Northwest of the Houston city limits, in an area of unincorporated Harris County, you will find the Cy Fair Independent School District. In the early 2000’s, CyFair ISD was the fastest-growing school district in Texas. But times have changed, and they have just about filled their attendance zones. Currently, the district has twelve high schools that have between 2,500 and 3,700 students each, and there is a possibility of a thirteenth high school being built in 2028. But, believe it or not, growth has slowed down.
That slowdown of growth does not include the number of boys and girls joining the Langham Creek Lobos wrestling team. With 93 boys (48) and girls (46) reported on the Track/Flow website, Langham Creek Coach Tommy Murray stays quite busy ensuring that all of the young wrestlers under his tutelage are getting the appropriate coaching, conditioning, mat time for their level of experience, and developing the discipline and mental toughness to push through both physical and mental challenges. He is very excited that he will be able to fill full varsity and junior varsity lineups. There may be some young talent in those lineups, but they will all be reliable towards the end of the season.
Coach Murray is entering his 7th year as the head coach of Langham Creek High School, which is just 2.5 miles south of where Texas holds the UIL State Championships, the Berry Center. Last season saw Murray and his Girls win the championship title at both the Woodlands Tournament and the Ridge Invitational. They were also crowned the District 10 Champions, with eight wrestlers placing, and six of them qualifying for the Region 3 tournament. That District title earned Murray the District 10 Girls’ Coach of the Year award.
As all coaches know, you can only do the work with those who are on the mat. That is especially true for Murray, who lost 2 of his 3 UIL Qualifiers from last year, Yvette Zepeda and Amy Sorto.
Returning this year for her senior season is the other UIL qualifier, Aviana Caceres. Caceres is the returning Region 3- 120 lb. champion. She was actually 41-8 during her 9th grade season, but holds a cumulative 74-18 high school record because of a transfer during the middle of her sophomore season. Aviana has really turned it on over the off-season in preparation for this season by competing in a number of out-of-state tournaments. She started off with a “double championship” in the Southern Plains Regional Championships, earning wins over both Matti Givens and Stephanie Lopez on her way to Gold in both Greco and Freestyle at 120 lbs. Caceres also went 5-2 at the US Marine Corps Junior Nationals, and 3-2 at the Brian Keck Preseason Nationals. She has set high goals for herself, and is prepared to make her mark and land on the podium at State in her final season.
Leyla Allen (29-20) was a Regional qualifier last year as a sophomore at 235 lbs. Coach Murray admits she was raw, but her skill level progressed as the season went on, and was able to score some upsets to progress to the Regional competition. She has put in the work this off-season and expects to qualify for the State tournament. Keep an eye out for her.
Gianna Zavala (14-16) is an up-and-coming Lobo. Last year the sophomore placed 6th in Districts at 114 lbs. This year, she does not have to change weights because of strong wrestlers ahead of her, and has set her goals of making her mark through the post season.
Senior Lucia Iraheta (18-15) finished 5th in the District 10 tournament at 145 lbs. last year. She had made great progress during the season, but hit a rough spot at Districts. She has set a goal to qualify for Regionals.
Another experienced wrestler that Coach Murray has high hopes for is Malquisua Barajas. She did not wrestle during the postseason, but she has all of the characteristics to do great things in the middle of the Lobo lineup.
Gloria Briseno is another wrestler who filled in at the lower weights while the upper classmen moved down to their weight. She’s recovering from an off-season injury, but is one to not overlook.
Some additional freshmen and sophomores who will step up during the season are Emily Fernandez, Maddie Groff, Miley Escalante, Rafaela Mahmood, and Daniella Gutierrez.
Their team goals for the year are to repeat as District champs and improve on their two-year 4th place finish at Regionals.
The Lobos are looking forward to starting off the season against a tough Foster HS team on November 12th. Coach Murray is also looking forward to the challenge his girls will face at one of the toughest tournaments for Girls in Texas, the Texas Women’s Classic in Lewisville, TX.
The Langham Creek Boys squad is primarily a young team with a few established wrestlers sprinkled through the roster. Having lost State silver medalist Logan Soileau to graduation, the Lobos are looking for some wrestlers to step up and lead the team. One of those wrestlers who will pick up his teammates is senior Saul Gutierrez (38-11).
Gutierrez splashed onto the scene last year in a big way. In his first year of high school wrestling, Saul was a District 10 Champion at 175 lbs. He finished 3rd at Region 3, and finished off his year with a 5th place medal at the State Championships with a 0:37 fall over Jamarion Moore who had beaten him three times during the season.
You may ask, How can a rookie make such an impact in their first year on the mats? Gutierrez is no rookie to grappling on the mat, but his grappling experience comes from the art of Judo. He has been winning awards in judo for quite some time, and if this summer is any indication, he will continue to win after his wrestling career is over. In July, he finished 5th at the US Open Judo Championships in Fort Lauderdale, and in June he secured a Gold medal in a US Judo tournament in Illinois. Most recently, he participated in his first tournament as a black belt in the < 90 KG senior division, and went 4-0 for gold.
My observations of his wrestling style last season would describe his wrestling style as atypical of someone who is judo-trained, he has quite a motor, and is one heck of an athletic scrambler. Keep a close eye on him in this season, whether he is at 175 or 190 lbs.
Junior Romeo Granados (16-13) is also coming back for his second year of wrestling. According to Coach Murray, Granados will have a greater arsenal of moves, understanding, and confidence going into the year. His goal for the season is to be a Regional Qualifier.
Returning for his senior year is Coby Rankin (22-9). He had a great season, but missed day 2 of Districts, which lit a fire in him to prepare for his final season. Don’t be surprised if you see him on multiple podiums this season.
Kevin Fernandez (24-18) is another returning senior, who spent most of the last season wrestling at a heavier weight. This season he will be at his appropriate weight and Coach Murray says he will turn some heads with his strength and physical ability.
Two up and comers that Coach Murray identified are Seth Carranza and Francisco Lopez. The two have been training partners since last season ended and have pushed each other in preparation for their first varsity season. Unfortunately, Lopez was injured during an off-season tournament and will have to delay his varsity debut.
The Lobo JV Boys won their District championship last year, so there are more wrestlers on the team that are working hard to break onto the varsity lineup. You’ve got to love the number of wrestlers that are challenging each other on the mat every day at practice.
In summary, Coach Murray has a job that many would love. Guiding a wide range of young wrestlers to grow and become a better version of themselves on the mat and in school. There will be ups and downs during the season, but don’t we all face that in our lives, and isn’t that what coaching is all about? Well, that and a few championships moved in doesn’t hurt.
