WESLACO — Weslaco High head wrestling coach Moises Chavez was worried about having to face the Sharyland High Rattlers in the championship of the Tomas Garces Invitational.
Despite injuries and facing what Chavez called one of the best teams in the Rio Grande Valley, the Panthers defeated the Rattlers to take home the boys championship Saturday at Weslaco High School.
“Pretty happy,” Chavez said. “There were some guys that came up big, guys that have struggled the last couple of weeks, but now they are starting to blossom. It is perfect timing because district is right around the corner.”
Weslaco High defeated Los Fresnos and Rio Grande City in duals to advance to the championship against Sharyland High.
The Panthers are captained by the nephew of Tomas Garces, who is also named Tomas Garces. The younger Garces, wrestling in the 215-pound weight class, picked up a quick pin in his match against a Sharyland High opponent.
“We really did put it all out on the mat,” the younger Garces said. “I saw everybody putting it on the line.”
Bruno Valladares, a 113-pounder, and Elias Rodriguez, a 138-pounder, picked up easy wins in the tournament, and Gabriel Quiroga at 126 pounds overcame a 7-2 deficit to win 9-8 in a tremendous comeback against Sharyland High.
“Overall, it was a great win for the team,” Chavez said.
Rio Grande City finished in third place by defeating the San Benito Greyhounds.
San Benito took home the girls championship at the Tomas Garces Invitational. The Greyhounds defeated Rio Grande City in the championship dual.
“We have been getting close every single tournament,” San Benito girls head coach Kristen Longoria said. “We finally were able to finish it off. It was a complete team win. It just feels great.”
It came down to 152-pounder Adamary Cortez, a fifth-place finisher in the regional tournament in 2022. Cortez easily pinned her opponent to deliver the title to the Greyhounds.
Cortez was eager to wrestle at a tournament that has eluded her until now, her senior year. Last year, a Greyhounds wrestler felt sick, so the whole team had to leave, she said.
“So being able to wrestle here and take home first place feels really great,” Cortez said.
Weslaco High’s girls took home third place. The niece of the elder Tomas Garces, Elektra Garces, picked up a pin in 39 seconds in her only match of the day.
“It was a great tournament,” Chavez said. “Great participation from the community. We had the Tomas Garces family here. Seeing them walk around with that big smile on their face, it makes it all worthwhile.”