McAllen Rowe and McAllen Memorial boys and girls wrestlers traveled 230 miles to tangle on the mat and get a taste of the competition they may encounter at regionals.
Both teams traveled together to San Antonio over the weekend and showcased their might at the 2020 Lee High School Invitational and matched up against top state teams and ranked wrestlers.
The wrestling tournament was held Jan. 11.
“We knew it was going to be a blood bath, and they proved they are getting better,” McAllen Memorial head coach Eddie Gonzalez said about the competition and McAllen wrestlers. “It would have been nice if we would have been able to win more.”
Both schools had wrestlers place in both boys and girls divisions against the stiff competition.
McAllen Rowe’s Petey Lozano (10-1) placed first in the 145-pound division. Lozano defeated Cibolo Steele’s Olija Alexander 22-10.
And McAllen Memorial’s Justin Garcia (18-6) finished second in the 138-pound division. Garcia was defeated by Schertz Clemens’s DeShawn Crosby (23-2).
Other area wrestlers who finished in the top four in their division from McAllen were McAllen Rowe’s Juan Garcia (8-7). He finished fourth in the 160-pound division and was defeated by San Antonio Madison’s Tommy Smith (18-10).
McAllen Memorial’s Amaya Marroquin (12-2) finished fourth in the 148 weight class. She was defeated by San Antonio Brooks Academy Rose Scotello (10-14).
The two Valley schools competed against 21 San Antonio-area wrestling teams.
The top five boys teams were San Antonio Johnson, Schertz Clemens, San Antonio Churchill, San Antonio Madison and San Antonio Roosevelt, respectively.
The top five girls teams were Cibolo Steele, San Antonio Madison, Comal Smithson Valley and San Antonio Lee, respectively.
“We were their to make a showing, prove to people that our wrestlers are getting better and for our wrestlers to see what level they are at, so when they get to regionals they know what to expect from the competition,” Gonzalez said.