Princeton senior Addy Smith attempts to turn her opponent onto her back during a match in the 190-pound weight class division at the District 6-6A Wrestling Tournament. Photo by Jerry Winfrey / C&S Media
By David Wolman
The Princeton wrestling team qualified nine wrestlers for this weekend’s Region II-6A Tournament at Allen High School.
Those nine grapplers earned their spots in the regional tournament after placing in the top four of their respective weight classes at the District 6-6A Tournament, held last Friday at Prosper Rock Hill High School.
Senior team captain Addy Smith won the district title at 190 pounds for the highest individual finish by a Princeton wrestler. With just four wrestlers in her weight class, she was automatically guaranteed a spot in the regional tournament, but she still put forth a standout effort on the mat. Smith needed just 70 seconds to pin Allen’s Sophie Samier in the semifinals. In the first-place match, Smith pinned top seed Haja Dabo of Plano West at the 1:52 mark.
“Addy getting first was fantastic,” head coach Ryan DeLaVergne said. “She has worked hard all year and to see her earn a top seed in the regional bracket is huge. We are really proud of her.”
Fellow senior team captain Erin Marquez will make a return trip to regionals after wrestling to second place at 120 pounds at the district tournament.
After receiving a first-round bye, Marquez, the No. 2 seed at 120 pounds, made quick work of Plano West’s Satori Weaver, needing just 1 minute, 14 seconds to pin Weaver. Marquez lost by a 14-6 major decision to Allen’s Grace Romans in the first-place match at 120 pounds. Romans is the defending Class 6A state runner-up at 114 pounds. Marquez will look to earn a third consecutive berth in the state tournament.
Analee Holguin rebounded from an opening loss to earn third place at 110 pounds. Isobella Cook also placed third, earning her bronze medal after pinning Allen’s Chisom Dijeh in the third-place bout at 145 pounds. Nalani Mornes will also represent the Lady Panthers at regionals after wrestling to fourth place at 105 pounds.
“This is Erin and Analee’s senior year,” DeLaVergne said. “They have been here before, with Erin having been to state. So the pressure is on for them to perform, and I think they are up to the challenge.
“Isobella has done such a great job for us this year as a first year captain and has really come into her own as a wrestler. She is doing well and I think she has a real shot this weekend at advancing. Nalani has exceeded all expectations for her freshman year. She really has wrestled well. We are very proud of her and excited for what the future holds for her.”
Logan Wilczynski (third place, 113 pounds), Jeremiah Soto (third place, 126), Nolan Culverhouse (third place, 150) and Austin Aparicio (fourth place, 165) persevered in the ultra-competitive boys division at the district tournament to clinch berths into the regional tournament.
Wilczynski won two straight matches after losing in the opening round to earn third place at 113 pounds, with the clincher being a 16-3 major decision over Plano West’s Leonidas Easterwood in the third-place match.
Soto also displayed resilience. He started the day with a 14-10 loss to Plano’s Alex Chen but came back strong in the consolation bracket, where he won four straight matches to earn his spot in the regional tournament. Soto capped the comeback with an 11-7 decision over Rock Hill’s Elias Cordova in the third-place match at 126 pounds.
Meanwhile, Culverhouse won each of his first two matches, lost in the semifinals, then won his final two matches on the back side of the bracket. He pinned Rock Hill’s Vrishank Naveen Narayan in the consolation semifinals, then punctuated a standout effort on the mat with a pin of Plano East’s Daniel Hartai in the third-place match at 150 pounds.
Aparicio won two of his final three matches in the 165-pound division to earn his spot in the regional tournament.
“The boys showed some real grit qualifying,” DeLaVergne said. “They had to win some close tough matches to advance and we are proud of them for doing so. Our district and region are probably the toughest in the state, so the path just to make it to the state tournament is so brutal. Advancing each round is a real accomplishment.”
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