McALLEN — McAllen High goalkeeper Lexi Gonzalez made the sign of the cross, kissed her finger and hopped to tap the top of the goal as she moved into position at the start of the second half of the Bulldogs’ soccer game against San Antonio Taft.

“I do that every game to make sure everyone has a good game and no injuries and from me getting scored on,” Gonzalez said about her pregame ritual.

The Bulldogs were already sitting on a 3-0 lead and she had yet to be challenged at goal as the Bulldogs went on to win the contest Friday night.

Taft had two unsuccessful shots on goal during the second half as Gonzalez corralled each strike by scooping up the first shot in front of her opponent and on a diving catch on the ground to stop the ball from coming near the goal to help add to the Bulldogs’ win in their second match of the day.

“This is probably the best game we’ve played and we keep getting better and better,” Gonzalez said.

The win marked the Bulldogs’ third straight shutout at the McAllen ISD Soccer Showcase.

The three-day showcase began Thursday featured Corpus Christi King, Donna North, Los Fresnos, McAllen High, McAllen Memorial, San Antonio Warren and San Antonio Taft.

Games continue today at noon at McAllen High and McAllen Memorial.

“Every team plays four games,” McAllen High head coach Pat Arney said. “We are just trying to get some good games against some quality opposition and that’s what it’s all about — playing some good games.”

The Bulldogs shutout Corpus Christi King 10-0 on Thursday and San Antonio Warren 2-0 early Friday before closing out their 3-0 win over Taft.

“The defense is playing good and Lexi (Gonzalez) is playing good and we are just happy to keep the steam rolling,” Arney said.

The Bulldogs will host the Los Fresnos Falcons today at noon in McAllen.

The Bulldogs didn’t waste any time going back to work to add more wins to the soccer program after reaching the 500 mark on Thursday against Corpus Christi King.

Arney paced the sideline holding his hands behind his back, but on the field he wasn’t holding any back as he watched his team work to find a shot on goal against Taft.

The Bulldogs dribbled their way down field passing and using their wing strikers to take the lead over San Antonio Taft.

McAllen High’s Sophia Soto lifted the Bulldogs to a 1-0 lead early in the first three minutes of play.

McAllen went on to control the possession in the first half and in the second half.

“We have been playing better every game these past couple days,” McHi’s Westyn Henderson said. “Our goal is to always get a shutout and our defense is really confident and we are picking up where we left off last season, but we were really confident going into the game that was what were going to do.”

On the second scoring drive started with a Henderson inbound pass from the corner to her teammate. It was kicked back to her and she dribbled past her defender along the sideline and feed the ball to teammate Sophie Soto who was ready to strike in front of the Taft goal to lift the Bulldogs to a 2-0 lead in the first half.

“I thought we played awesome the first thirty minutes and we hung on to do some stuff and some of the girls are hurting,” Arney said. “It’s the third game in two days and it’s the beginning of the season and some of the girls are a little roughed up. Taft is a great team and we will take a 3-0 victory over them any day.”

When Arney first took the head coach job in the 1996-97 season, reaching 500 wins or making a state appearance may have been just a dream.

“I’m really proud of all the girls who have ever played McHI girls soccer. We didn’t get to 500 just because there was nobody else to play. We only get about 25 games per year so we’ve done well.

Win No. 500 came on the first game of the season, but Arney and the team were hoping to reach the mark last season in a win that would have put the Bulldogs to in the region tournament.

“Unfortunately it didn’t work out that way, but that is the way the ball bounces, but it’s cool. I don’t think there are many coached in Texas that can say we’ve gone 500 games.”

This year marks Arney’s 24th year as head coach.

“Things have been going well since then,” Arney said. “The girls have worked hard and I think back to all the great teams that we’ve had in the past. This is a huge testament to them and all their hard work and commitment and dedication. We’ve had some great teams, great players and great kids.”

[email protected]

LA JOYA — The La Joya Juarez-Lincoln Huskies had their normal practice Wednesday night, and then began setting up to host their first wrestling tournament of the year in their house.

Boys and girls matches are scheduled to begin at 9 a.m. today and will continue throughout the day and end in the evening. They are sure to be filled with slams, wrist locks, choke holds, and wrestlers falling on each other as they fight for position to gain points against their opponents or pin them for the win.

The Huskies have three top wrestlers entering the tournament. Two of them are undefeated, and the third has only one loss in 25 matches.

They are Willie Bonilla (24-1) in the 195-pound weight class. Bonilla is coming off his first loss of the season at last week’s Twin Cities Invitational.

His loss came to the hands of Edcouch-Elsa’s Joel Garza.

Jose Cerda (19-0) remains unbeaten in the 132-pound weight class, and Carlos Doria (8-0) will make his return to the 126-pound division after missing two meets due to an injury.

Doria’s stiffest competition will come from Los Fresnos’ Roman Rodriguez (9-1), who finished first in the Twin City Invitational last week.

“We are excited to have good teams coming here to compete,” La Joya Juarez-Lincoln head coach Armando Resendez said. “There are going to be some tough matches.”

Many of those tough matches may be rematches between wrestlers who went head-to-head at last week’s Twin Cities Invitational in Elsa.

Teams scheduled to attend the wrestling tournament today are Donna North, Edcouch-Elsa, La Joya High, La Joya Juarez-Lincoln, La Joya Palmview, Los Fresnos, Mission High, PSJA High, PSJA North, PSJA Southwest, Rio Grande City, Roma and San Benito.

Edcouch-Elsa has four wrestlers coming into the tournament as champions from their last meet in Derick Arelano (9-0) at 106; Joel Garza (15-1) at 195; Ross Uresti (4-0) in the 182 weight class; and Felipe Neves (15-0) at 170.

It is the first year Juarez-Lincoln hosts the tournament. In the past, La Joya High had traditionally held the wrestling tournament.

Many of the same teams which competed against each other at the Twin City Invitational will be looking for a rematch while others look to extend their winning streaks as they prepare for the district championships in February.

In the 145 weight class Jacob Gonzalez (20-0) of La Joya is coming into the tournament. He may be contested by Los Fresnos’ Kevin Ponce (8-2) once again as the both of them went at it for the championship in Elsa last week.

La Joya’s Michael De la Cerda (21-0) will also see some of the same faces on the mat he defeated in Elsa.

The girls matches will also be happening all day. Matches will begin at 9 a.m. today after the wrestlers are weighed in. Each of the participants will be wrestling throughout the day and championship rounds will most likely begin around 6 p.m.

Some of the top girls heading into today’s tournament are Mission High’s Zenaida Vega (13-2) in the 102 weight-class. Genisa Gonzales of La Joya is (16-4). The two met in the Twin City Invitational championship where Vega defeated Gonzales in a fall of 1:44.

La Joya Juarez-Lincoln Jazmin Muñoz is heading into the 110 division with an 11-5 record.

In the 165-pound division, La Joya Palmview’s Judith Rivas is coming into the tournament undefeated at 13-0 and a first place at the Twin City Invitational. She may face Mission High’s 2019 district champion Alexia Sandoval (11-5) once again.

“The Valley wrestlers are pretty good and they are experienced,” Sandoval said. “The competition is there, and even though wrestling has not been in the Valley that long, the girls are experienced and dedicated.”

[email protected]

Bobcats blow past Falcons

BY RAUL GARCIA

STAFF WRITER

EDINBURG — The Edinburg High Bobcats made it clear after the opening tip off that they were going to dominate the paint the rest of the night.

Bobcats senior Brianna Sanchez took control early with a tip pass off a missed shot to her teammate Julissah Santa Maria waiting in the left corner.

Santa Maria and the Bobcats next moved the ball back around the top of the key to let Sanchez and her 6-foot-2 frame find her position on the right side block where she converted on a turnaround shot off the glass after receiving a shooting pass from teammate Larissa Martinez.

It was the game’s opening score, and the Bobcats never let go of the lead.

The Bobcats went on an 8-0 run after Bobcats juniors Daysha Tirerina and Santa Maria converted on two back-to-back threes and defeated the visiting Falcons (10-9) 60-40.

The Bobcats, ranked No. 21 in the state according to tabchoops.com, sank 11 3-pointers in the win.

“I thought this was a really good test for us knowing that a big piece of our team — in Annika (Saenz) was out,” Edinburg High head coach JD Salinas said. “The girls responded really well tonight.”

Saenz, a junior and the Bobcats starting point guard, had been averaging 20 points per game before a left ACL tear recently sidelined her for the remainder of the season.

“They stepped up to the challenge and they were moving the ball very well,” Salinas said. “The girls shot the ball extremely well from the outside.”

[email protected]

EDINBURG — Edinburg Vela’s Rebecca Cavazos signed her letter of intent Monday afternoon to play libero for the Central Methodist University Eagles volleyball team next season.

“I am in awe of what is going on right now because this is something that I have been dreaming of since I was about 12,” Cavazos said about her opportunity to play college volleyball. “I knew for a very long time I wanted to play college volleyball, and to be living in the moment finally is just really amazing.”

Cavazos signed on the dotted line in the Edinburg Vela SaberCats’ gymnasium in front of many family, friends, teachers, coaches and school administrators.

Her college recruiter, Ben Lopez, welcomed her with an official CMU baseball cap that she donned with a smile of joy as she realized the goal she set for herself so many years ago.

Edinburg Vela senior Rebecca Cavazos is seen wearing her college baseball hat at her college signing celebration at Edinburg Vela High School in Edinburg on Monday. Cavazos received a scholarship to play libero at CMU next year. She helped lead the Edinburg SaberCats to two consecutive District 31-6A volleyball championships.

Cavazos credited her support system beginning with her family, coaches and trainers who helped her get to where she is now.

Cavazos said she picked up a volleyball for the first time when she was in the second grade, and she entered the sport to have some fun and to get more playing time with her friends who were also involved.

She said she later realized how much fun and excitement the sport had to offer, and she discovered if she was good enough she could perhaps join traveling teams, a high school team and college team.

After joining club teams and working on her game, she joined the Edinburg Vela SaberCats volleyball team her junior year. She quickly adjusted and took over at the libero position and helped lead the team to two consecutive District 31-6A championships.

A libero is a player specialized in defensive skills, wears a contrasting jersey color from their teammates and cannot block or attack the ball when it is entirely above net height.

Now, Cavazos is ready to hit the road again next year to play for Central Methodist University in Missouri to compete in the NAIA Heart of America Athletic Conference. The team is ranked No. 12 in the nation by the 2019 NAIA Women’s Volleyball Coaches’ Final Top 25 Poll, and participated in the NAIA college championship volleyball playoffs.

“This is a very exciting day, and it is always a good thing when kids are looking to go play at the next level,” Edinburg Vela head coach Araceli Ortega said about Cavazos’ accomplishment. “It’s very challenging, it’s very rewarding and we know she is going to do a great job.”

Ortega said Cavazos joins a short list of athletes she has coached and who have gone on to play at the college level.

“You could tell she had the skill, and what she brought to the table was all her,” Ortega said. “We knew she had her training in her back pocket, and we are very proud of the athlete she has become.”

Ortega recalls several hustle plays Cavazos made during the course of two seasons with the SaberCats to keep the ball in play from digging a powerful spike, sacrificing her body to keep the ball in play that led to points.

“She will reach to try and get a ball, or not let it fly by her,” Ortega said. “It is those extra efforts she performs that make her a valuable player.”

[email protected]

EDINBURG — Edinburg North’s Elias Moran is back for his eighth season as the boys soccer coach with a new cast of players who have been practicing since Dec. 1.

This year, the Cougars take the field with eight seniors and four returning starters.

Their key players returning are David Peña, a four-year letterman, and top scorer Roberto Ruiz, who was named the District 31-6A Utility Player of the Year in 2019.

“We’ve had some learning experiences in 2018,” Moran said. “And we were able to make the playoffs in 2019.”

The Cougars’ most successful campaign in program history came in 2017, when they went five rounds deep in the UIL state playoffs where they faced District 30-6A powerhouse La Joya Juarez-Lincoln, which bounced them out of the Elite Eight and went on to reach the Final Four in 2017.

“The guys have faced a little bit of everything and have embraced and accepted their upcoming challenges,” Moran said.

The Cougars’ first scrimmage of the season will be at 7 p.m. Thursday against McAllen Memorial in McAllen. They have five scrimmages scheduled before beginning district competition Jan. 3.

“We’re ready,” Moran said. “We don’t have a star player. We have a group of resilient players who never give up and continue to play the same way with a lot of heart, mental strength and who can compete with anybody.”

Donna North will be one of the Cougars’ toughest challengers in District 31-6A. It is the defending district champions and it buzzed-sawed its way past the competition, finishing its 2019 district campaign undefeated.

Other teams to look out for in District 31-6A are Edinburg Economedes and Weslaco East.

La Joya High head coach Alex Davila is coming back for his fifth year with the Coyotes.

“We have a good group coming together,” Davila said. “We have four returning starters and the rest are juniors coming back who were last year’s role players.”

The Coyotes will take on Brownsville Porter at 6 p.m. Friday at La Joya.

“We need these scrimmages and games to gel and play more competitive,” Davila said. “We are working on trying to play like years past.”

The Coyotes have successfully made the playoffs the last three years. In 2015, the Coyotes advanced to the area round of the playoffs.

The Coyotes’ top four seniors returning are center backfielders Kevin Herrera and Oscar Quintana, and center midfielders Juan Ramos and Victor Ybarra.

Other top teams to watch in their District 30-6A are La Joya Juarez-Lincoln, McAllen Memorial, McAllen Rowe and Mission High.

PSJA North head coach Abdel Reyes is returning several seniors and coming back with a strong cast of sophomores to lead the Raiders’ 2020 campaign.

“We’re looking good this year,” Reyes said.

The Raiders are coming off a 13-6-8 season in 2018-19. It’s Reyes’ second year at the helm.

Senior Christian Hernandez is the Raiders’ do-it-all utility player at the midfielder position, Reyes said.

And returning junior Emiliano Garza is the team’s top scorer returning at the forward position.

Over the last 10 years, Valley teams have won five state titles since 2009. Brownsville Porter won a second title and Brownsville Rivera won a 6A crown.

Sharyland High brought home a championship in Class 5A in 2012.

La Joya Juarez-Lincoln has established itself as a perennial regional powerhouse. Valley View has been in the state finals, while fellow 4A and district rival Progreso has made the trip to the UIL state tournament in Georgetown four times in the last five years.

Brownsville Lopez and Brownsville Porter pioneered the first championships for the RGV in 2004 and 2006. Hidalgo brought it home to Hidalgo County in 2009.

rgarcia @themonitor.com

WESLACO — Edinburg High’s Josiah Sloss blew past his competition on his way to a championship medal at the Tomas Garces wrestling tournament Friday at Weslaco High.

Sloss, a junior, is (15-0) in the 106-pound weight class and defeated Los Fresnos sophomore Thiago Almeida by fall for the title.

“He is a really good wrestler and it was a really good match,” Sloss said about his finals opponent.

Sloss said he went into the match ready to avoid any dangerous takedowns.

“I just kept my wrestling nice and smooth,” Sloss said.

To reach the finals, Sloss defeated Allesio Maietta from San Antonio Johnson in 29 seconds.

San Antonio Johnson won the team portion of the tournament with 229 points. Los Fresnos followed in second with 160 points. Weslaco High finished third with 148 points, Edinburg High placed fourth with 120 points and Donna High finished fifth with 89 points.

“It’s a good tournament and the competition is really stiffening up,” McAllen Memorial head coach Eddy Gonzalez said. “Everybody is looking pretty solid and has weight classes that are pretty stiff.”

Mission High’s heavyweight junior Dante Lopez also dominated his competition in the 285 weight class all the way through the championship, and stretched his undefeated mark to 6-0.

Lopez defeated Weslaco High’s Carlos Ramos (4-1) in the finals. He also defeated Edinburg High junior Javier Rodriguez (6-1) in the semifinal.

Lopez defeated Rodriguez 5-3, leading into the championship round.

“I was able to get an early takedown in the first period,” Lopez said about his match against Rodriguez. “At the end I was able to get a lucky takedown and secure the lead in the final seconds.”

Wrestling action continues today with the girls tournament beginning at 9 a.m. at Weslaco High.

[email protected]

MISSION — The Mission Veterans Patriots jumped out early on the Mercedes Tigers after the tip off of their second-round matchup in the 2019 Mission Thanksgiving Basketball Classic. Both teams traded blows using their up tempo offensive attack on the basket, but the Patriots proved to be too strong as they went on to defeat the Tigers 59-47 on Friday.

“It was a team effort,” Mission Veterans forward Jacob Arenas said. “We had to come back strong in the second half and give it our all to keep our lead.”

Arenas was a big part of the Patriots’ offense during the second half with his rebounding and second-attempt buckets. He finished with 15 points.

The Patriots will take on the Mission Eagles at 9 a.m. today, and the Tigers square off against Brownsville Hanna at 11 a.m. at Mission High.

Going into the second half, the Patriots led 34-25 and they didn’t let go of the gas pedal as they drove past the Tigers on the break and penetrated their zone defense from the get go.

Patriots power forward AJ Gonzaque ignited their scoring attack with a baseline drive for the score in the third quarter.

The Tigers didn’t back down as they went on a 9-2 scoring drive during the third with the help of Jordan Ovalle, Jay Ayala and Joseph Rocha.

Each combined for 20 points in the second half of play, attacking the basket and converting from 3-point land.

Ovalle led all scorers with 17 points.

Mercedes forward Horace Pequeño chipped in two in the second half.

The Tigers were able to cut the Patriots’ lead to as little as five points with the score 38-33 after Ovalle hit two at the free-throw line and Ayala scored down low after a Tigers steal.

“They played with a lot of intensity,” Mercedes head coach Rick Treviño said about the Patriots. “They jumped on us early.”

Heading into this contest, the Tigers defeated Mission High (No. 2) 71-34, and the Patriots defeated Brownsville Hanna 50-47.

“We’re getting better every game,” Mission Veterans head coach Jose Ramos said. “I like the progress we are making.”

[email protected]

McALLEN — Edinburg High freshman Tanya Mendoza finished her opponent at the Holiday Havoc Wrestling Tournament in 41 seconds.

Her win lifted her to a season record of 13-0 and the championship medal in the 110 pound weight class at McAllen Rowe High School.

Heading into her championship match, she felt what most people would feel going into the ring with another person ready to get it on — scared.

But after the referee waved her arm to begin the match, any regular spectator would figure she wasn’t afraid, and that she knew precisely what she was doing as she pushed and shoved her opponent for a right time to strike.

Wrestling is not new to Mendoza, and at first look she might seem as an easy win for her opponents before entering the ring with her.

At 110 pounds, she doesn’t carry around bulging muscles, but she knows what to do when she enters the ring.

“I never want to lose,” Mendoza said.

Wrestling is almost part of her DNA. Her father, Abel Saenz, is the Edinburg High wrestling head coach. He first introduced Mendoza to the sport when she followed him to work when he was a wrestling coach in Corpus Christi.

Growing up, she got into daily scuffles with her brothers. It fueled her competitive drive.

“That’s where I learned to wrestle,” Mendoza said.

After attending different wrestling camps and watching her father’s successful wrestlers reach state and competing herself, she decided to give up the sport for many years.

“I was introduced to wrestling in the third grade,” Mendoza said.

Going into her freshman year, she decided to give wrestling another shot and she’s off to a dominating start.

Even though she has yet to lose this season, she continues to fine tune her techniques.

“I’m aggressive,” Mendoza said. “I don’t like it when people beat me.”

One of her signature moves is the cross face cradle, a move she uses almost reflexively to pin her opponents with her tight and suffocating grip.

“I get on the mat and it’s so fun for me,” Mendoza said.

At the district dual Saturday at Edinburg North, she went 9-0. In a more recent match up with Edinburg Vela, she went 2-0 and followed up with another 2-0 campaign Tuesday at the Holiday Havoc Wrestling Tournament at McAllen Rowe.

“I’m just excited about the season,” Mendoza said about her wrestling success. “I’m confident, but I know there are other wrestlers working just as hard as me. I know what I have to do and in order to be a good winner you have to know how to lose.”

Mendoza may not have lost in the ring this year, and she won’t admit if she’s lost some challenges at home to her brothers.

“She doesn’t like to lose at anything to them,” Saenz said about Mendoza. “There is a park outside our back yard and if they want to find out who’s the fastest they go out and race, or if they want to find out who’s stronger they lift weights at home.

“It’s very competitive at home, and she is the most competitive,” Saenz said. “And she brings that competitive drive to the wrestling ring.”

[email protected]

McALLEN — McAllen High wrestler Jace Lyon patiently waited as he pushed and shoved his opponent around the ring.

He was looking for an opening as they locked each other up at the head, and in a blink of an eye they both dropped to the mat hard without losing their tight grip.

As they continued grappling on the floor, Lyon saw an opening and went for a finishing move known as the crucifixion.

He wrapped his opponent’s arm around his head and locked the other between his legs with a python-like grip at elbow as he stretched his opponent’s arms across his body with all his might.

That was just one of the many finishing moves executed by wrestlers at the day long Holiday Havoc individual wrestling tournament Tuesday at McAllen Rowe High School.

“I just saw it and went for it,” Lyon said. “He was strong, but I kept control and wanted him to follow my pace of wrestling.”

It was Lyon’s first match of the day, and he went on to finish the day 3-2.

Seventeen teams competed in the tournament that pitted teams from across the Valley with one another.

La Joya High and La Joya Juarez-Lincoln’s boys teams tied for first with 149 points.

Edinburg North led the girls competition with 135 points. McAllen Memorial and Sharyland Pioneer followed tied for second with 63 points.

The final match of the day featured Mission High’s Dante Lopez and Emmanuel Duron of Edinburg High in the heavyweight championship in the 285-pound weight class.

Each of them had wrestled past three opponents each to get to the championship match.

They each traded blows on the mat one after the other.

“It was a tough match,” Lopez said. “He was very strong, very fast, he knew what he was doing.”

It was Lopez’s first tournament appearance of the season after a short break after finishing his football season.

“We’re knocking off a little rust of Dante, but he’s a guy that just loves wrestling, and working with his teammates,” Mission High head coach David Mann said.

Lopez is ranked No. 10 in the state in the 285 weight class by WrestlingTexas.com.

“It feels great to be back and to take the home the gold,” Lopez said.

Mission High senior Zenaida Vega dropped weight from 117 pounds to 102 pounds to get an edge over her opponents.

And her plan worked as she went undefeated on her way to a first place finish in the Havoc Tournament.

To reach the tournament semifinal, she defeated her opponent using what she described as a stack move by wrapping her legs over her opponents head and forcing a pin.

“She is just a ball of energy,” Mission High head coach David Mann said. “She’s got some fire.”

Vega was born with a congenital hand anomaly and malformation of her left hand, and only has two small fingers. Vega refuses to have it slow her down in the ring.

“It gives me a disadvantage honestly,” Vega said about her hand. “I’ve worked past it every day and my coaches have always guided me though it. “

“I’m going to give it my all, this is my last year,” Vega added. “I’m super dedicated to take it all the way to state.”

[email protected]

McALLEN — Mission Veterans wrestling head coach Ben Yzaguirre has 12 wrestlers who will contend for individual wrestling supremacy today at the Holiday Havoc wrestling tournament.

Mission Veterans is one of 17 teams participating at the all-day tournament held at McAllen Rowe High school. Schools from as far as Austin and San Antonio are also expected to participate.

Edinburg North senior Eva Cerda is coming into the tournament fresh off going undefeated at the district dual tournament held Nov. 23 at Edinburg North, where she went 4-0 in her weight class. Cerda is a four-year letterman and helped lift the Cougars girl wrestling team to a 15-6A district title last year on her way to a state appearance.

“She is so strong,” Edinburg North head coach Rene Garcia said. “She has done an incredible job since entering the sport as a freshman.”

Wrestlers score two points on takedowns, one point for an escape, two points for a reversal and two or three points for near fall when a opponent is almost but not quite pinned.

Matches are projected to begin by 9 a.m. after all the participants are weighed in. The championship rounds will take place later in the afternoon.

Wrestlers from across the Valley ranked in the top 20 in the state from a majority of weight classes are expected to compete.

“We are getting them ready for the district tournament,” Yzaguirre said. “The best part of this sport is you build a camaraderie with kids from other schools.”

Three of Yzaguirre’s wrestlers are coming back this year after a trip to the regional tournament last year in San Antonio representing District 15-5A. They are Vianna Dominguez, Mia Sanchez and Leeroy Villanueva.

Sanchez, a senior, is returning to wrestle for Mission Veterans in the 148 weight class.

Dominguez, a junior, had a successful sophomore campaign competing in the 185 weight class last season.

And Villanueva reached the regional tournament as a freshman under Yzaguirre’s guidance.

“We are expecting good things from them this year,” Yzaguirre said. “We are wrestling to get better and that’s all we can ask for from our wrestlers.”

This is a first time wrestling event hosted by McAllen Memorial and McAllen Rowe.

Next year, the event is expected to be held outdoors at the McAllen football stadium in effort to bring more attention to the sport.

“You have to have a lot of endurance, a lot of flexibility and knowledge of three to six moves to win,” Yzaguirre said.

Yzaguirre has been coaching wrestling at Mission Veterans over the last 17 years.

Due to the increase of mixed martial arts, he has seen more wrestlers enter the sport, but also said it’s a tough sport to recruit high school athletes to join.

“It’s taken the Valley many years to get where we are today,” Yzaguirre said. “Before, you never saw wrestlers reach state and now more and more wrestlers are competing at a high level.”

[email protected]