RIO GRANDE CITY — McAllen Memorial medaled nine wrestlers out of the 12 weight categories, including wins for undefeated sisters Eternity and Serenity De La Garza as the Mustangs manhandled the field on the girls side to capture the Rio Grande City Snakebite Invitational on Thursday.
Memorial finished with 172.5 points to win the event. The Mustangs are ranked No. 3 in the state in Class 5A, according toTexas Wrestling. La Joya Juarez-Lincoln captured second, Donna North was third and host Rio Grande City took fifth. Valley View continued its strong showing as a young program, taking fifth and winning two weight classes.
The host Rattlers captured the boys’ team title, outdistancing Sharyland Pioneer 160.5 to 153.0. Juarez-Lincoln was third, Corpus Christi Veterans Memorial fourth and Roma fifth. There were 14 boys teams and 14 girls teams competing in the annual event.
Eternity De La Garza improved to 16-0 on the season with three pins during the event, including during the championship match in 3:57 against a stubbornly valiant Lia Gutierrez of Rio Grande City in the 165-pound category. Despite often getting tossed around, Gutierrez was defiant even though De La Garza held her down close to a pin for much of the match.
Eternity De La Garza finished second in the Class 5A state tournament this year and is currently ranked No. 2 in the state at 165, only behind Canyon Randall’s J’nessa Reynoso.
Eternity said she hasn’t quite reached the high level of technical wrestling she had attained last year. Thursday’s championship showing was more about pure power and pressing an opponent who, although was dominated, fought.
“I was just trying to beat her,” Eternity De La Garza said. “I don’t feel stronger than last year but I do feel a little strong — but not yet like last year. I felt more technical last year and not so much this year.”
Neither of the De La Garzas has faced stiff competition in the Valley, but that gives them more opportunities to wrestle differentvstyles. Usually their matches are done in minutes, sometimes seconds.
“I don’t feel like I’m there yet, but I know I can get there and I’m gonna get there,” she said. “The goal is to go to state again.”
Serenity De La Garza (9-0), the defending Class 5A state champion at 138 pounds, pinned her first two opponents in 1:37 and 40 seconds before winning her title match with a 15-0 technical fall in 1:23.
Rio Grande City finished with eight wrestlers earning medals, including four first places. The night concluded with two Rattlers wrestlers medaling. Senior Aiden Stafford, ranked No. 5 in the state in Class 5A at 285, improved to 25-0 on the season with a fall at 5:19. Teammate Ricardo Reyes gave RGC two medals in the weight class with his fourth place.
Aiden Valdovinos continued his torrid freshman campaign, improving to 13-1 with a 7-3 decision at 138. Valdovinos is ranked No. 18 in the state at 138. Sophomore Edrick Peña improved to 11-2 with a 3-1 decision at 150 pounds and No. 4 state-ranked Greg Vela continued his perfect streak, upping his record to 23-0 with a pin in 2:46.
Vela and Stafford are both seniors. Early in the season, Rio Grande City head coach Ron Pratt said each year he has a direct challenge for his seniors.
“I tell ‘em, ‘You’re a senior, what’s your legacy going to be?’” Pratt said. “’What are you going to leave behind?’ It catches themoff guard and I tell them that they’re legacy is what the freshmen and sophomores do after they’re gone. Their success is a direct reflection of what the seniors have taught them.”