Cody Thorn
Arlington James Martin High School has had its goal set on a showdown with Allen in a head-to-head matchup.
That clash of state powers – No. 1 Martin and No. 2 Allen – happened on Saturday at the Texas High School Wrestling Coaches Association’s State Duals at NYTEX Sports Centre in North Richland Hills.
The two teams traded proverbial punches with the lead changing hands three times before Martin surged ahead late for a 38-23 win – though Allen got a point taken away at the end due to a post-match violation as the Eagles had 24 points.
“It was intense and it was nerve-racking,” said Finn Shepard, ranked No. 3 at 150 pounds of the win. “I’m happy to be on top. We’ve been waiting for this for a while. It means a lot to me. Hopefully, we can get ranked nationally. We want to be ranked nationally.”
The Warriors repeated as the state dual champions and want to add a UIL Tournament title to their resume. Last year, Allen won another Class 6A team title, while Martin was the runner-up.
The dual featured plenty of state-ranked showdowns, with the match starting at 132 pounds.
‘No. 4-ranked Javin Jackson-Bey beat Martin’s Ezequiel Valadez, No. 3, by a 5-1 decision.
