For a long time, Cash Williams felt his future was on the gridiron.
The Anna product helped lead the Coyotes to a Class 4A Division 1 championship as a sophomore and playoff berths the last two years in Class 5A Division 2.
But, along the way, Williams has developed a love for wrestling and now he sees his future there.
The senior claimed the District 9-5A title on Friday at Melissa by winning the 190-pound title. The No. 3-ranked Williams beat Graham Rodgers from Dallas Highland Park, 4-1.
Williams is 32-2 heading into the Class 5A Regional 3 meet next weekend in Bryan.
Williams was fourth at state last year and is only loss came against Jace Renfro from Seneca, Missouri and Keller’s AJ Parchman, who is in Class 6A.
The Coyotes, who were third with 161 points, had another champion on the day in Da-Shun Caldwell. The senior won the 120-pound title with a 15-0 tech fall over Alex Salermon Serrano of McKinney North.
Anna had seven regional qualifiers.
Prosper Walnut Grove took fifth overall with 154 1/2 points and had nine out of 11 wrestlers moving on to regionals.
The lone championship from that group is Miles Martinez.
The junior, ranked No. 20, improved to 35-8 by winning the 175-pound title. Martinez went 3-0 with two pins before an 18-2 tech fall against Ethan Bates of Lucas Lovejoy. Bates bumped up a weight class as he was No. 18 at 165 in our latest rankings.
Martinez had been third the past two years in districts and won his first district title. He will now try to make it to the state meet for the second year in a row.
Also of note
Lucas Lovejoy did not have a champion but will have nine wrestlers at the regional meet, tied with Prosper Walnut Grove and Dallas Highland Park for second out of the district. Lovejoy took fourth overall with 160 points.
Mesquite ISD had the two remaining champions.
No. 6-ranked Jaylyn Rogers-Salazar from Mesquite Poteet won the 215-pound title with a pin against Melissa’s Ini Edu at the 4:56 mark. He’s one of three regional qualifiers for the Pirates.
North Mesquite’s Kingston Barker won the 106-pound title.
The fourth-ranked Barker, a senior, beat No. 17-ranked Parker Alton by a 9-5 decision in the finals.
North Mesquite and McKinney North had three regional qualifiers, while Whitehouse had two.
