For only the third time under the two-class system in girls wrestling, a team from the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex has won a state title.
The Azle girls won their second state championship and the first since 2013 at the UIL Class 5A girls wrestling championship held Feb. 13-14 in Cypress. Azle won the Class 4A title in 2012-13, before UIL redid the number system to make it 5A and 6A.
Justin Northwest won the crown in the 2022-23 season. Other than that, the list of champions has been from El Paso, Lubbock or Amarillo.
The Hornets scored 127 1/2 points, fourth most in 5A history.
Melissa, ranked No. 1 heading into state, stayed in second and finished with 87. After day 1, Azle led with 53 1/2 points, just barely ahead of Melissa, which had 53.
El Paso Bel Air took third with 74 points.
Lubbock Cooper was the 2-time defending champion heading into the tournament.
Let’s look at how we did with our picks for the individual champions.
100
Our Favorite: Noah Kovach, jr., Azle
Our Contenders: Lila Breedlove, jr., Borger and Carly Rodriguez, jr., Corpus Christi Veterans Memorial
Our Sleeper: Ashley Marron Rodriguez, sr., Austin L.C. Anderson
How did we do? Kovach won the 100-pound title for the second year in a row. She beat Breedlove, 8-7, in the finals thanks to an escape and then a takedown with 43 seconds left. Kovach was 44-1 this year and her .977 winning percentage is now 4th all time, beating her previous mark of .972 set last year when she went 35-1. Rodriguez, who lost to Breedlove in the semifinals, took third with a win over Marron Rodriguez. Natalie Garcia from Chisholm Trail beat Hailyn Jaye Gonzalez from Mission Sharyland Pioneer for 5th with a pin in 56 seconds.
“A lot of hard work went into last year and takes more hard work to defend it…They are always coming for you and you have to work even harder than you did the first time.”
Noah Kovach
105
Our Favorite: Ava Aragon, sr., McAllen
Our Contenders: Bella Sandoval, jr., Leander Rouse and Scarlet Hillis, sr., Melissa
Our Sleeper: Ava Posas, fr., Midlothian Heritage —
How did we do?
Aragon had pins in three of her four matches, including a fall in 1:20 against Anissa Nichols of Canyon Randall. Aragon was 41-2 this year. Randall punched her ticket to the finals with a thrilling 13-12 win over Nicole Soldevilla of Borger in the semifinals. Gonzales from Lubbock Cooper ended up 3rd with a 2-0 win over Soldevilla. In the 5th-place match, Avalos from Smithson Valley beat Hillis. Sandoval lost in the blood round to Hillis, while Posas was 1-2.
110
Our Favorite
Aro Ogle-Garza, jr., Lucas Lovejoy
Our Contenders: Mary Griffin, jr., Melissa and Adelia Reyes, sr., San Antonio Karen J. Wagner
Our Sleeper: Jency Twee, so., Amarillo Palo Duro
How did we do?
Ogle-Garza bounced back from taking 2nd last year by winning the title with a dominating 16-0 tech fall win over Griffin. Ogle-Garza finished 28-2 this year, while Griffin was 46-7.
Laila Wetzel from New Braunfels Long Creek pinned Lauren Marquez from El Paso Bel Air in the third-place match. Frisco Centennial’s Emilee Smith won by medical forfeit over Reyes for 5th.
Our sleeper, Twee, lost in the blood round to Wetzel.
115
Our Favorite: Addison Hunt, so., Anna
Our Contender: Ava Milliner, sr., Killeen Chaparral
Our Sleeper: Lauren McHam, jr., Canyon Randall
How did we do?
We were right on Milliner, but not her foe. She faced Isabella Arevalos of Corpus Christi Richard King and won by pin with 4 seconds left. She was up 6-0 at the time. She won a state title in 2024, but missed last year due to an injury. She was 31-1 this year. Our favorite, Hunt, was upset 8-1 by Arevloas in the semifinals. Hunt beat McHam in the 3rd-place match with a pin in 18 seconds. Hunt was 41-1 this year after winning a state title last year. Samara Lerma from Harlingen South was 5th, beating Evelyn Fuentes from Frisco Lone Star by pin in 3:31.
120
Our Favorite: Genevieve Bellino, sr., Corpus Christi Mary Carroll
Our Contender: Mackenzie Harris, fr., Azle
Our Sleeper: Kaylee Deer, so., Burleson
How did we do?
We only picked two and it was the two in the finals. Bellino repeated as a state champion with a pin in 4:43 against Harris, leading 8-0 at the time. Bellino was 53-0 this year, while Harris finished 48-2.
