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CYPRESS — Edinburg High’s Cassandra Medrano will face defending state champion Jubilee Rendon — the wrestler who eliminated Medrano in a semifinal last year — today in a highly anticipated semifinal match in the 100-pound division of the UIL state wrestling tournament at the Berry Center in Cyprus.
The two are a combined 87-0 and the only two undefeated wrestlers in the brackets, but they ended up on the same side, forcing what many believe should be the final match instead of a semifinal.
Medrano advanced with a pair of pins that combined took just 2 minutes, 40 seconds. Rendon won by an 11-0 major decision and a pin at the 3:20 mark.
Four other wrestlers, including regional champions Danielle Silva of Edinburg Vela, Arsyn Sadlier of McHi and Aiden Baker of Sharyland, also won their first two matches along with Rio Grande City’s Aiden Valdovinos. Those five wrestlers are two victories away from a state title in their respective weight classes.
For Medrano, the state tournament has become an annual trip, making it for the third time. But this time, the junior expects some change in the semifinal.
“I feel like I have everything on point,” she said. “I’ve worked on my shot, I haven’t made any mistakes — there is no room for mistakes — and I’ll be doing good (today) as well.
“I just go out there and do me. I feel comfortable with the environment and wrestle how I wrestle. I do what I do, and this is my get-back year.”
Baker showed some endurance in his two matches to the 113-pound semifinal, improving to 43-3 with a pair of long, drawn-out pins. First, he shouldered Andre Moyton (27-8) of Carrollton Creakview in 3:43, then pinned Victor Ramirez of Dallas Hillcrest (51-4) in 4:28.
Silva upped her record to 27-7 and will face the Region III champ — Akeelah Moore of Melissa with a 36-0 record — in a semifinal.
Sadlier took 2 minutes, 20 seconds to improve to 43-0 and will face Region II champion Brijatte Garcia (37-4), with the winner shooting for gold. The second win Friday was huge mentally for Sadlier.
“This last match really made the difference mentally for me,” Sadlier said. “That was the match I lost first last year at state, and to go out there and finish it meant a lot at this point.
“I’m a more technical wrestler this year and understand the sport. And I’m not just here to be here. I’m here to win and (today) I’m going to be my best self.”
