Cassandra Medrano was stunned. Everything happened so quick.
Thirty seconds earlier it looked as if she was going to the consolation bracket.
Instead, she was heading to the state championship match.
Edinburg High’s 100-pound wrestler was the only Valley wrestler to advance to the state finals Saturday morning at the Berry Center, pinning defending state champion Jubilee Rendon — 51-0 at the tine — when time was running out and she trailed 7-3.
Then she did what she’s done a few times this year, and went for a Hail Mary. It worked. She grabbed Rendon’s arm, through her and in three seconds, not only did the tides turn, but the match was over and Medrano, with an ear-to-ear grin leapt into the arms of coach Abel Saenz, tears flowing from coach and wrestler – with one match still to go.
Since the beginning of the season, the junior grappler has said time and again, ‘the job’s not done.’ Now that she has beaten the defending state champion, and wrestler who defeated Medrano a year ago in the same round, Medrano promised there wouldn’t be a let up.
It’s still not done – there’s one more match, for the state title.
Medrano is the lone Vally wrestler to advance to the 2024 UIL State Championship final match in Cypress, later today but four other wrestlers – Sharyland’s Aiden Baker, Edinburg Economedes Maddox Quinonez, Edinburg Vela’s Danielle Silva and McAllen High’s Arsyn Sadlier have all clinched a spot on the podium and will wrestle for third through fifth later today.
Sadlier will face Joy Ortiz from El Paso Chapin (32-5) for third place after Sadlier fell to Brijatte Garcia of Burleson Centennial by decision 4-2. After taking an early lead, Garcia was clearly in no hurrry to play offense and kept arms’ distance the remainder of the match.
Sadlier (45-1), a junior, will face Aubree Schubert of Liberty Hill (24-9) for third. Silva wrestles Olivia Ontiveros (43-7) of El Paso Bel Air for fifth. Quinonez, from Edinburg Economedes, matches up with Dorian Jaramillo (52-9) of El Paso Pebble Hills and Baker (43-4) is set to meet Enrique Uribe of Frisco (62-17) for third at 113 pounds.
Pharr Vanguard Rembrandt’s Isy Nieto, who finished third in the Region IV-5A tournament woke his way through the consolation bracket to become the Valley’s first medalist of the year. Nieto, a senior with a 21-5 record, captured sixth in the 120-pound division.
Edinburg High’s Kenia Islas captured sixth and made the podium, finishing her season with a 51-6 record for the Bobcats
