trailed Austin LBJ by five points and Hanks by 4.5 points
entering the finals. Crystal Valdez (31-1) opened the finals with an 8-6 win
over L.B.J.'s Luz Hernandez (22-3), making it a two team race.
"I knew it was the last match I was ever going to wrestle," Valdez
said. "I was going to give it my all. She was the strongest girl I've ever
wrestled."
In the 128 final, Amenda Howland (34-1) gave Caprock the half-point
lead, pinning El Paso Socorro's Norma Rueda (31-8) with 25 seconds left in
the match. Howland trailed 6-3 with 1:52 left, and was getting physically
dominated. With 40 seconds left, she caught Rueda's head and far-side
arm, flipped her across her body, followed her to the mat and pasted her
shoulders to the mat, giving the Lady Longhorns six points and a
chance.
"I knew she was tough," Howland said of Rueda, who she had beaten twice
this year by a total of four points. "I kept trying things against her, but
they just wouldn't work. As soon as she shot at me, I knew I could get her."
Tankersley said this year's expansion from eight wrestlers in each
weight division to 16 makes this special.
"It was so much more competitive," Tankersley said. "It was nothing but
a dogfight down to the last match."
Tankersley said the title is also special because he dedicated it to
his mother, Shirley.
"It's her birthday today," he said. "I just talked to her on the phone.
She said it was the best birthday present she ever had."
AHS - a fourth-year program that couldn't even fill all the weight
divisions a year ago - got a state championship from Hannah Skinner at 138 and a
state runner-up finish from Clarissa Dalke at 165. Skinner (40-2) scored a
9-1 major decision against Frisco's Vanessa Epps in the finals. Dalke
(22-3) was pinned by Eastwood's Tressa Yokum (45-0), who has pinned every opponent
she has faced this year and has won 82 consecutive matches.
"It's been so amazing," Skinner said. "We have such great coaches.
Coaches (Charles) Rose and (Gregg) Clear are like second dads to all of us. We
have a great program at Amarillo High, it's just that not a lot of people
know it."
Rose, whose team won the state duals title in January, said the program
has made a quick ascension because of the attitudes of his wrestlers.
"I can't even explain what it has meant to watch these girls do what
they have this year," Rose said. "We're probably a better duals team than we
are a tournament team because we don't have a lot of super wrestlers. We
have a bunch of very good wrestlers who work hard."
Tascosa's 110-pound Angel Diaz (15-0), who won the state tournament at
102 in 2003 but did not earn a state berth last year, was named the
tournament's outstanding wrestler, pinning three of the four opponents she faced.
She scored an 18-1 technical fall win against Arlington Sam Houston's
Tashia Lewis in the final.
"It feels so good," Diaz said.
FINAL TEAM STANDINGS
1. Caprock 76. 2. El Paso Hanks 75.5. 3. Austin LBJ 71. 4. Amarillo
High 65.
5. Katy 64. 6. EP Eastwood 56.5. 7. Arlington Sam Houston 48. 8. Klein
46.5.
9. Shoemaker 45. 10. Tascosa 37.5. (ALSO) 47. River Road 7.
State Champs
The Caprock girls wrestling team defended its state crown, edging El
Paso Hanks 76-75.5.
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PHOTO:
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Happy Lady Longhorns: The Caprock Lady Longhorns engage in a group hug
after learning they had won a state championship by a half-point on Saturday.
It is the team's second straight championship.
Michael Lemmons / michael.lemmons@amarillo.com
Wrestlers return El Paso to state prominence with strong showing
Pablo Villa
El Paso Times 2/27/05
AUSTIN -- Anthony Carter appeared to be all smiles Saturday in the
waning rounds of the Texas State Wrestling Championships at the Austin
Independent School District Delco Activities Center.
Perhaps the Hanks High School wrestling coach couldn't help it. After
all, a pair of his wrestlers had joined Eastwood's Tressa Yocum, who won her
second consecutive state crown in the girls 165-pound class, as mavens in
gold-medal fashion -- Awbrey Lowe in the girls 102-pound class and
Jacob Valdez in the boys 135-pound class. But beneath that joy, something
irked him.
"We missed winning the girls team title by half a point," Carter said
of his team's near miss in the most closely contested team title in state
history.
Amarillo Caprock won its second consecutive girls team title with 76
points. Hanks finished second with 75.5 points and Austin LBJ was third with 71
points.
"That's our fifth runner-up, man. I'm always a bridesmaid," Carter said
jokingly.
But it was no joke that El Paso returned to state prominence with an
inspirational showing and a trio of state champions.
Yocum was the centerpiece. The senior capped her career with a
first-period pin against Amarillo's Clarissa Dalke, who Yocum defeated last year for
the state crown and at the Region 1 tournament two weeks ago. Yocum
finishes the season with an unblemished 45-0 record.
"It's pretty awesome," Yocum said of winning her second title. "I guess
it was just practice. I've wrestled (Dalke) so many times that I guess I
know what her flaws are. This is all pretty cool."
Hanks' pair was just as impressive.
Lowe claimed her first state championship with a 15-1 major decision
against Eastwood's Cessy Carroll. The sophomore led the team title charge for
the Knights, who also had Jenny Franco (119) and Christine Ybarra (215)
competing in the final round and coming up with second-place finishes.
"It feels pretty good, I worked real hard," said Lowe, who finished the
season with a 23-2 record.
"Awbrey is a hard worker and very goal-oriented person," Carter said.
"She just set her goal to come in here and win a gold medal. And she did it.
I'm just so proud of these girls. Caprock came in here with seven to our
four. They had more opportunities but our girls just knew what they had to
do."
So did Valdez.
The junior wrested a 13-6 major decision from Klein Oak's Kody Williams
to capture the city's lone boys title. Valdez credited the win to hard
work, excellent coaching and his diligent father.
"If it wasn't for him, I wouldn't have done this," said Valdez as his
father beamed proudly. "This shows how much Iâve worked. Itâs the best feeling
in the world."
El Paso High's Carmen Piña took third in the girls 102-pound class,
Socorro's Norma Rueda was runner-up in the girls 128-pound class and
Americas' Kevin Jury was runner-up in the boys 125-pound class to round
out the city's medal finishers.
Pablo Villa may be reached at pvilla@elpasotimes.com; 546-6177.
El Paso wrestlers capture three state championships
Pablo Villa 2/27/05
El Paso Times
AUSTIN -- Area wrestlers represented the city well Saturday at the
Texas State High School Wrestling Championships at the Austin Independent
School District Delco Activities Center.
Three El Paso wrestlers captured state titles to bring the city back to
the forefront of the state's wrestling scene after walking away from Austin
with a lone champion a year ago.
Eastwood's Tressa Yocum won her second consecutive state championship
in the girls 165-pound class by pinning Amarillo's Clarissa Dalke. Hanks'
Awbrey Lowe wrenched away state laurels from Eastwood's Cessy Carroll in the
girls 102-pound class. And the Knights' Jacob Valdez tacked his name into
state history with major decision win against Klein Oak's Kody Williams for
a crown in the boys 135-pound class.
"This is great for our city," said Hanks coach Anthony Carter, who
brings home multiple state champions for the first time in two years. "This
really shows that we're starting to come back. I think the key has been hard
work. We need to start getting these kids involved in other avenues, like
freestyle and Greco, to get on a more even plane."
Amarillo Caprock won its second consecutive girls title in the closest
finish in state history with 76 points. Hanks finished second with 75.5
points and Austin L.B.J. was third with 71 points.
Highland Park won the boys team title.
Pablo Villa may be reached at pvilla@elpasotimes.com; 546-6177.
Benavides, Aston cap perfect seasons; Hale stuns field with state crown
By Nick Georgandis
Sports Editor 2/26/05
At the state wrestling meet in Austin Saturday, Katy High School's
James Aston and Cinco Ranch's Jim Benavides did what their records said they
were supposed to.
Cougar Haley Hale did what no one thought was possible.
Hale, who lost a thrilling overtime match to Mayde Creek's Sara
Cevallos at the District 21-5A meet three weeks ago, emerged out of the battlefield
with a state crown Saturday, defeating El Paso Hanks Jenny Franco by a 7-3
count for the title. Hale had finished second at both the district and
regional meets, truly saved the best for last at state.
Benavides and Aston both capped undefeated seasons. Benavides won the
title at 145 pounds by virtue of a 4-1 victory over Hereford's Juan Alvarez.
Aston finished what perhaps is the most dominant career in the short
history of Texas high school wrestling. In three years, Aston won three state
titles, all at different weight classes. He capped an undefeated senior
season with a close call in the final, defeating Klein Oak's Tom
Fortner 8-5. In 2003 as a sophomore, Aston won the title at 171 pounds. Last
season, his football playing weight surged him up to 189 pounds where he won
again, with an undefeated record. This year, he competed at 215 pounds and
never lost.
On the day, Cinco Ranch's boys finished 12th in the team standings with
Katy
17th.
Mayde Creek's Tommy Perez finished fourth at 119 pounds and Cinco's
Andrew Vasquez was fourth at 152 pounds.
The Katy High girls took fifth overall in the standings with 64 points.
Cinco Ranch was 11th and Taylor, the regional champion, finished 13th.
Katy had three third-place finishers, all taking the bronze by virtue
of pins. Ashley Weber pinned Pflugerville's Jamie White in just 28 seconds
at the 165-pound weight class.
Kacee Ravenburg took all of 1:39 to pin Adamson's Tiffany McFarland at
185 pounds and sophomore Kiki Williams pinned Arlington Bowie's Jessica
Williams in 4:28 to take third at 215 pounds.
Former 102-pound champion Lara Hamilton from Taylor finished sixth at
110 pounds while Sevallos took fifth at 119 pounds.
Klein Oak parlays one title, two runners-up into third place
Katy's Aston achieves threepeat, 103-match streak
By TERRY CARTER 2/26/05
Chronicle Correspondent
AUSTIN - All three of Klein Oak's wrestlers reached the state
tournament finals at Delco Center, highlighted by Shane Doughman capturing the
119-pound championship Saturday.
Doughman finished the season 49-1 with a career record of 116-21.
Panthers teammates Kody Williams and Tom Fortner finished as state runners-up at
135 pounds and 215, respectively.
Klein Oak coach Travis Ribordy said his three medalists wrestled nearly
flawlessly during the two-day tournament, leading the Panthers to a
third-place team finish with 65 points behind state champion Highland
Park (85) and Canyon Randall (69.5).
"All three of them wrestled out of their minds," Ribordy said. "They
achieved more at this tournament than I could have ever expected out of
them. To do this, they had to wrestle a perfect tournament, and they
did that."
Williams posted one-point wins over Round Rock and Borger opponents
before falling to El Paso Hanks' Jacob Valdez 13-6 in the final.
Fortner dropped an 8-5 decision to Katy's wrestling dynamo James Aston
in the final. While Aston earned his third consecutive state championship
to push his winning streak to 103 straight matches, Fortner scored a rare
takedown on Aston, who finished 43-0.
Strake Jesuit was among the top Houston-area teams. The Crusaders ftied
for fifth with 52 points.
After coaching heavyweight Mike Nijoka to the final where he lost 5-3
to Rockwall's Dan Shofner, Strake Jesuit coach John Banas said his senior
group of four state qualifiers functioned as a unit.
Katy reclaimed its spot as Houston's best girls team with a trio of
third-place finishes in the upper weights as Amarillo Caprock claimed
its second straight team title.
Katy's Ashley Weber at 165 pounds, Kaccee Ravenberg at 185 and Kiki
Williams at 215 all claimed third to to power the fifth-place team finish with
52 points. Klein claimed eighth place with 46.5 points as the Bearkat
sophomore Lindsey Brooks (44-1) scored a 17-2 technical fall in her 148-pound
final.
"No I did not (know I could win state when the season began). If I
could take my own region, I could take state. Our fourth-place person beat
another regions first girl," the second-year Klein wrestler said.
Cinco Ranch provided its first state champion on the girls side as the
Cougars qualified three girls and finished 13th behind the
state-championship performance of 119-pound Hailey Hale. Hale won 7-3
in the final as Region III champion Sara Cevallos of Mayde Creek claimed fifth
place.
"I wanted it so bad. I wanted to make it to the finals for my
district," the Cinco Ranch senior said. "Its always been a battle. When I beat
(Taylor's Laurie Ashby) out at district, I had to place at state to prove she
didn't lose to a nobody."
Region III champion Katy Taylor finished 11th after several upsets on
Friday. Defending 102-pound champion Lara Hamilton finished sixth in
the 110-pound weight class, which was loaded with returning all-state
talent, including Amarillo Tasco's Angel Diaz who earned Most Outstanding
Wrestler honors in winning her final 18-1.
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