Photo Above: Road Warriors OW Treble Castor, Coach Sam Estrada, OW Camillo Esqueda
Texas has turned out some big wrestling names. Stars like Tamyra Mensah-Stock, Bo Nickal and Brandon Slay (current world team coach from Amarillo, TX) are familiar in most wrestling households.
Young athletes with high hopes for future success may wonder what it takes to wrestle in college, make it to the NCAA finals, or even the World stage. Wrestling is a complex skill. As with any skill, it takes time, consistency and a lot of work to master. Malcolm Gladwell, in his book āOutliersā, popularized the concept of the 10,000 hour rule which postulates that it takes 10,000 hours of intensive practice to achieve mastery of complex skills.
The 10,000-hour rule definitely applies to wrestling. Youth wrestlers log those hours at tournaments and during practice sessions at one of the 143 youth clubs across the state of Texas. They slowly, but surely, increase their experience and improve their skills one period/one match at a time in 60-90 second increments in the competition setting. This past weekend there were three large tournaments hosted in Texas.
Over 1000 Texas youth wrestlers took to the mats in Allen, Amarillo and El Paso to bank some minutes toward their mastery of this complex skill. Several wrestlers double-bracketed to chase tougher competition and accumulate mat time.
The Far-West Region hosted its ninth consecutive Edge of Texas Nationals tournament in El Paso on December 10. Over 300 wrestlers from 26 teams representing Texas, Arizona and New Mexico took to the mats to compete for the title of champion in their age and weight groups. Cyborg Marquez of Grant County Elite was the stand-out wrestler of the day. He won first place in 3 brackets racking up 8 pins in total! Hailey Stephenson led the girls with most pins. Stephenson championed the G2 75lb- and corresponding D2 boys bracket racking up five pins in total. The winning team was Grant County Elite with 384 points, in second place was Nxt Level with 375.5 points and in third place, El Paso Wildcats with 252 points. Below is the list of all of the individual champions (winners of multiple brackets are bolded):
Tot 35lbs-Desmond Macias of Roswell Invasion
Tot 38lbs- Isaiah Leyba of Grant County Elite
Tot 41lbs- Cyborg Marquez of Grant County Elite
Tot 44-48lbs- Cyborg Marquez of Grant County Elite
Tot 56-60lbs- Zeke Adams of EP Supers Wrestling Club
Tot HWT- Rhyder Lehman of Grant County Elite
D1 38-42lbs- Cyborg Marquez of Grant County Elite
D1 46lbs- Kemp Enriquez of EP Enforcers
D1 50lbs- Sadie Stephenson of NXT Level Wrestling Academy
D1 55lbs- Camren Redwine of Wolfpack Wrestling Academy
D1 60lbs- Asic Gallegos of Grant County Elite
D1 65lbs- Cooper Lehman of Grant County Elite
D1 72lbs- Noah Johnson of Lil dons wrestling club
D1 80lbs- Joshua Avalos of EP Wildcats
D1 HWT- Esai Martinez of Wolfpack Wrestling Academy
D2 49lbs- Joshua Acosta of Wild West
D2 52lbs- Camren Redwine of Wolfpack Wrestling Academy
D2 55lbs- Bo Rios of NXT Level Wrestling Academy
D2 58lbs- Hisys Sanchez Garcia Jr of NXT Level Wrestling Academy
D2 61lbs- Orlando Ayers of Team Xtreme
D2 65lbs- Chason Al-Hanfoosh of NXT Level Wrestling Academy
D2 70lbs- Gunner Lehman of Grant County Elite
D2 75lbs- Hailey Stephenson of NXT Level Wrestling Academy
D2 83lbs- Diego Marquez of Grant County Elite
D2 92-100lbs- Diego Marquez of Grant County Elite
D2 115lbs- Peyton Vigil of Grant County Elite
D2 HWT- Elijah Lara of NXT Level Wrestling Academy
D3 56-60lbs- Caleb Marquez of Lockjaw Wrestling Club
D3 65lbs- Jaden Harrison of Bordertown Brawlers
D3 70-75lbs- Regan Gutierrez of Grant County Elite
D3 80lbs- Antonio Ochoa of Team Xtreme
D3 85-90lbs- Tiger Ruiz of NB Elite
D3 95-100lbs- Luis Alvarado of Grant County Elite
D3 110-120lbs- Luno Escobedo of NXT Level Wrestling Academy
D3 135lbs- Pablo Ramirez of Lockjaw Wrestling Club
D4 75lbs- Joe Aguirre of Grant County Elite
D4 80-86lbs- Hailey Delgado of NXT Level Wrestling Academy
D4 92-98lbs- Hector Ortiz of NXT Level Wrestling Academy
D4 106-113lbs- D`Angelo Zuniga of NXT Level Wrestling Academy
D4 120lbs- Dimas Sosa of NXT Level Wrestling Academy
D4 126-132lbs- Andrew Tarango of EP Wildcats
D4 140-150lbs- Jayada Ramos of Stay Sharp Wrestling Club
D4 162-175lbs- Rafael Perez of Uvalde wrestling club
D4 200lbs- Andre Martinez of New Mexico Bad Boyz
Girls 1 35-42lbs- Lillyana Griego of Lockjaw Wrestling Club
Girls 1 46-50lbs- Sadie Stephenson of NXT Level Wrestling Academy
Girls 1 55-60lbs- Natalie Scott of Stay Sharp Wrestling Club
Girls 1 65-72lbs- Kamryn Clark of EP Supers Wrestling Club
Girls 2 46-49lbs- Khloe Enriquez of EP Wildcats
Girls 2 55-58lbs- Natalie Shaver of NXT Level Wrestling Academy
Girls 2 65-75lbs- Hailey Stephenson of NXT Level Wrestling Academy
Girls 2 83-92lbs- Sophia Tellez of NB Elite
Girls 2 HWTlbs- Zayly Adams of EP Supers Wrestling Club
Girls 3 65-75lbs- Onesty Simmons-Ketchum of Stay Sharp Wrestling Club
Girls 3 80-85lbs- Alexa Flores of Grant County Elite
Girls 3 95-106lbs- Jaylee DeSantos of NXT Level Wrestling Academy
Girls 4 92-98lbs- Hailey Delgado of NXT Level Wrestling Academy
Girls 4 105-110lbs- Allessandra Toscano of NXT Level Wrestling Academy
Girls 4 119-127lbs- Naime Abdallah of Team Xtreme
Girls 4 136-145lbs- Jayada Ramos of Stay Sharp Wrestling Club
Girls 4 185lbs- Bella Moreno of NXT Level Wrestling Academy
Up in the panhandle of Texas, Amarillo was host to Rocky Mountain Nationals’s “Road Warriors” tournament. This is the second year RMN has hosted this tournament in Amarillo. There were 7 states represented- 31 teams in all from Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, Colorado, Kansas, Missouri and Iowa. Two Lubbock wrestlers, both from ReZults Wrestling, earned the honor of being named Most Outstanding Wrestler for their divisions. Treble Castor, 6U 46lbs, achieved 3 falls in time of 2:10. Camillo Equeda, 15U 102lbs, achieved 3 falls in a time of 3:30. In all there were 27 Texas champions who brought home crystal trophies:
6U37 Korbin Naugebauer of West Amarillo Rhinos
6U 46 Treble Castor of ReZults Wrestling- OW
6U HWT Lathen Askins of Randall Wrestling Club
8U 46 Elias Morgas of Dumas Wrestling
8U 50 Keo Andrist of ReZults Wrestling
8U 62 Landon Liles of Maverick Elite
8U 66 Dreyson Duffendack of Randall Wrestling Club
10U 65 Daniel Morgas of Dumas Wrestling
10U 73 Nazeyah Pina of Wesley Wrestling Club
10U 77 Bradlee Garcia of Wesley Wrestling Club
10U 89 Abram Loya of Dumas Wrestling
10U 100 Nathaniel Whiteside of Randall Youth Wrestling Club
10U 113 Luke Lucero of ReZults Wrestling
12U 70 Aiven Martinez of Maverick Elite
12U 74 Miguel Sandoval of Wesley Wrestling Club
12U 86 Noah Bufkin of Randall Wrestling Club
12U 90 Jonathan Campos of Dumas Wrestling
12U 98 Carson Brown of West Amarillo Rhinos
12U 106 Michael Jace Loya of Dumas Wrestling
12U 122 Carter Barrio of ReZults Wrestling
12U HWT Johnny Falcon of Dumas Wrestling
15U 99 Zyair Conzales of Wesley Wrestling Club
15U 102 Camillo Esqueda of ReZults Wrestling- OW
Girls 10U 58 Ana Mardigal of Borger Youth Wrestling
Girls 10U 80 Zaybri Curiel of West Texas Grapplers
Girls 12U 94 Mikayela Valdez of Wesley Wrestling Club
Girls 12U HWT Charlotte Campey of West Texas Grapplers
The Central region hosted its 13th annual Allen Tournament of Champions. There were50 teams present with over 600 athletes wrestling on 10 mats over 5 separate sessions. Zaylyn Woods from Texas Elite was a tournament stand-out earning 1st place in 3 brackets. She racked up 9 falls over the course of the day. Ben Gruner from Scotās Wrestling Club pinned his way through 2 brackets with 5 falls to earn first place in his D3 and D4 brackets. Texas Elite won the tournament with a score of 334.5 points. The second place team, with 308.5 points, was Best Trained Wrestling and the third place team, Apex Grappling Academy earned 295 points.
Below is the list of champions. Winners across multiple brackets are in bold:
TOT Open- 35-38- Austin Baker of Apex Grappling Academy
TOT Open- 41- Case Danielson of Texas Elite Wrestling Club
TOT Open- 44- Bowen Brown of Cardinal Wrestling Club
TOT Open- 48- Cash Maxwell of Texas Elite Wrestling Club
TOT Open- 52- Hagan Mangham of Texas Takedown Academy
TOT Open- 56- Devin Portales of Texas Elite Wrestling Club
TOT Open- 60-HWT- Emmett Adamson of Lake Highlands Club Wrestling
D1 Open- 42-46- Serenity Esparza of Mission Wrestling Club
D1 Open- 50- Augustus Adams of Spartan Mat Club
D1 Open- 55-60- Luke Kirby of Apex Grappling Academy
D1 Open- 65-72- Brayden Tindal of Best Trained Wrestling
D1 Open- 80-HWT- Colt Poynter of Apex Grappling Academy
D2 Open- 55- Jaxson Lawrence of NB Elite Wrestling Club
D2 Open- 58- Gabriel Coyle of Amped Wrestling Club
D2 Open- 61- Hutson Heuring of Amped Wrestling Club
D2 Open- 65- Cael Danielson of Texas Elite Wrestling Club
D2 Open- 70- Cord Christensen of Texas Elite Wrestling Club
D2 Open- 75- Camden Danielson of Texas Elite Wrestling Club
D2 Open- 83- Brayden Turdo of Texas Elite Wrestling Club
D2 Open- 92-115- Andrew Sanchez of Apex Grappling Academy
D3 Open- 65- Parker Anthony of Warrior Wrestling Club
D3 Open- 70- Kinsler Brown of Amped Wrestling Club
D3 Open- 75- Dandre Adams of Lofton Style Wrestling Club
D3 Open- 80- John Alvarado of Apex Grappling Academy
D3 Open- 85- Ben Gruner of Scots Wrestling Club
D3 Open- 90- Jayden Woolfolk of Star Wrestling Club
D3 Open- 95- Kyler Pham of Prosper Talons Wrestling
D3 Open- 100-110- Zaylyn Woods of Texas Elite Wrestling Club
D3 Open- 120-135- Ian Crosby of Texas Elite Wrestling Club
D4 Open- 75- Charles Scrappy Alvarez Iii of Warrior Trained Wrestling
D4 Open- 80- Nick Payne of Boneyard Wrestling Academy
D4 Open- 86- Ben Gruner of Scots Wrestling Club
D4 Open- 92- Oliver Pulliam of Best Trained Wrestling
D4 Open- 98- Victor Matos of Firebird Trained Wrestling Club
D4 Open- 106- Dominic Salazar of High Ground Wrestling
D4 Open- 113- Shiloh Jackson-Bey of Best Trained Wrestling
D4 Open- 120- Izayiah Chavez of Best Trained Wrestling
D4 Open- 126-140- Holden Hart of Boneyard Wrestling Academy
D4 Open- 150-156- Cody Savage of Ranger 47 Wrestling Club
D4 Open- 175- Jackson Barnhisel of Warrior Wrestling Club
D5 Open- 100-106- Cayden Campbell of Best Trained Wrestling
D5 Open- 113- Izayiah Chavez of Best Trained Wrestling
D5 Open- 120- Luca Rios of Boneyard Wrestling Academy
D5 Open- 126- Carlos Arriaga of Apex Grappling Academy
D5 Open- 132- Ayden Torres of Warrior Trained Wrestling
D5 Open- 138-144- Gunnar Ohrn of Best Trained Wrestling
D5 Open- 150- Carter Nekvapil of Best Trained Wrestling
D5 Open- 165- Tyler Duelley of Allen High School Wrestling
D5 Open- 175-190- Cooper Lock of Spartan Mat Club
Girls 1- 46- Alayla Dow of Texas Elite Wrestling Club
Girls 1- 50- Kyleigh Danielson of Texas Elite Wrestling Club
Girls 1- 55-60- Rylee Russell of High Ground Wrestling
Girls 2- 55-61-65- Rosalie Wood of Apex Grappling Academy
Girls 2- 70-83- Solana White of Spartan Mat Club
Girls 2- 199- Nora Duelley of Best Trained Wrestling
Girls 3- 70-75- Michaela Brown Ton of Best Trained Wrestling
Girls 3- 80-85- MacKenzie Harris of Texas Elite Wrestling Club
Girls 3- 90-95-102- Zaylyn Woods of Texas Elite Wrestling Club
Girls 4- 85-92- Addison Hunt of Texas Takedown Academy
Girls 4- 98- Dalilah Coyle of Amped Wrestling Club
Girls 4- 105-110- Zaylyn Woods of Texas Elite Wrestling Club
Girls 4- 119- Kailin Sebert of Best Trained Wrestling
Girls 4- 127-145- Remington LaFlamme of Cypress Wrestling Club
Girls 4- 185- Jaida Kuntz of Cypress Wrestling Club
Girls 5- 106-113- Violet Fortier of Spartan Mat Club
Girls 5- 120- Kailin Sebert of Best Trained Wrestling
