The McAllen Rowe wrestling team hasn’t competed since Dec. 11 and won’t compete again until Feb. 4.
The Warriors aren’t alone in their dismay as many teams find themselves in the same quickly crowding boat due to COVID-19’s most recent swarm, disrupting many high school sporting events. This weekend alone, the annual Gator Bowl wrestling tournament at Grulla and the King of the Ring tournament at Edinburg North, have been canceled.
That doesn’t mean wrestlers aren’t preparing. Rowe returns to the mats the first week of February, in Rio Grande City for the District 16-5A individual wrestling tournament. From now until then, it’s practicing and studying. Teams are canceling events at the last minute, something coaches and schools are better prepared to deal with and make the ensuing decisions and plans.
“We continue to practice and we work on not only what we do, but also what our opponents are going to do to counter what we do,” McAllen Rowe head coach Jeff Moubray said. “It’s the best thing we can do. It keeps us motivated to prepare for the individual district tournament.”
Moubray, in his fourth year at the Rowe helm, said multiple tournaments, tri-matches and duals have been canceled this season. That means wrestlers are out anywhere from 15-20 matches just to this point, not counting other upcoming meets.
In a sport where contact is king, and during a time when positive COVID cases are quickly rising within the schools, Moubray said the cancellations were an unfortunate necessity.
“We’re still working on individual situations and we have gone against some opponents we will face in district,” Moubray said. “We go to film and study, look for ways to defend our opponents.”
Rowe has four wrestlers ranked in the top 20 of the state in their respective weight classes, according to wrestlingtexas.com. Seniors Aaron Gallegos (120 pounds, 12-3 record) and David Franco (170, 14-4) are No. 19 and No. 3, respectively. Juniors Pablo Velasco (285, 13-1) and George Virrueta (182, 18-1) are each No. 13 in their weight class.
Franco is a team captain, and Moubray said he is a top-five student and he brings his knowledge with him on the mat for every practice and match.
“I think all the extra time we had to practice since last year when the season didn’t start until March helped him a lot,” Moubray said. He fits that mold of a student who uses the same smarts he has in the classroom to the mat. I can’t say enough about that. He does every single thing that’s asked of him. He’s a student of the game. He watches film on his own. Anything that is good for him, he soaks up like a sponge.”
Moubray is expecting good results from Franco and has other ranked wrestlers. There will be no time to waste since regionals and state come right after the district meet.
“I feel like he is a contender for a district championship,” Moubray said. “Possibly for the regional championship. We hope to get him on the platform at state. I remember a conversation with his parents and telling them he may never win a district championship but he’s a great kid.
Now look at him — his work ethic on the mats, in the weight room and in the classroom. He’s doing anything he can outside too that will help him get better. I can’t say enough about him.
SHARYLAND’S MANGUM: ‘IT’S OUR TIME TO SHINE’
McAllen Rowe isn’t the only school with four boys wrestlers ranked. Defending District 16-5A champion Sharyland High has four, as well, according to wrestlingtexas.com
Juniors Paolo Miranda (120, 20-1) and Alberto Mendoza (126, 19-5) are No. 3 and No. 12 in their respective weight classes. Seniors Noel Torres (138, 24-3) and Moses Rodriguez (160, 21-5) sit at No. 5 and No. 7, respectively, in their divisions.
The Rattlers last wrestled a weekend ago at the CenTex tournament in Austin. While it wasn’t the entire team, second-year head coach Sam Mangum said several of his seasoned wrestlers participated.
Mangum took some extra time Friday to talk to his wrestlers following the announcement that Sharyland ISD schools were shutting down until Wednesday to sanitize and give the school a through cleaning as COVID rages on.
“I told them after practice the hay is in the barn. Make sure you’re taking care of yourself and getting your workouts in,” Mangum said. “These couple of days won’t be detrimental. We’ve done what we had to do all year so consider it a little R and R for the district tournament in a couple of weeks.
“We aren’t done. This is our time to shine. When we get to district we are all 0-0. It’s about who shows up on that day. A good solid two weeks of no competition isn’t the worse thing.
“Now we just let it all come to fruition.”