Princeton senior Addy Smith, top, earned fifth place at 190 pounds in last weekend’s Class 6A state wrestling tournament in Cypress. Photo by Jerry Winfrey / C&S Media
By David Wolman
Last year, Princeton senior Addy Smith was forced to watch the Class 6A state tournament from the stands. She was an alternate in her weight class, missing the state cut by one win.
Fast forward to last Saturday, and Smith not only wrestled at state for the first time, but she also stood on the medal stand after earning fifth place at 190 pounds at the Berry Center in Cypress.
“To go from being an alternate to a state placer is a big jump,” head coach Ryan DeLaVergne said. “To finish in fifth place at state is huge. It speaks a lot to the preparation that she put in this year. We were thrilled for her.”
Nerves never got the better of Smith in her first state appearance. She impressed in each of her first two matches, scoring a pin of San Antonio Johnson’s Emerie O’Leary in the opening round and then overcoming an early 3-0 deficit to pin Little Elm’s Kily Chavarrilla at the 3:44 mark in the quarterfinals.
In the semifinals, Smith, the No. 4 seed at 190 pounds, lost to top seed and eventual state runner-up Asaiya Golphin of Cibolo Steele by third-period pin at the 5:26 mark.
The loss relegated Smith to the consolation semifinals, where she lost by pin to Richmond Foster’s Jaida Kuntz in the third period. But Smith emerged victorious in her final high school match, notching a third-period pin of No. 2 seed Tristyn Alo-Suliafu of Katy Jordan in the fifth-place bout.
“Elation,” DeLaVergne said of the feeling that Smith had after defeating Alo-Suliafu. “She felt contentment and satisfied that she won her last match. It is something for her to hang her hat on.”
Smith finished her senior season with a 28-6 record, won the District 6-6A title at 190 pounds and followed that by winning the Region II-6A championship in her weight class.
Smith was one of two Lady Panthers to wrestle in the state tournament.
Erin Marquez, also a senior, performed well in the 120-pound weight class division but came up one win short of earning her first state medal.
After not winning a match at last year’s state tournament, Marquez notched two wins this time. She started the event with a loss by pin to El Paso Eastwood’s Nayeli Ortiz in the first round, but she won each of her next two matches and wrestled into the second day after posting a pin of Katy Taylor’s Emily Melhem in the consolation second round.
Needing just one more win to earn a spot on the medal stand, Marquez was unable to overcome a pair of takedowns in a 6-1 loss to Rockwall-Heath’s Tiana Crawford in the consolation third round.
Marquez finished her high school career as a three-time state qualifier with a career record of 146-41. During her senior season, she went 42-8, finished second at the district tournament, placed third at the regional tournament and won two matches at the state tournament.
“Finishing in the top eight, and not the top six, is rough,” DeLaVergne said. “If you win that match, you get to place at state. Erin is a tough kid and works hard. To be a three-year state qualifier is nothing to be disappointed in. We love her to death and proud of the work that she’s put in.”
“Her work ethic and the work that she puts in personifies her grit and determination. I wish we had 20 more of her. She is such a great kid to be around.”
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