CYPRESS – Five of the Valley’s girls wrestling regional champions have advanced to the quarterfinal round of the UIL state wrestling meet today at the Berry Center in Cypress, keeping their hopes alive for a state title.
Each of them will wrestle later this afternoon for a spot in the semifinals, which will take place Saturday along with the finals.
In Class 5A, McAllen Memorial sisters Serenity De La Garza (138 pounds) and Eternity De La Garza (165) and PSJA Memorial’s Lorena Torres (185) each won their first match.
In Class 6A, PSJA High’s Jessica Villanueva improved to 37-0 in the 185-pound division while Edinburg Economedes sophomore Marla Jimenez also advanced.
For the boys, Weslaco High senior Roman Saldana advanced to today’s semifinals with a pair of victories. The 285-pound Region IV-6A champ improved to 28-2 with a pair of decisions. First, he defeated Southlake Carroll’s Dylan Vaughn, 6-5 before earning a 3-1 victory over Logan Latham of Clear Springs. He will face off against Region I champ, Caleb Jinks (34-1) for a shot in the finals later Saturday.
PSJA Memorial’s Damien Aguilera won his first-round match before falling in the second round. Fellow 106-pounder Thiago Almeida of Los Fresnos also won his first match before being pinned.
Wrestlers who lose one match on Friday are still in the mix to place through the consolation bracket. However, two losses on Friday eliminates wrestlers from competition.
Edinburg Vela’s Nicholas Senior, the Region IV-6A champion, dropped both of his matches Friday.
The quarterfinal round for the girls are expected to start at approximately 3:30 p.m. today.