King Of The Mat Tournament - 04.04.09

Weight Class Champions - June 20th King of the Mat Tourney.

On extreme left, Frank Hernandez (Panther Wrestling Alumni, Class of 2008) and second from right, Juan C. "Charlie" Villegas, Weslaco Panther - Sr. - (Class of 2010).

The Rodriguez Brothers - Daniel, Eli, and Mike - all Panther Alumni, put on their second annual King of the Mat Tourney on Saturday, April 4, 2009 at the Sharyland High School Wrestling Gym. (Additional tournaments are scheduled for June 20th and August 1st.) Congratulations to the Rodriguez' for running a smooth and well-paced tournament. 

There were wrestlers from the Valley as well as San Antonio and Austin represented.  The format allowed each wrestler a minimum of three matches.

Panthers competing at this tournament were:  Frank Hernandez (Class of 2008),1st Place; Juan C. "Charlie" Villegas (Class of 2010), 1st Place; Ernie Garcia (Class of 2010), 2nd Place; Justin Ramirez (Class of 2010), 2nd Place; and A.J. Garcia (Class of 2010), 2nd Place.  Also competing were Hector Villanueva, Jr. (Class of 2011) and Pro Sanchez (Class of 2008).  Congratulations to all!

The Takedown Newsletter * 03.02.09

The Takedown
W e s l a c o H i g h S c h o o l
Panther Wrestling Newsletter
03.02.09 Volume 01- Issue 14

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McHi’s Sam Mangum Crowned State Champion: Becomes First Wrestler From Valley To Achieve Goal: 2009 State Tournament Produces Its Share of Underdogs, Upstarts and Upsets February 27 and 28, 2009, Austin, Texas, Delco Centre: McAllen High School’s Sam Mangum, (Jr.) won the state championship in the 180 bracket, a first for the Valley. Mangum, who was seeded 8th, started the tournament by pinning 9th seed Dontay Livingston of Dallas Kimball at 4:42. Mangum’s next opponent was the number one seed, Joby Bishop of Allen, whom he defeated on points 1-0. In the semi-final, Mangum defeated 13th seeded Ben Laures of Plano, 10-6. In the finals, Mangum won his championship match 6-3 over the 6th seed Nick Walker of Klein Oak. A video of the match, as well as other championship matches, can be seen on FloWrestling.Com. Congratulations to Sam on his championship, on his being the first wrestler from the Rio Grande Valley to achieve this feat, well deserved! May his accomplishment open the floodgates for future state champions from the Valley.

District 32-5A, Rio Grande Valley East: The three representatives of our district did not fare well. PSJA Memorial’s Jonathan Sandoval, 152, District Champion, Most Outstanding Wrestler of 32-5A, 3rd place at Regionals, was seeded 10th for the state tournament. Sandoval lost his first match to the 7th seed, Chase Covington of Grapevine, 16-4 and dropped to the consolation bracket. (Covington went on to finish third in the 152 bracket.) In his second match, Sandoval lost to the 15th seed, Able Gonzalez of El Paso Chapin. Desiree Martinez, PSJA-North, 162, District Champion, 3rd at Regionals, was seeded 9th and won her first match pinning 8th seeded Gloria Guerra of El Paso Bel Aire. Martinez then lost a tightly contested match to the 1st seed, Cassandra Stealey of Dallas Skyline, 8-7. Dropping to the consolation bracket, Martinez next faced 15th seed, Susie de la Garza of Corpus Christi King, and pinned her at 3:47. In her final match, Martinez lost to the 6th seed, Brittany Jones of Coppell, 12-4. (Jones finished 4th overall.) PSJA’s Claudia Pena, 165, District Champion, Most Outstanding Wrestler of 32-5A, 2nd place at Regionals, was seeded 11th in the bracket, was pinned at 2:54 in her first match by 6th seed, Sheree Thomas of Arlington Seguin, and pinned at 1:19 by 14th seeded Tamany Soucie of Houston Cypress Falls. For District 32-5A the tournament ended on the first day.

Region III Places the Most Wrestlers in Top Six: Region I = West Texas, Region II = North Texas, Region III = East Texas, Region IV = South Texas (+/-)

Region I - Champions: 6, 2nd Place: 2, 3rd Place 4, Top Six Wrestlers 21, (23.33%)

Region II- Champions: 2, 2nd Place: 2, 3rd Place 2, Top Six Wrestlers 20, (22.22%)

Region III-Champions: 4, 2nd Place: 8, 3rd Place 4, Top Six Wrestlers 30, (33.33%)

Region IVChampions: 3, 2nd Place: 3, 3rd Place 5, Top Six Wrestlers 23, (21.11%)

Tournament Results – Final Placement of Seeds: The chart below denotes the ranked seeds and where they finished among the top six finalists. Of the 15 champions in the boys division, 13 were regional champions as well.

(Left to Right) Champion, 2nd Place, 3rd Place, 4th Place, 5th Place, 6th Place:

Weight

103: 1, 3, 8, 2, 10, 4,

112: 4, 2, 12, 5, 9, 11

119: 2, 8, 1, 7, 3, 13

125: 3, 4, 1, 2, 13, 8

130: 3, 5, 2, 9, 6, 4

135: 3, 1, 10, 6, 4, 7

140: 1, 2, 3, 5, 7, 13

145: 1, 7, 4, 10, 11, 3

152: 4, 2, 7, 14, 3, 8

160: 4, 3, 1,1, 9, 7, 1

171: 2, 4, 3,13, 1, 12

180: 8, 6, 4, 1, 2, 13

189: 2,1, 9, 10, 3, 8

215: 8, 7, 2, 3, 12, 6

285: 3, 4, 3, 5, 7, 1

Canyon Randall & Amarillo Caprock Team Champs:

Canyon Randall Wins 2nd Straight Title, Amarillo Caprock Wins 6thTitle

Boys Division: State Champion – Canyon Randall, 2. Allen, 3. Austin Westlake, 4. Grapevine, 5. Klein Oak, 6. Cedar Park Vista Ridge, 7. Austin Bowie, 8. Conroe The Woodlands, 9. Amarillo Tascosa, 10. Houston Westside, 13. McAllen, 29. La Joya, 43. La Joya Juarez-Lincoln, 86. McAllen Rowe, 95. PSJA Memorial.

Girls Division: State Champion – Amarillo Caprock, 2. Katy, 3. Amarillo Tascosa, 4. Klein Collins, 5. Coppell, 6. Frisco, 7. Arlington Lamar, 8. El Paso Chapin, 9. El Paso Irvin, 10. Cedar Park, 20. McAllen Rowe, 30. Rio Grande City, 43. La Joya Juarez-Lincoln, 47. PSJA–North, 57. La Joya, 69. La Joya Palmview, 71. PSJA, 77. Sharyland, 82. McAllen Memorial.

King of the Mat Tournament Series Returns:

Imperial Wrestling will present this AAU sanctioned event on the dates of April 4th, June 20th, and August 1st, all at the Sharyland High School Wrestling Gym. Each athlete must become a member of AAU Wrestling and enrollment will be conducted before the start of the tournaments. Though singlets are not required (t-shirts and shorts are allowed), wrestling shoes are a requirement. A copy of proof of date of birth must be submitted with the application. There are various divisions, each with its own weight categories: Novice, Middle School, High School, and Open Age. Entry fee will $25.00 for each of the three tournaments. Sponsorships are also available. For further information, feel free to contact Daniel Rodriguez at 956.376.9617 or dlr78596@yahoo.com. Additional information and entry forms are enclosed as an attachment to the email accounts of our wrestling families.

End of Season Issue: Thanks, Wrestling Fans…….. This will be the last weekly issue of the Takedown for the 2008/2009 season. Bulletins will be issued as the need arises, but will only be sent to those impacted by the particular information. Thank you all!

The Takedown Newsletter * 02.23.09

The Takedown
W e s l a c o H i g h S c h o o l
Panther Wrestling Newsletter
02.23.09 Volume 01- Issue 13

WHS Coach Pederson Submits Resignation: After taking the position of head coach, on short notice and completing just one season of coaching the Panthers, Coach Mark Pederson submitted his resignation to WHS Athletic Coordinator Tony Villarreal and WISD Athletic Director Oscar Riojas, the week of February 12, 2009. Pederson stepped down due to health reasons. The Takedown takes this opportunity to thank Coach Pederson for the time and effort he put into training and coaching our wrestlers. We wish Coach Pederson continued success in his future endeavors; it was a pleasure assisting you and the team this year.

Suggestions for the Wrestling Coach Position: Head Wrestling Coach Job Qualifications: An experienced wrestling coach who will be responsible organizing and directing a training program to develop the team to its fullest potential and to play a leadership role in the continued development of the high school team, and implementation of a middle school team, in terms of recruitment, promotion, teaching, motivation and competition.. Must be able to work as a team leader, and coordinate program with the building wide academic and co-curricular programs. Should have experience in supervising the team at all practice sessions, setting up and conducting wrestling meets and tournaments, and have current CPR and First Aid certification. Must have or be willing to obtain Texas teaching and coaching certification, with a current teaching credential in any subject area.

Job Description: The coach will be responsible for training athletes and preparing them for inter-scholastic competition; will implement a coaching philosophy that promotes the expectations of high school athletics; will be responsible for program inventory, ordering, program budget, and program evaluation; will enforce discipline, nurture student needs, model sportsman-like behavior at all times, and implement a middle school program that will feed into the high school program. Applicant will work within the UIL and WISD rules and philosophy for extracurricular activities as stated in the UIL and WISD manuals. Work under direct supervision of the WHS Athletic Coordinator. Varsity coaching experience in wrestling required.

Assistant Wrestling Coach: Primary duty will be to assist in coaching a varsity team and help develop a middle school program. Duties will include supervising the team at all practice sessions/games as assigned by the Head Coach. The Assistant Coach will be expected to assist in organizing and directing a training program to develop the team to its fullest potential and to play a leadership role in development of the team in terms of recruitment, promotion, teaching, motivation and competition. The Assistant Coach will coordinate duties and responsibilities with the Head Coach and other support personnel (managers, scorekeepers, etc). The dates of final coaching responsibilities are determined by post-season tournament competition.

4 Seniors Complete Their Final Year of Wrestling: Robert Martinez (2nd Yr.–215), Michael Torres (1st Yr.–189), Josh Smillie (1st Yr.–130), and Monica Martinez (1st Yr.–119) have completed their final matches. We wish them well in their future endeavors.

Off-Season Plan to be Successful Next Year: Now that the season is over many of you may be sitting around sulking in your own self pity for the way it ended. Well this is your wakeup call! Your opponents are out there right now planning for next season; so the question is: What are you going to do about it? You have a couple of options: you can go back and sit in front of the TV and play X-Box 360 or you can get up and get a piece of paper and plan out the next 8 months and start training for the 2009/2010 season.

1. I want to get better, what can I do? Practice 3 to 4 times a week. Make sure you are drilling mostly and wrestling the rest of the time. Going to open gym is important, but you need to be really putting in the time towards drilling. For example, you want a good single leg by next year. They statistics say that to have an effective takedown you need to have drilled it correctly 20,000 times. That seems like a lot but break it down. Doing 100 takedowns correctly (only choose one like a single leg) will take you about 30 minutes a practice. So that’s 200 practices, better get started. If you just go out there and wrestle you will pick up moves a lot slower and learn bad positions as well. So Drill!

2. I don’t have much experience? Go to as many tournaments in the off-season as you can. You should get a minimum of 50 matches before next season. If you get on average 4 matches a tournament, that’s 12.5 tournaments (or one tournament every 2 to 3 weeks) to reach 50. This is tough, but not impossible to do. The nearest tournaments are in San Antonio and Austin; it requires a commitment of time and money. It might be possible to put together a “valley team” so that we can share the experience and help our part of the region grow stronger.

3. I don’t have a ride. Understandable, but don’t let that stop you! Set a plan and make it happen. Plan to come at least 1 to 2 days a week to the gym and make it to a tournament every 2 to 3 weeks. That’s really not too much to ask from your parents and if you can get a ride from a senior (or junior) who has a license, even better. Car pooling is an option as well.

4. What tournaments should I go to? Definitely mix it up; go to some local and some that are further away and more competitive. If you keep wrestling the same guys over and over again all summer and pinning them your progress will be very slow. You need to wrestle people who can beat you and you can work and improve to beat. Rides are a factor but if you commit to making it to an out of town tournament at least once every four to six weeks, that will help.

5. Should I go to a wrestling camp this summer? Camps are great; you get exposed to other styles of wrestling, wrestlers from all over the nation, and have a lot of fun. You can also go workout at the gym consistently and also get someone local, one of our alumni wrestlers, who you can drill with.

6. Should I be maintaining my weight in the off season? Not really. Don’t go crazy and eat taquitos, barabcoa, and other fattening things because you can all the time. Workout a lot, wrestle and lift and eat healthy. Don’t forget to treat yourself every now and then with things you love, for example fajitas, milkshake, etc. You should really focus on perfecting your technique, 2 leg attack takedowns, 1 defensive takedown like a front headlock, 2 moves to get off bottom, and two moves on top. Practice that over and over and over again. Avoid learning low level moves solely because they are cool looking.

7. I’m not as strong as the other wrestlers. First off you need to lift 3 to 4 times a week. It’s essential. Three days a week you should be doing the same routine and lifting legs. Exercises are Front Squats, Radial Dead Lifts, and Plate lunges. That will be enough for your upper body as well but it won’t hurt to do at least 100 push-ups and at least 20 pull-ups every time you work out. For those in the athletic period, you should consult with a coach to set up an off-season workout plan.

8. Can I really be as good as some of these other guys that went to state? YES!!! First of all, you have to stop saying that you can’t. And all of you that say you can but don’t do anything about it; you need to get to work. It may seem at times overwhelming or impossible. The reason is probably because you don’t have a plan. Set a plan, put it in writing, look at it every day, and note your progress daily. Make some goals for the off season and for next season. Figure out how you are going to achieve them and then put it into action. Want to be a champion! Then start acting like one!

North Texas Schools Start Training For Next Year!

Club Rock Star will begin their four month spring/summer training on Monday March 9th, 2009. Coaches include Stars Wrestling coaches and Texas National Junior Team coaches Shawn Wilson and Tommy Goodman as well as Pennsylvania standout Cameron Plocus. Coach Plocus is one of the premier youth and high school coaches in the United States and has recently moved to the Dallas area. Cameron’s credits include more national team titles in the schoolboy, cadet and junior division than any other coach in the nation and he has been sought out by many of the top college recruits and high school standouts. Cameron brings a whole new level of instruction that will compliment Shawn and Tommy and give Club Rock Star wrestlers an unmatched edge when they step on the mat!

Practice will be held at Lewisville High School wrestling room on Monday, Tuesday and Thursday evenings from 6:30 to 8:00 and will focus on technique, conditioning and strength. The spring/summer season will run from March 9th - June 25th. There will be 3 practices per week. TUITION: $550.00; Less than $11.50 per practice; $7.64 per hour. 72 total hours of practice.
As one website reader noted: Wow! That is huge news. The rich get richer (not meant to be a complaint, just a bit jealous!)

King of the Mat Slates Return to Valley this Summer: A post on Inside Texas Wrestling on February 19, 2009, stated that “King of the Mat Tournament Series” is set to return to the Rio Grande Valley this summer. Additional information is expected in the near future. The one response to this post is from Coach James Pembrook of Sharyland High School who is offering the use of his gym for this event.

State Tournament on Tap this Weekend in Austin: Ninety-eight high schools will be represented at the state wrestling tournament this weekend at the Delco Center in Austin. The brackets have been set and can be viewed at the UIL State Tournament Wrestling website. The Rio Grande Valley will be represented by twenty-two wrestlers – ten boys and twelve girls. The brackets list the following seeds: David Diaz, McAllen Rowe – 103, 9th seed; Chris Madsen, McAllen Rowe – 145, 5th seed; Frank Rivera, La Joya – 152, 16th seed; Jacob Sandoval, PSJA-Memorial – 152, 10th seed; Albert Velez, La Joya – 160, 2nd seed; Sam Mangum, McHi – 180, 8th seed; Jose Gonzalez, La Joya – Juarez-Lincoln – 189; 9th seed; Chris Hernandez, La Joya – 189; 5th seed; Joe Alvarez, La Joya – 285, seeded 1st; and Scott Inskeep, McHi – 285, seeded 7th. Good Luck to all.

Wrestling doesn't build character -- it reveals it.

The Takedown Newsletter * 02.16.09

The Takedown
W e s l a c o H i g h S c h o o l
Panther Wrestling Newsletter
02.16.09 Volume 01- Issue 12

Day One: Upsets Rule at Regional Tournament: Total of Nine No.3 Seeds, Four No.4 Seeds, and One No.2 Seed Fall on the First Day Friday, February 13th, San Antonio, Texas. The Virgil T. Blossom Athletic Center Gymnasium proved to be a house of horrors for the Valley’s District 32-5A and District 31-5A wrestlers at the Region IV Wrestling Tournament. Only one wrestler from District 32-5A RGV East, Jacob Sandoval, 152 – District Champion and Most Outstanding Wrestler, made it to the semi-finals (3.33%). District 31-5A RGV West fared better by sending eight wrestlers to the semi-finals (26.66%). Each district sent 30 boy wrestlers to the tournament, two wrestlers per weightclass. Half of the wrestlers in the semi’s are from the Austin area.

Number of Wrestlers In Semi-Finals:
District 25 - Bryan/College Station/Killeen: 07

District 26 - Austin Suburbs: 20

District 27 - North Austin: 02

District 28 - South Austin: 07

District 29 - San Antonio: 10

District 30 - Corpus Christi/Victoria: 05

District 31 - West Rio Grande Valley: 08

District 32 - East Rio Grande Valley: 01

District 32-5A Encounters Disappointing Results: Friday, February 13th: Only one boy wrestler, PSJA Memorial’s Jacob Sandoval (District Champion and Most Outstanding Wrestler) from District 32-5A made it past day one in the championship bracket. Sandoval was unseeded and reached the semis by defeating a wrestler from Killeen Shoemaker High School. Weslaco High’s Charlie Villegas (125 – District Champion) was seeded No. 3 and Weslaco East’s Rolando Segura (189 – District Champion) was seeded No. 2 – both lost to unseeded wrestlers; Villegas to a wrestler from San Antonio MacArthur and Segura to a wrestler from Vista Ridge, both district champions as well; and fell into the consolation bracket. Representing Weslaco High were Justin Ramirez, 103; Charlie Villegas, 125; Josh Smillie, 130; and Ernie Garcia, 135.

District 315A Fares Better – Sends Eight to Semi’s: Friday, February 13th: The wrestlers, their school, and their weight class are: Fernando Flores, 119, Sharyland; Marco Espinosa, Sharyland, 130; Chris Madsen, McAllen Rowe, 145; Albert Velez, La Joya, 160; Sam Mangum, McHi, 180; Chris Hernandez, La Joya, 189; Joe Alvarez, La Joya 285; and Scott Inskeep, McHi, 285. These eight wrestlers are still in the hunt for the championship in their division.

Point Totals for Valley Teams after The First Day: Friday, February 13th: Teams from the Rio Grande Valley’s two districts ran the gamut in the team standings after the first day of competition. The teams and their regional/district ranks are as follows: La Joya High School, 5th/District Champion; McAllen High School, 12th/5th; McAllen Rowe, 13th/2nd; San Benito High School, 20th/District Champion; PSJA Memorial, 22nd/3rd; La Joya Juarez-Lincoln, 24th/4th; Rio Grande City, 30th/3rd; PSJA High School, 34th tie/2nd; Weslaco East, 34th tie/4th, & Weslaco High , 40th/5th.

Day Two: State Qualifiers: RGV Sends 10 Wrestlers to Austin Saturday, February 14th: After an exciting second day of wrestling, the regional champions were crowned and along with 2nd, 3rd, and 4th place finishers, now advance to the state meet in Austin. Congratulations!

District 32-5A: PSJA Memorial’s Jacob Sandoval, 152 District Champion and Most Outstanding Wrestler, lost his semi-final match to Westlake’s Peyton Burns 6-4 but came back to win Third Place and advance to the State Tournament with a 6-4 win over Frank Rivera of La Joya. Hershey Samarripa of PSJA High School, 112 District Champion, finished 6th in the consolation bracket.

District 31-5A: David Diaz of McAllen Rowe, 103 - 2nd Place at District, finished 3rd and advances to state; Carlos Olvera of La Joya Lincoln-Juarez, 119 - 2nd Place at District, finished 5th by defeating Fernando Flores of Sharyland, 119 – District Champion, who finished 6th. Jorge Saldivar of La Joya High School, 125 – 2nd Place at District, finished 6th. Marco Espinosa of Sharyland, 130 – District Champion, finished 6th. Leonel Juarez of McAllen Rowe, 140 – District Champion, finished 6th. Christopher Madsen of McAllen Rowe, 145 – District Champion, finished 2nd and advances to state. Frank Rivera of La Joya High School, 152 – 2nd at District, finished 4th and advances to state. Albert Velez of La Joya High School, 160 – District Champion, now Regional Champion, advances to state. Sam Mangum of McAllen High School, 180 – District Champion, finished 2nd and advances to state. Chris Hernandez of La Joya High School, 189 – District Champion, finished 2nd and advances to state. Jose Hernandez of La Joya Lincoln-Juarez, 189 – 2nd at District, finished 3rd and advances to state. Allen Tiscareno of Mission High School, 215 – District Champion, finished 5th. Joe Alvarez of La Joya High School, 285 - 2nd at District, is now a Regional Champion and advances to the state tournament. Scott Inskeep of McAllen High School, 285 - District Champion, finished 2nd and advances to state.

Number of Wrestlers Going To State Championships:

District 25 - Bryan/College Station/Killeen: 07

District 26 - Austin Suburbs: 15

District 27 - North Austin: 04

District 28 - South Austin: 12

District 29 - San Antonio: 10

District 30 - Corpus Christi/Victoria: 02

District 31 - West Rio Grande Valley: 09

District 32 - East Rio Grande Valley: 01

Seeded Wrestlers vs Un-seeded Wrestlers: Of the wrestler's seeded No. 1, nine won their respective weight championship, four finished in second place, one placed third, none finished in fourth place and one finished in fifth place. Of the wrestler's seeded No. 2, five won their respective weigth championship, eight finished in second place, none finished in third, fourth, or fifth place, and one placed sixth. Of the wrestler's seeded No. 3, none won the championship, one finished in second place, three finished in third place, four finished in fourth place, two finished in fifth place, and none finished sixth. Of the wrestler's seeded No. 4, one won the championship, one finished second, two finished third, three finished fourth, none finished fifth, and four finished sixth. Of the Un-seeded wrester's, none won a championship, one finished second, nine finished third, eight finished fourth, twelve finished fifth, and ten finished sixth.

Of the 60 seeded wrestlers, 37 advance to the state tournament. For the 23 unseeded wrestlers who believed in their wrestling abilities and refused for this be their last tournament and are now advancing, remember the following: “No one told me I wasn’t supposed to win!” Jake Deitchler, 2008 high school wrestling champion who went on to become a National Champion and Olympian.

Final Team Standings at 2009 Regional Tourney: The boy’s team standings at the end of the two day tournament are as follows: Regional Champions – Austin Bowie, 293; 2. Vista Ridge, 199.5; 3. Westlake, 175.5; 4. Bryan, 148.5; 5. La Joya, 114.5; 10. Sharyland, 17; 24. San Benito, 16.5; 25. Tie – Mission Veterans, 15.5; 27. Mission High, 15; 30. Tie – PSJA, 12; 30. Tie – Rio Grande City, 12; 35. Tie – Weslaco East, 8; 43. Tie – La Joya Palmview, 3; 43. Tie – Weslaco High School, 3; 50. Tie – McAllen Memorial, 0; 50. Tie – PSJA North 0; 50. Tie – Rio Hondo, 0. A total of 56 teams competed in the Boy’s Division.

Valley Girls Head To State: 32-5A sends 2, 31-5A sends 10, Weslaco High’s Liz Villarreal, 128–32 5A District Champion, finishes in 6th Place. The girl’s individual and team standings at the end of the two day tournament are as follows: District 32-5A RGV East. Valerie Flores, 95 – PSJA, 3rd Place at District, won wrestle-back, finished 5th. Liz Villarreal, Weslaco High School, 128 - District Champion, finished 6th; Alyssa Rodriguez, PSJA North, 148 – District Champion, finished 6th; Desiree Martinez, PSJA – North, 165 – District Champion, finished 3rd and advances to the state tournament; Maria Gonzalez, San Benito, 3rd Place at District, won wrestle-back, finished in 5th Place; Claudia Pena, PSJA High School, 185 – District Champion and Most Outstanding Wrestler, finished 2nd and advances to the state tournament; and Flor Sanchez, San Benito, 215 – 2nd Place at District, finished 6th. District 31-5A RGV West. Jenny Garza, Rio Grande City, 95, Regional Champion; Sara Gonzalez, McAllen Rowe, 95 – 3rd Place, advances to state; Jenny Pena, Rio Grande City, 102 – 5th Place; Maria de la Cruz, McAllen Memorial, 102 – 6th Place; Chelsea Light, McAllen Rowe, 110 – 2nd Place, advances to state; Scarlett Lopez, McHi, 110 – finished in 6th Place; Samantha Sepulveda, Rio Grande City, 119 – finished in third place and advances to state; Miranda Lara, La Joya Juarez-Lincoln, 119 – 5th Place; Denise Yanez, McAllen Memorial, 128 – finished in 4th Place and advances to state; Tanairi Martinez, McAllen Rowe, 138 – Regional Champion; Cinthia Torres, La Joya Palmview, 138 – 2nd Place, advances to state; Stephanie Oviedo, La Joya Juarez-Lincoln, 148 – 2nd Place, advances to state; Leanna Salinas, Sharyland, 148 – 3rd Place, advances to state; Yaressi Hernandez, La Joya Palmview, 165 – finished in 6th Place; Perla Bercerra, La Joya Juarez-Lincoln, 185 – finished in 6th Place; Roxanne Gonzalez, La Joya, 215 – finished in 3rd Place and advances to state. Samantha Martinez, Weslaco High, 110, also competed at the Regional Tournament.

Final Team Standings for Girls at 2009 Regional: The girl’s team standings at the end of the two day tournament are as follows: 1 ,135.5 pts., Austin Johnson; 2 ,70 pts., CC King; 3 ,67.5 pts., McAllen Rowe; 4 ,63 pts., SA Reagan; 5 , 61 pts., Killeen Ellison; 6 ,59 pts., Rio Grande City; 9 , 47 pts., Juarez-Lincoln; 12, 35 pts., Pharr-San Juan-Alamo; 14,32 pts., Palmview; 15,30 pts., McAllen Memorial; 15,30 pts., PSJA North; 18,29 pts., San Benito; 23, 24 pts., Sharyland; 24, 22 pts., La Joya 26, 21.5, 29, 18, McAllen HS; 30, 13 pts., Weslaco High School; 32, 7 pts., Rio Hondo; 33, 6 pts., Weslaco East High School. There were 36 teams.

Boys Results: District/Regional: 1. San Benito, 185.00, 24., 16.5. 2. PSJA, 158.00, 30, 12.0, 3. PSJA Memorial,141.00, 21, 23. 4. Weslaco East 128.00, 35, 8.0, 5. Weslaco High School, 92.50 43, 3.0. 6. PSJA-North, 46.50, 50, 0, 7. Rio Hondo, 34.00, 50, 0.

Girls Results: District/Regional: 1. Weslaco East, 95.00, 33. 06 2. PSJA, 91.00, 12., 35 3. San Benito, 83.50, 18, 29, 4. Weslaco High, 69.00, 30., 13 5. PSJA Memorial, 64.00 - - 6. PSJA North, 58.00, 15., 30 7. Rio Hondo, 56.00, 32., 07

Every day I thank the Good Lord for making me a Panther.

Adapted from J. DiMaggio

The Takedown Newsletter * 02.09.09

The Takedown
W e s l a c o H i g h S c h o o l
Panther Wrestling Newsletter
02.09.09 Volume 01- Issue 11

San Benito 2009 32-5A Champions
Weslaco East High School Girls:2009 District and Dual Meet Championships


San Benito Greyhound Wrestlers hoist their tropy.


WEHS Lady Wildcats Enjoy Their Championship

The San Benito Greyhounds won the 32-5A Wrestling District Championship for the first time since 2000 on Thursday, February 5th at the San Benito High School gym. The Greyhounds halted the Weslaco Panthers string of eight consecutive district titles. San Benito accumulated enough points to win the title by having two first place winners, four second place winners, and six third place winners.

/Girls Results:

Boys Results

1. San Benito – Champions 185.00 1. Weslaco East – Champions 95.00

2. PSJA 158.00 2. PSJA 91.00

3. PSJA Memorial 141.00 3. San Benito 83.50

4. Weslaco East 128.00 4. Weslaco High School 69.00

5. Weslaco High School 92.50 5. PSJA Memorial 64.00

6. PSJA North 46.50 6. PSJA North 58.00

7. Rio Hondo 34.00 7. Rio Hondo 56.00

BoysTeam Dual Champions: PSJA Memorial
Girls Team Dual Champions: Weslaco East

Most Outstanding Wrestler - Boys: Jacob Sandoval , PSJA Memorial – 152

Most Oustanding Wrestling - Girls: Claudia Pena, PSJA - 185

Weslaco High School’s Four District Champions: The Lady Panthers and the Panthers each had two wrestlers crowned district champions at the 2009 32-5A District Wrestling Tournament. Samantha Martinez won the 110 weight class, Liz Villarreal won the 128 weight class, Justin Ramirez won the 103 weight class, and Charlie Villegas won the 125 weight class. Villarreal, Ramirez and Villegas were each seeded first in their weight class, while Martinez was seeded fourth in her division. Also placing were Anna Almaguer, 2nd 138 (lost wrestle-back); Clarisa Pina, 2nd 185 (lost wrestle-back); Josh Smillie, 2nd 130; Ernie Garcia, 3rd 135 (won wrestle-back); Andres Sanchez, 3rd 180; and Michael Torres, 3rd 189. Martinez, Villarreal, Ramirez, Villegas, Smillie and Garcia will represent Weslaco High at the Region V Tournament in San Antonio on February 13th and 14th.

110 District Champion: Samantha Martinez


128 District Champion: Liz Villarreal


103 District Champion: Justin Ramirez



125 District Champion: Juan Carlos "Charlie" Villegas

(Left to Right): District Champion, 2nd Place, 3rd Place, (** Regional Qualifier)

GIRLS:
095 K de la Garza, Memorial ** Noemi Marez, North Valerie Flores, PSJA ** (Won wrestle-back)
102 M de la Cruz, Memorial ** A. Benavides, S.B. ** J. Barrios, East
110 Samantha Martinez,WHS** S. Hernandez, PSJA A. Gonzalez, East ** (Won wrestle-back)
119 Roxanne Garcia, East ** V. Hernandez, S.B. ** M. Estrada, Rio Hondo (Lost wrestle-back)
128 Liz Villarreal, WHS ** J. Perez, San Benito ** K. de la Garza, Memorial(Lost wrestle-back)
138 C.Escamilla, Rio Hondo ** Anna Almaguer, WHS, S. Hernandez, PSJA ** (Won wrestle-back)
148 A. Rodriguez, North ** V. Proo, San Benito ** E. Boen, Rio Hondo (Lost wrestle-back)
165 D. Martinez, North ** B. Bentancourt, East M. Gonzalez, S. B. ** (Won wrestle-back)
185 C. Pena, PSJA ** Clarisa Pina, WHS, N. de Leon, East ** (Won wrestle-back)
215 Eriel Ebarb, East ** Flor Sanchez, S. B. ** M. Cuellar, Rio Hondo

BOYS:
103 Justin Ramirez, WHS ** David Garcia, East ** Ralph Equia, San Benito
112 H. Zamarripa, PSJA ** Rey Sauceda, S.B. ** Eric Flores, PSJA North (Lost wrestle-back)
119 M. Sanchez, Memorial ** Eric Torres, East ** R. Espino, San Benito
125 Charlie Villegas WHS ** Simon Pinero, PSJA ** Matthew Cantu, East (Lost wrestle-back)
130 Edgar Davila, Memorial ** Josh Smillie, WHS ** Eli Ocanas, East
135 J. Ibarra III, Memorial ** Roy Zavala, East Ernie Garcia, WHS ** (Won wrestle-back)
140 J. Marroquin, PSJA ** J. Alcantar, East ** M. Reyes, San Benito, H.Villanueva, Jr. WHS 5th
145 S. Reyes, San Benito ** S. Munoz, East ** D. Navarro, PSJA North, J. Alvizo, WHS 6th
152 J. Sandoval, Memorial ** J. Estrada, East ** N.Hernandez,SanBenito, E. Tirado, WHS 6th
160 A. Barrera, Rio Hondo ** T. Dimas, PSJA ** E. Alvarez, San Benito, A. Sanchez, WHS 6th
171 J. Araiza, San Benito ** M. Hernandez, North ** J. Matias, Memorial (Lost Wrestle-back)
180 Eric Garcia, PSJA ** J. Munoz, San Benito** Andres Sanchez, WHS
189 Rolando Segura, East ** RSaldivar,San Benito ** Michael Torres, WHS
215 Elias Reyes, PSJA ** C. Tamez, San Benito M. Ramirez,Memorial** R. Martinez, WHS 4th
285 J.Villanueva, PSJA ** H. Perez, Memorial M. Ipinia, San Benito ** A. Solis, WHS 4th

Congratulations to all of these fine athletes. See you at Regionals!

The Takedown Newsletter * 02.02.09

The Takedown
W e s l a c o H i g h S c h o o l
Panther Wrestling Newsletter
02.02.09 Volume 01- Issue 10

Panthers Medal at JV Tournament:

District Champion: Samantha Martinez

2nd Place: Everardo Tirado

Third Place: Hector Villanueva, Jr.

Third Place: Alex Solis

The Sepulveda Gym at Weslaco High School was the scene of the District 32 Junior Varsity Tournament on Thursday, January 30th. Wrestlers from each of the District 32 teams competed for individual Junior Varsity District Champion titles in each weight category. The results were as follows:

(Left to Right) Champion, 2nd Place, 3rdPlace

Girls:

095 Joanna Lopez (PSJA-N), Noemi Munoz (PSJA-N)

110 Samantha Martinez (WHS), Julissa Barrios (WEHS), Elena Gonzalez (SB)

128 Chantel (WEHS), Andrea Perez (SB), Catherine Crowley (RH)

138 Ashley Zaragoza (PSJA), Ashley Collins

148 A. Bentancourt (WEHS), Miranda Sanchez (RH), Jennifer Valero (PSJA)

185 Vivian Espinosa (PSJA-N), Abbie de Leon (WEHS)

Boys:

103 Jonathan Herrera (SB), Eric Garcia (WEHS)

112 Ralph Eguia (SB), Eric Flores (PSJA-N)

119 Hector Garcia (PSJA), Dalziel Mummakki (PSJA-N), Dan Garza (PSJA-N)

125 Danny Estrada (RH), Matthew Cantu (WEHS), Marcus Puente (SB)

130 Mario Jurado (SB), Joseph Barber (PSJA-N), Nick Hill (RH)

135 Adrian Gonzalez (SB), Hector Villanueva, Jr. (WHS)

140 No Competitors

145 David Navarro (PSJA-N), Javier Alcantar (PSJA), Juan Caballero (RH)

152 Eddie Pichardo (PSJA), Everardo Tirado (WHS), J. Valladares (PSJA-M)

160 Jeremy Mendez (SB), Aaron Vela (PSJA-M), Moses Lopes (PSJA-N)

171 Jacob Vargas (SB), Raul Nino (PSJA-N), Tomas Dimas (PSJA)

180 Baltazar Herrera (WEHS), David Gonzalez (SB)

189 No Competitors

215 Ramiro Saldivar (SB), Joseph Ortega (SB), Alex Solis (WHS)

285 Art Camarillo (PSJA-N). Danny Gonzalez (SB), Omero Reyes (RH)

Also competing for the Panthers were Monica Martinez (4th Place) and Josafath “Jay” Alviso (4th Place) who won his first match as a wrestler against Juan Caballero of Rio Hondo and showed improvement in his match against David Navarro of PSJA-North, who had pinned Alviso within 30 seconds in their first meeting, by taking Navarro through the completion of three rounds before losing on points.

WHS Falls to PSJA At Last Dual of 2009: The Panthers and Lady Panthers traveled to San Juan to take on the PSJA Bears in a dual meet that was rescheduled due to the electrical blackout on the WHS Campus Thursday, January 22nd. This meet marked the end of the 2008/2009 wrestling regular season. The Lady Panthers lost to the Lady Bears by a score of 21-11. The Panthers lost to the Bears by a score of 57-17.

Girls Varsity:

95 Forfeit by WHS; Valerie Flores of PSJA wins. (L)

110 Samantha Martinez (10th, 2nd yr.), trailed 2-3 (1st), led 9-7 (2nd), and tied at 11-11 at the end of the third period. This exciting match went into overtime with PSJA’s Sherry Hernandez winning 13- 11 on a reversal. (L)

119 Monica Martinez (12th, 1st yr.), tied 2-2 after the first period, Monica led 5-4 in the second before pinning PJSA’s Ari Velasquez with 18 seconds left in the second period. (W) Congratulations!

128 Liz Villarreal (11th/3rd yr.) was in complete control as she dominated Ashley Zaragoza of PSJA 4-1 1 (1st), 8-1 (2nd), and scoring a technical fall, 18-1, with 22.26 seconds left in the third period. (W) Congratulations!

138 Ana Almaguer (10th/1st yr.) led 6-2 (1st) and was ahead 6-5 when PSJA’s Stephanie Hernandez pinned her at 1:08 into the second period. (L)

185 Clarisa Pina (9th/1st yr.) tied at 2-2; Clarisa was pinned 33 seconds into the first period by C. Pena of PSJA High School. (L)

Boys Varsity:

103 Justin Ramirez (11th /2nd yr.), won on a forfeit by PSJA. (W) Congratulations!

112 Forfeit by WHS, Hershey Zamaripa of PSJA wins. (L)

119 Forfeit by WHS, Hector Garcia of PSJA wins. (L)

125 Charlie Villegas (11th /3rd yr.), had to contend with his opponent, Simon Pinero, as well as Pinero’s fans (!Arriba! Simon !Arriba!) yet led 6-0 (1st) and 14-2 (2nd), before winning a technical fall, 18-3, over Pinero. (W) Congratulations!

130 Josh Smillie (12th /1st yr.), led 2-0 before making quick work of Justin Regino of PSJA and pinning him 1:35 into the first period. (W) Congratulations!

135 Hector Villanueva, Jr. (10th/1st yr.), and PSJA’s Mike Gonzalez provided the best match of the night. Each wrestler gave it his all, with several exciting moves that kept the crowd at the edge of their seats. Hector was on the receiving end of at least two hard take downs, hitting the mat each time with his head and looking dazed at times, but he stayed in contention. The scores were 4-10 (1st), 8-12 (2nd), with Gonzalez pulling out an 18-15 decision. (L)

140 Double Forfeit

145 Josafath “Jay” Alviso (9th/1st yr.) trailed 8-0 (1st) before the match was stopped on a

technical fall 16-0 by PSJA’s Julio Marroquin (L)

152 Everardo Tirado (10th /1st yr.), was pinned by Eddie Pichardo 1:35 minutes into the first round with Everardo leading 4-2 at the time. (L)

160 Forfeit by WHS; Tomas Dimas of PSJA wins. (L)

171 Forfeit by WHS; Manny Lopez of PSJA wins. (L)

180 Forfeit by WHS; Eric Garcia of PSJA wins. (L)

189 Double Forfeit

215 Alex Solis, filling in for Robert Martinez, (11th /1st yr.), was pinned by PJSA’s Elias Reyes at 1:19 of the first period. (L)

285 Forfeit by WHS, Joey Villanueva of PJSA wins. (L)

Panthers & Lady Panthers At San Benito for the 32-5A Wrestling Championships: The local wrestling season comes to a close this coming Thursday, February 5th, as the District 32 championships take place in the main gym on the San Benito High School campus. The school is located at 450 South Williams Road in San Benito; take the Williams Road exit and turn left, go under the overpass and the entrance drive will be about 300’ past the frontage road on the right side of the street. The tournament is scheduled to start at 8:00 a.m. (A special edition of The Takedown will be published on Friday, February 6th, listing the results of the tournament. For those of you, who can’t wait till Friday; feel free to call me (956.793.4183) at 12 noon and 5:00 p.m. to get the latest results.) Arrive early, stay late, and wear PURPLE!

The line-up going into the tournament will be as follows:

Girls: 110 – Samantha Martinez; 119 – Monica Martinez; 128 – Liz Villarreal; 138 – Ana Almaguer, and 183 Clarisa Pina. The 95, 102, 148, 165, and 215 weight classes are vacant.

Boys: 103 – Justin Ramirez; 112 – Vacant; 119 – Lucio Cruz; 125 – Juan “Charlie” Villegas; 130 – Josh Smillie; 135 – Ernie Garcia; 140 – Hector Villanueva, Jr.; 145 – Josafath “Jay” Alviso; 152 – Everardo Tirado; 160 – Adrian Sanchez; 171 – Vacant; 180 – Andres Sanchez; 189 – Michael Torres; 215 – Robert Martinez; 285 – Alex Solis.

The Lady Panthers will have three first year wrestlers, one second year wrestler and one third year wrestler at the meet. The Panthers will enter the tourney with two vacant weight divisions, nine first year wrestlers, and three second year and one third year wrestler. Wrestlers placing first or second will earn the right to compete at the regional tournament in San Antonio on February 13th and 14th.

Good luck to all of our Panther and Lady Panther Wrestler’s!

"They were born for this time, to have this chance, and what they do now they will carry with them for the rest of their lives!"
Tom Brands, Head Wrestling Coach, University of Iowa

The Takedown Newsletter * 01.26.09

The Takedown
W e s l a c o H i g h S c h o o l
Panther Wrestling Newsletter
01.26.09 Volume 01- Issue 09

TONIGHT: WHS*PSJA Last Dual Meet of the Season: The Panthers will host PSJA High School at Lackey Gym on the Weslaco High School campus, tonight Monday, January 26th, for the last dual meet of the 2008/2009 wrestling season. The meet was originally scheduled for Thursday, January 22nd, but was rescheduled due to the blackout that occurred at the WHS campus due to severed underground electrical lines on Westgate Drive. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. and the matches will start at 7:00 p.m. Come early, stay late, and wear PURPLE!

Practice Schedules for the Week of January 26th: Monday: 5:00 p.m. – set up mats at Lackey Gym for PSJA Dual Meet at 7:00 p.m. Tuesday: 4:15 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. Wednesday: 4:15 p.m. to 5:15 p.m. Thursday: 4:15 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. . Friday: District 32 Junior Varsity District Tournament Saturday: Check with your wrestler for the scheduled time.

WHS To Host Junior Varsity District Tournament: The Domingo P. Sepulveda Gym, on the Weslaco High School campus, will be the site of this year’s Junior Varsity District Tournament. The one day competition will be held on Friday, January 30th. Weigh-Ins will be at 7:00 a.m. with the matches starting at 9:00 a.m. These wrestlers are the future of our district and the tournament provides an early glimpse to up and coming champions. See you there!

The Monitor Highlights Coach Mark Pederson: An article by Brian Sandalow in the January 23rd issue of the Monitor Sports section titled “Weslaco’s Pederson filling big shoes,” comments on what it has been like for Coach Pederson to replace longtime coach, John Glapa. Pederson states that “it’s been very difficult,” noting that “he (Glapa) has been an excellent coach.” Pederson goes on to say that “there are some great kids” (in the WHS Wrestling Program) and “we have to pick up where he left off.” Coach Pederson closes by saying, “My athletes are the ones who make the names for the coaches, and they are great athletes. The records show how great they are. They’re the ones that make the coaches.”

In The End, It Came Down To A Tennis Ball………… Last Thursday, my son A.J. headed out to the WHS Tennis Courts after an electrical blackout delayed and eventually prevented the setting-up of mats for the WHS-PSJA wrestling dual meet. Having played tennis on and off since sixth grade, A.J. is very much at home on a tennis court. In the second set, A.J. raced towards the net to try and hit back a deftly placed ball in the upper court. Game over?

A.J. had taken part in karate, little league baseball, football, basketball, and tennis before he walked in on a wrestling practice and became hooked by the sport during the fall of 2007. I had never seen him so enthusiastic about anything. He was able to wrestle a few matches while on the junior varsity team, attending the district and regional tournaments as a fan, wanting to learn from the experience and planning on living it the following year.

Once the season was over, A.J. began making plans in his quest to become a top wrestler, and in the process, a champion. He began rigorous workouts three times a week with a personal trainer, Jesse Marines. Besides the training, a complete change in diet was put into place and religiously followed. Getting up at 5:30 a.m. each morning to make breakfast and prepare a school lunch as well, it was a mission that produced results that A.J. could see and take pride in. In the end, A.J. would lose a total of 55 pounds and increase his self esteem two-fold.

We looked at and decided to invest in A.J. attending wrestling camps at the University of Iowa and Oklahoma State during the summer. The trip up and back would be our annual vacation as well. A.J.’s excitement had to be reeled-in on several occasions in order to keep his head level. Once school was out, A.J. attended a wrestling camp in Sharyland that featured a team from Sioux City, Iowa. Matching a state champion’s bravado with that of one who dreams of being one much less being beaten by one, A.J. refused to tap out when he found himself in a difficult position and was rewarded with a fractured clavicle. Dr. Mitchell told A.J. that he would not operate on a 15 year old as it was a risky venture; if anything went wrong, either a lung or the heart would be punctured and he would not take on that responsibility. The only thing to do was rest for twelve weeks and let the bone heal on its own. End of training, end of wrestling camps, change of plans.

As the 2008/2009 academic school year began, A.J. and I sat down to discuss the goals for the coming year. After a roller coaster sophomore year, I stressed that his participation in wrestling would be dependent upon his performance in the classroom. A.J. was Oscar worthy in his testimonial that he had indeed learned his lessons and was not about to repeat them.

The first and second six week sessions came and went and A.J.’s antics from the previous year were in full force. Visiting with his teachers and counselor, talking to his friends, taking away his privileges, getting him tutors, nothing seemed to make a difference. I finally reached the tipping point, realizing and finally admitting that I had done all a parent could do. A.J. would have to face the consequences on his own. When the crucial third six weeks came, A.J. was completely out-of-shape academically. Though he had prepared his body throughout the year, he had refused to prepare his mind and now it was threatening to keep him off the mat for the entire season. Blaming everyone but himself, A.J. refused to admit that the season was over, saying that he still held out hope that he could be passing after the 3rd week of the fourth six weeks and then go on to win a wrestle-off for the 152 position and compete.

A.J. and I went back and forth during the holidays, he argued for what he considered his right to wrestle for the 152 position, I argued for allowing the 152 wrestler to stay and gain experience at the district tournament, something that would help the team in the long run. I believed A.J. should refocus on his school work, support the wrestling team in the interim, and set his goals now for a great senior year.

Having avoided being at team events throughout the season, I asked A.J. on Thursday morning if he was going to attend the last dual meet or attend a scout meeting. He said he would attend the dual meet. I told him that I expected him to show up after school to help set-up the wrestling mats. As it became apparent when the lights went out that the meet would be delayed or cancelled, A. J. headed out to the tennis courts. As he sped towards the net, in that second set, focused on the ball coming over the net, A.J. did not see a ball that had come from an adjacent court and rolled to a stop on his side of the court. Stepping on that ball, his body going one way and his foot another, he fractured his ankle. Game over! Good-bye 2009 wrestling season; start planning for 2010 wrestling season. Game, set, and match! HRG.