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CYPRESS – The job, finally, is done.
For this year, at least.
Edinburg High’s Cassandra Medrano finished what she started and rallied back to win the Girls 6A 100-pound UIL State championship Saturday at the Berry Center. Medrano (38-0) completed her perfect season with a dominant 7-3 decision over Flower Mound’s Lillian Zapata, with a 53-3 record this season.
It is the fourth straight year a girls wrestler from the RGV has won a wrestling state title. Medrano’s semifinal victory came against defending state champ Jubilee Rendon of El Paso Franklin, who defeated Medrano in last year’s semifinals and finished third this year with a 53-1 record. Medrano’s final two opponents combined for a 104-4 record.
On Saturday, however even they had to take a back seat to the Valley’s newest state champion, the junior Medrano.
“That was 365 days of preparation and fixing the mistakes from last year,” head coach Abel Saenz said. “She enjoyed the semifinals and she quickly got focused, but the ultimate goal was what just happened.
While her finals opponent was among the best in the state, Medrano controlled the entire match.
“I saw a little bit of feat. She looked worried,” Medrano said. “She was looking for a hip toss, but I didn’t give her an opening for that.
“But this year was my year to be queen of Texas and queen of the Valley and nobody was going to take it from me. I worked so hard and if I had lost that match I would’ve been so depressed and gone straight home and to the gym for next year. I’m still going back to train for another state championship.”
Medrano’s semifinal match was one that could’ve been a final. Rendon and Medrano were both undefeated. Medrano lost to Rendon in last year’s state championship and Medrano never forgot it.
Still, she trailed 7-3 with less than a minute remaining in that semifinal.
“I kept my composure,” Medrano said.
“She has a Hail Mary move that she hasn’t thrown yet ad you can see on the video me telling her we gotta go 100,” Saenz said. “She threw it, the grabbed the arm and she won. She hadn’t done that all year.”
After the match, Medrano had one more spectacular move to unleash. She ran over to Saenz, gave him a huge hug, then hip-tossed him to the mat.
“I told him if I win, we’re going to do this. We’re going to do it,” An ecstatic Medrano said. “
Now comes the beginning of the trip for a second straight girls title, accomplished for the first time in the Valley in 2022 and 2023 when McAllen Memorial’s Serenity De La Garza went back to back wining state titles along with two straight undefeated seasons.
“I’m going to enjoy this for an hour or for a bit,” Medrano said. “But I have another (club) tournament next week and I need to get ready for that to win a second title next year.”
