WESLACO — Weslaco High’s first year head wrestling coach, Moises Chavez, was a teammate of fallen Army Sgt. Tomas Garces during the early 2000s at Weslaco High.
Chavez now coaches the niece and nephew of Garces, Elektra Garces and Tomas Garces. The pair is ready to compete in the 18th annual Tomas Garces Invitational set for 9 a.m. Saturday at Weslaco High School.
Chavez graduated from Weslaco High School in 2004, one year after the elder Garces graduated. When Chavez joined the sport, he thought it was entertainment wrestling, like can be seen on television, until Garces pulled him aside.
“He said, ‘What are you thinking? That is not what we do here,” Chavez said.
Garces then took Chavez on a warmup, the infamous ‘Panther Loop’, a mile-and-a-half run around the school.
“He was a great motivator,” Chavez said. “Knowing him, and now seeing his niece and nephew, I can see that this is him.”
Garces was 19 years old when his convoy from the Texas Army National Guard’s 1836th Transportation Company was hit by an improvised explosive device during a mission in Baghdad, Iraq, killing the former Panthers wrestler on Sep. 6, 2004.
“He did leave a great legacy behind,” the younger Tomas Garces said.
The younger Garces, the captain of the boys team, is 10-0 on the season in the 215-pound weight class. As a senior, this is his last time wrestling in his uncle’s tournament.
“It is nice to know that we can come in and show that legacy was truly from pure blood and strength,” he said. “We always come with that attitude, that we have to come in and win.”
Elektra Garces, a junior, is wrestling at 120 pounds this season. Like her brother, she has been on varsity every year. The junior is a co-captain on the team.
“People expect more because we are Garceses,” she said. “But nonetheless, I work hard at it, I have proved that I earned my spot on varsity and I aspire to make my uncle proud.”
Chavez said it was always a dream for the elder Garces to become a wrestling coach after serving his country. Chavez called the experience to coach the elder Garces’ niece and nephew surreal.
“They are the leaders of the group,” Chavez said. “Everyone gravitates to them … they do not miss, they do not give me excuses, they give me every reason as to why they should be here.”
Weslaco High comes into the tournament as the District 16-6A dual champions for the 2022-23 season.
Sharyland High, Los Fresnos, Harlingen High, San Benito and Rio Grande City are slated to compete with the Panthers during the invitational Saturday.