With district meets right around the corner, Killeen ISD’s varsity wrestling teams have the postseason in their sights.
Harker Heights, Killeen and Shoemaker will head to Leander Vandegrift High School on Wednesday, Jan. 28, for the District 13-6A meet. On the same day, Chaparral and Ellison are at University of Mary Hardin-Baylor in Belton for the District 6-5A tournament.
Matches at each location are scheduled to begin at 9:30 am., and by the end of what will be a long, grueling and competitive day, the hope is to qualify for regionals with a top four finish.
Those wrestlers who advance then will aim for a state berth in their respective regional meets. Over the last two seasons, KISD has sent a combined 32 wrestlers to the state meet. Of those, seven reached the podium, including Chaparral’s Ava Milliner, a senior this year who won a championship as a sophomore.
The Harker Heights Lady Knights, who’ve won three consecutive district and regional team championships, will enter this season’s 13-6A fray with a head of steam after winning the Sharyl Pederson Invite at San Antonio Madison on Saturday, Jan. 17.
Ana Davis (170 pounds), Layla Williams (190) and Saniah Ebron (235) led the Lady Knights’ charge to the top by winning their weight class in San Antonio. Six others reached the podium with top-six finishes.
In the boys section of the meet, the Knights put seven wrestlers on the podium, including first-place showings from Anthony Pough (138), Geoffrey Anderson (190), Ivan Arzate (285) and Leonidas Michelon (126) for third in the team standings.
A busy tune-up tournament day, Jan. 17, also included the other four KISD programs at Lake Belton High School for the Jim Grimm Memorial.
The Ellison Lady Eagles certainly set the tone for their postseason journey by compiling 110.5 points to edge Georgetown by two points for the team crown.
The Lady Roos, Lady Bobcats and Lady Grey Wolves also proved to be rounding into form as the nitty-gritty of the season nears, placing fourth, seventh and eighth, respectively.
Jaycie Guthrie (140) and Josephine Okribata (115) notched gold for the Lady Eagles while Emma King-Stewart (130) was second. Runner-up finishes from Gizell Rodrigues (170, KHS), Shanyah Johnson (100, KHS), Desiree Madrid (120, CHS), Kaelyn Reynolds (135, CHS) and Zana Connally (235, SHS) anchored their squads.
In the boys competition, the Grey Wolves were fifth, Eagles sixth, Bobcats 12th and Roos 21st, combining to place 12 on the podium –– including first-place performances from Aljohn Morales 126, SHS), Sheldon Gunnels (215, SHS) and Anthony Morales (150, CHS).
More wrestling photos from the regular season can be viewed by visiting Killeen ISD's Flickr page at www.killeenisd.org/photos.
District 13-6A
Teams: Harker Heights, Killeen, Shoemaker, Leander Vandegrift, Cedar Park Vista Ridge, Copperas Cove, Hutto, Round Rock, Round Rock McNiel, Round Rock Westwood, Round Rock Cedar Ridge, Temple, Waco Midway
Where: Leander Vandegrift
When: 9:30 a.m. Wednesday, Jan. 28
District 6-5A
Teams: Chaparral, Ellison, Arlington Seguin, Belton, Burleson, Burleson Centennial, Lake Belton, Midlothian, Midlothian Heritage, Brock, Gatesville, Kennedale, Lampasas, Salado.
Where: University of Mary Hardin-Baylor
When: 9:30 a.m. Wednesday, Jan. 28