Princeton’s Jeremiah Soto holds Wylie East’s Connor Liu in the air before taking him down during the 126-pound bout at McKinney Boyd on Wednesday, Jan. 7. Soto won the match via first-period pin. Photo by David Wolman / C&S Media
By David Wolman
Princeton’s Addy Smith wrestled to first place at 190 pounds at the Cougar Classic, held last Saturday at The Colony High School.
Smith was one of seven placers for Princeton. Erin Marquez finished as the runner-up at 120 pounds, Isobella Cook placed second at 145, Alexandria Ramos finished fourth at 125, Analee Holguin placed fourth at 110, and Nalani Mornes took fourth at 105.
On the boys’ side, Logan Wilczynski placed fourth at 113 pounds.
Panthers sweep double dual
MCKINNEY — Princeton competes in one of the toughest districts and regions in the state, so head coach Ryan DeLaVergne knows how important it is for his team to be at the top of its game by the time the District 6-6A tournament rolls around later this month.
On Wednesday, Jan. 7, Princeton got a sneak peek at two of the schools it will face at the district tournament: Wylie East and McKinney Boyd.
Based on how well the Panthers’ boys team performed in last week’s triangular at McKinney Boyd High School — defeating Wylie East 54-22 and McKinney Boyd 46-30 — DeLaVergne believes his squad has a chance to do well in each of the aforementioned postseason tournaments.
“I loved how the team put the moves and situations we have been working on in practice into their matches and saw success with them,” he said. “The key to being a successful athlete is being coachable, and our kids are doing that.”
Wilczynski (113 pounds), Jeremiah Soto (126), Landen Fulton (138), Nolan Culverhouse (150), Chris Winkle (165) and Maddox Obera (215) each went 2-0 on the evening, with Culverhouse winning both of his matches by pin.
A match that best exemplified Princeton’s determination on the mat was the 175-pound bout between Princeton’s Breylon Kelleher and McKinney Boyd’s Stephen Berg. For a moment, it appeared Berg was going to win in dominant fashion. Berg led 11-1 in the second period and was closing in on a technical fall, but Kelleher fought back. He turned Berg onto his back and pinned him at the 4:33 mark.
“Breylon coming back from a big deficit to get the win showed just how hard our team fights,” DeLaVergne said. “We don’t quit, we don’t give up, and we wrestle like we expect to win.”
The Princeton Lady Panthers were just as dominant at McKinney Boyd, cruising to a 51-6 victory over the Lady Broncos. Princeton won all five matches that were contested, including four by pin.
Holguin pinned Evelyn Silion in the 110-pound bout. Marquez won the 120-pound match over Mia Salazar-McCauley. Ramos needed just 65 seconds to pin Maggie Watkins in the next bout at 125 pounds. Cook earned a 3-2 decision over Jasmine Silion in the 145-pound match. Kayden McKinnie then made it five straight wins for Princeton, recording a second-period pin of Darbey Seamans in the 155-pound bout.
“The girls looked great against McKinney Boyd,” DeLaVergne said. “Every girl won her match. It’s hard to ask for more.”
The previous weekend at the New Year’s Eve Scuffle, held at Frisco Emerson, the Lady Panthers had five wrestlers place in the top six.
Smith went 4-0 to capture first place at 190 pounds, Cook finished second at 145, Ramos earned bronze at 125, Mornes placed fourth at 105, and Audrey Gonzalez finished sixth at 120.
Aniya Hunter (eighth, 155) and Lillian Fowler (11th, 130) also competed for Princeton at the New Year’s Eve Scuffle.
Princeton’s boys also had several wrestlers earn podium finishes in Frisco, led by Soto, who won first place in the 126-pound division. Winkle captured second place at 165. Wilczynski (113) and Kodjo Nomagnon (285) placed fifth, while Obera (215) finished sixth. Carlo Guerra (ninth, 144), Fulton (ninth, 138), Conner Nielson (10th, 157), Lucas Yost (10th, 150) and D’Kylan Lovett (11th, 157) also competed.
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