Eighteen boys and 11 girls kept their hopes alive for a regional championships Friday during the first day of the UIL Boys Region IV-5A tournament at the AISD Burger Center in Austin.
Sharyland High’s boys led the way with five wrestlers to advance to today’s semifinal round. Husbaldo (113 pounds), Paolo Miranda (120), Alberto Mendoza (126), Noel Torres (138) and Moses Rodriguez all collected two victories Friday to move into the semifinal round.
“We have five in the semis. They all battled and showed up,” Sharyland High second-year head coach Sam Mangum said. “They feel like they belong and it showed in their wrestling today.
“It’s good to see Valley kids finally getting into those semifinals and finals. When I wrestled, it was crazy if six kids from the Valley qualified for state. Now, I’ve had teams with six that qualify for state. The Valley is definitely on the up and up in wrestling.”
Sharyland Pioneer and Rio Grande City each advanced three to the semis. PSJA Memorial moved two in the final four — including undefeated Alberto Elizondo (23-0) at 152. Elizondo pinned Ethan Stubblefield of Corpus Christi King in 3 minutes, 38 seconds.
Luis Nieto (14-2) of Pharr Vanguard Academy Rembrandt joined Sharyland High‘s Salazar in the 113 semifinals with a pin against Corpus Christi Ray’s Shamus Ward in 3:42. It is one of five weight classes where two Valley wrestlers moved into today’s semis.
“We’re not where we need to be by any means,” Mangum said. “But once the Valley as a whole starts the huge programs up, we will be more competitive. At my school, I get a lot of my kids coming up and seeing how successful others have been. They want to share that and feed off it. When you are hanging around winner, you want to become one. And it’s definitely possible.”
MEMORIAL’S BIG THREE ADVANCE
McAllen Memorial’s Eternity De La Garza (26-1), Serenity De La Garza (23-0) and Maya Marroquin (25-2) each won their two matches Friday and improved their collective record to 76-3 on the season.
Marroquin is one of three Valley girls to make the final four in the 148 pound division. Also advancing at that weight class is Sharyland Pioneer‘s Vanessa Ramirez, who improved to 6-1 after a pin in 2:48 against Leander Glen’s Savannah Wright, owner of a 30-4 mark going into the match. Edcouch-Elsa’s Alekzandrea Uresti also moved into the semis with a fall at the 5:40 mark.
Just like during the District 16-5A meet, joining the De La Garza sisters in the semis are Rio Grande City sisters Velia and Vivien Canales. Velia Canales won a 6-5 decision at the 102 weight class, while Vivien Canales collected a pin in 5:53.
Edcouch-Elsa’s Celeste Exiga improved to 34-3 with a win over PSJA Memorial’s Mia Lozano at 119 pounds.
The UIL boys and girls state championship will be Feb. 18-19 at the Berry Center in Cypress. The top four finishers from each regional tournament advance and the fifth-place wrestler will be an alternate.
