Cody Thorn
FORT WORTH — Caio Aron is set to make his third trip to Fargo, North Dakota for the national tournament — this time bumping up to the junior bracket after being in cadet the previous two trips.
The Woodlands College Park standout was one of a handful of wrestlers from the Austin and Houston areas that spent the week in the Dallas area training for the national tournament at the Spartan Mat Club.
Aron won 53 matches this past season and took second place at the 6A UIL State Championship. He only lost to two wrestlers all season — twice to Shawn Ryncarz of Arlington Martin — the latter in the finals — and to Bixby’s Gage Walker, a 126-pound champion in 6A in Oklahoma.
In May, Aron went undefeated at the Texas USA Wrestling State Freestyle/Greco Tournaments, beating 6A state champion Isaak Arevalo from Arlington Martin in the final in both brackets.
He hopes the success this high school season and after will propel him to a podium spot in Fargo.
“I’m thinking about the stop sign,” he said in reference to the trophy winners receive at the FargoDome. “It would be huge. I can’t remember the last time someone from Texas brought it home and it helps a lot with college since it is a hard weight class (126) and I’ll have a good bracket again as always.”
The Lowe-down
Vinnie Lowe first started going to Fargo with the Texas team in 2010 and likes what he saw from the team members in Fort Worth.
The Katy head coach is ready for another trip to North Dakota.
One of his high school wrestlers, Owen Vaught, has been at the camp in Fort Worth. He was a 138-pound wrestler that was a state qualifier at 144 in Class 6A this year for the Tigers.
The rivalries that go on during the regular season between those from Houston, Austin and Dallas kind of go by the wayside when they are representing the state in an elite competition.
“We all have our region pride, but it’s nice,” Lowe said. “I think this group of kids and even the coaches, we get involved to where there are group chats going on all year, these kids have now created lifelong friends that are in the same mindset as they are. The coaches are in touch with each other all the time. So we look forward to this time of year when we get to come together.”
Lowe commended the wrestlers that give up nearly two weeks of the summer to train and compete to go to Fargo….
