TexasWrestling
Last year the Team race was Dumas all the way and they look to repeat as state champs. Canyon Randall, who has beaten Dumas in a dual this season, has yet to beat Dumas in a tournament. Both teams are coming in loaded. Like the 6A boys, we are only breaking down the top ranked wrestlers per weight.
106–#1 ranked Alex Hernandez of Dumas is the lone state placer here from last year placing 3rd. #2 Diego Serna of Sharyland Pioneer is a 2x state qualifier but has yet to reach the podium. Both are seniors in a bracket full of top notch freshman. Hernandez is in the bottom bracket and could have #3 ranked Abel Alvarado of PSJA Memorial in the quarter finals who has split wins with Serna the last couple weeks, then #5 Juan Martinez of Conroe Caney Creek who won the region 3. Serna on the top side will have to go through the winner of #7 Brayden Valdez of Lubbock Monterey and #8 Gavin Word of College Station A&M in the quarter finals before meeting #4 Tyten Volk of Frisco Centennial in the semi finals.
113-The top 4 ranked wrestlers here are all from Region 1. Last years state champ #4 Alex Pena of Lubbock place 4th to barely make it back to contend for a 2nd title. #1 Javier Duchene of El Paso Del Valle who placed 3rd last year won Region 1. #2 Jesse Martinez of Dumas placed 2nd last year and took 2nd at region 1 and new comer #3 Ezekial Ramirez of Canyon Randall is the 4th region 1 placer.
Duchene is on the top side and wouldn’t see Pena till the semi finals. Pena’s first match is against #5 Javier Chapa of Victoria West a 2x state qualifier. On the bottom half is Ramirez and Martinez whom wouldn’t meet till the semi finals if each of them made it. Each has to go through the regional champs #8 Felix Saunders of Midlothian and #9 D’Andre Brown of Wylie East.
120- #1 Mason Purvis of El Paso Chapin leads the weight class here, placed 4th last year and is undefeated thus far this year. #2 Andres Mendoza of Canyon Randall (place 5th) who Purvis beat in the region 1 finals will have the #3 Reynoldo Perez of Uvalde who place 6th in the quarter finals. #4 Dario Rivera of Carrollton Turner and #5 Noah Duval of Springtown are also on the bottom side making this any one’s game to make the finals. Purvis will have the #6 Aidan Connors of Grapevine, #7 Bryant Bailey of Hutto, #9Angel Avila of Sharyland Pioneer, and #10 Brodie Dyer of Dripping Springs to content with to reach the finals.
126–#1 Ranked Johnathon Ortegon of Canyon Randall is aiming for his 4th State Championship and if he succeeds will become the first UIL 5A boys 4x champion ever. Ortegon is on the top side and #2 Tyler Brennan of Frisco is on the bottom side and will ranking wise have a tougher road to reach the finals with 5 top 10 ranked wrestler on his side vs 3 on Ortegon side. Either way its the state tournament and every match will be tough.#3 Jarred Adams of Hutto is on the top side and #4 James Yarbro of Carrollton Creekview is on the bottom side.
132–#1 Heath Roth a 2x state finalist and state champion has only 1 loss in his career and that was in the finals last year at state. Roth has even beaten the #1 132-6A Tagen Jamison earlier last month. The first 3 ranked guys are all from Region 2 with #2 La Stot Pleasant of Frisco Lone Star and #3 Jaren Powell of Burleson Centennial on the bottom side from Roth along with the #5, #6, and #7 ranked wrestlers making the bottom side a killer to get through. #4 Ahlee Yart of Dumas wouldn’t see Roth till the semi finals.
138–#1 Precious Essien of Frisco Liberty and #2 Jackson Carter of Midlothian are from the same region so that means they are now on opposites of the bracket potentially giving Carter another chance at defeating Essien in the finals. However they both gotta get there first. #3 Gilbert Falcon of Dumas, #4 Isaiah Ayala of Carrollton Creekview both are coming in with regional championships under their belt for Carter to go through on the top side. Essien will have #5 Robert Fountain of McKinney North and Region 4 champ #8 Roman Corona to go through on the bottom side.
145--#1 Chase Warden of Dripping Springs is the only returning state placer here at this weight and Warden is also a national AA. Warden is on the top side and has a ranking wise fairly easy trip to the semi finals to get to the #3 Jared Gallegos of Canyon Randall. Delgado will have a tougher route with #4, #5, #6, #7, and #8 ranked wrestlers in the bottom have of the bracket.
152-#2 Kye Fehrenbacher of Wylie East whom place 2nd last year at state dropped from the #1 position this week due to #1 Micah Wiginton of Pflugerville Weiss who placed 3rd at state last year defeating him in the region 3 finals. Fehrenbacher will have #3 ranked Omar Delgado in the quarter finals before he would see #4 hank Meyer from Burleson Centennial who is still undefeated this year. That is if Meyer gets by #7 Mason Kruljac of College Station A&M Cons in the quarter finals. Wiginton on the bottom side could run into #5 Moses Torres of Canyon Randall in the quarter finals on his way.
160-#1 Seth Dixon of Hereford will go for his 2nd consecutive state championship. Dixon on the bottom side of the bracket with an evenly group of wrestlers its anyones guess who he might face for a repeat. On the top side you have Brandon Bostwick of Midlothian who climbed the rankings to the #2 spot and could see #6 Mason Ding of Carrollton Creekview in the quarter finals.
170–A pair of Sophomores lead the rankings here with #1 Branson Britton of Canyon Randall an AA last summer and #2 Cullen Davee of Arygle, each won their region. The only returning state placer is #6 Austin Widner of Frisco Liberty whom Davee beat in the region 2 finals. Britton got the bottom side of the bracket with the #4 ranked Estaban Gallardo of Corpus Christi Moody. Davee got the top side with #3 ranked and still undefeated this year Manny Elizondo of Friendswood.
182-#1 Aiden Jean of Northwest is also the returning state runner up, and the only returning state placer at this weight. Jean will be tested as he has t0 go through #6 Alexis Vejar of College Station A&M possibly in the quarter finals then #3 Gavin O’Brian of Canyon Randall in the semi finals. #2 Langston Mayrant of New Waverly was a state qualifier last year and will have a tough road to reach the finals having #4 Jose Uribe of El Paso, #5 Marcos ‘Abraham’ Hinojosa of El Paso Hanks, and #7 Colby Lensing of Cedar Park the region 4 champ on his side of the bracket.
195- 4 state placers in this group returning with #1 Clayton Jetton of Dripping Springs who placed 3rd last year will have #3 Diego Lorenso of Frisco Liberty on his side of the bracket on the bottom half. Both will have to do some serious wrestling to reach each other in the semi finals. On the top side #2 Geronimo Saucedo of Wylie East another state placer @ 6th last year will have the other state placer #6 Truman Castleberry of Vernon who placed 4th. Both won their regional tournament. #4 Kallon Guyton of Leander Glenn and #5 Austin Lumetta of Corpus Christi Ray will be contours on the top side as well.
220-State runner up #1 Alex Torres of Lamar Fulshear with only one loss on the season will have the top of the bracket and #2 Michael Gaisoa of Frisco Lone Star a 4th place finisher last year could meet Torres in the semi finals. #3 ranked Daniel Kim of Carrollton Creekview didn’t win his region against Gaisoa which puts him in the bottom half of the bracket where he will have to contend with #4 Jeff Jackson Amarillo a 5th in state placer with one loss if he gets by #10 Tompkins of Midlothian. #5 Jacob Munoz of Cedar park could meet the winners in the semi finals.
285-Is murderers row, In region 3 both undefeated state champs battled with Chidozie Nwankwo of Richmond Foster winning against the Nationally ranked 2x state champ of 220 last year Aidan Connor of Highland Park. Nwankwo gave Connor his first loss in 2 years. So #3 Carlos Sanchez of Dumas a state runner up last year to Nwankwo and still undefeated on the year could have Connor in the quarter finals. The winner could face #8 Marshall Hodges of Midlothian who in my opinion is under ranked the winner of region 2. #4 Elijah Fernandez of El Paso Eastwood, #5 Roland Castro of Lubbock Estacado and #6 Ben Bell of Cedar park will are on the top side and will have to go through the champ to possibly reach another champ in the finals.
