Eagle Wrestlers Dominate District and Regional Championships

Qualify 9 for UIL State Competition in Austin February 27-28

 

After winning and scoring a school record 295.5 team points at the District 17-5A championships, the Allen Eagle Wrestlers hosted the UIL Region III tournament this weekend. The #1 ranked Allen Eagles scored 234 points, 124.5 ahead of runner-up Houston-Westside. With eight wrestlers in the Championship Finals, Allen placed six regional champions (Alex LeGrande, Jarrod Trotter, Roderick Gaines, Ophir Bernstein, Eden Bernstein and Joby Bishop), as well as two regional runners-up (Zach Cobb and Garrett Johnson). Placing third and also qualifying for State competition was Travis Springfield.

 

Winning matches but not qualifying for state were Ben Haynie, Joey McFarland, and Matt Reese.

 

Perhaps the most impressive performance of any wrestler in the two-day event was that of Allen's Alex 'Jersey' LeGrande. LeGrande, currently ranked as the #1 103 pounder in Texas, had four pins in :23, 1:45, 1:07, and 1:44. His finals victory was against the state's #3 ranked Lofgren of Houston Westside.

 

"You guys wrestled tough this weekend.....you dominated the competition in the toughest Region in the State", Coach Jerry Best told his team in a post-tournament meeting. "I am very proud of the way you wrestled. You were focused....... you were intense."

 

In addition, during the tournament, Coach Jerry Best was honored as Region III "Coach of the Year". "To be recognized by your peers is quite an honor", Best stated, "I am very appreciative".

 

In two weeks, Allen will face tough competition at the UIL State Championships, including defending State Champion, Canyon Randall and Austin Bowie, which was Allen's toughest opponent on the way to winning the State Dual Championship earlier this season.

 

The Texas UIL State Wrestling Championship will be held in Austin's Delco Center on February 27-28.

Allen High School put another state championship on the books this weekend with the Eagle Wrestlers taking home team gold from the Texas Dual State Championships in Amarillo.

Legendary wrestler and Coach Dan Gable once said “Gold medals aren't really made of gold. They're made of sweat, determination, and a hard-to-find alloy called guts.” And that is exactly what it took for the Allen Eagle grapplers to win the State Duals this weekend. Battle-tested, the Eagles have come up against many powerhouse teams this season as they travelled as far as New Mexico, Oklahoma and most recently to the Virginia Duals last weekend. Back in the great state of Texas, the travel-weary Eagles leveraged their national experience to earn the first Dual State Gold for Allen and prove themselves worthy of the #1 ranking going into the tournament.

The top 16 wrestling teams in the state were invited to Amarillo for the state duals battle. Going 5-0 on the day, Allen grapplers fought to the end, defeating all three teams in their pool – Katie Morton Ranch (55-13), El Paso Franklin (77-6), and what may well have been one of Allen’s most exciting victories against Austin Bowie (38-33). Advancing to the semi-finals, the Eagle wrestlers took on Vista Ridge and won 52-28, sending them to the final match against defending UIL state champions and tournament host, Canyon Randall.

The battle lines were drawn and the showdown was set to begin at 103#, the first of fifteen weight classes to be contested. . Junior, 103# Alex ‘Jersey’ LeGrande and 112# freshman sensation, Jarrod Trotter set the tone with impressive wins giving the Eagles a 12-0 lead before Randall reeled off three consecutive victories to cut the Eagles lead to 12-10. A major decision (9-1) by Allen’s 135#, Joey McFarland followed by a Randall pin via State Champion, Victor Dotson, knotted the score at 16-16.

Back to back victories by The Bernstein Brothers, (a 4:08 pin by Ophir and a 22-7 technical fall by Eden) followed by a 1:38 pin by Garrett Johnson gave the Eagles a 33-16 lead with five matches remaining.  An Allen loss at 171# was followed by an electrifying pin by junior Zach Cobb at 180# and a victory clinching 4-2 decision by Joby Bishop at 189#. With an insurmountable 20 point lead, the Eagles opted to forfeit the last two matches at 215# and 285# and let the celebration begin

Head coach, Jerry Best, had nothing but praise for the team. “This is what TEAM is all about….we had guys step up when others were upset. Your hard work and sacrifices have paid off....enjoy your victory”. Best also had praise for his coaching staff of Dariel Daniel, Jerrett McCollom, and Todd Wyckoff for their efforts

Best credited the team’s rugged schedule as being instrumental in developing the team’s mental toughness and competitive edge. “When you wrestle the schedule we have this season, you become battle-hardened. You don’t back down when things get tough......you rise to face the challenge”, Best added

Sweat, determination, and that hard-to-find alloy called guts – Allen Eagle wrestlers have proven they have all three, and the season isn’t over yet. Dan Gable also said “you don’t really measure the year until the whole year is done…”, and the Eagles are still battling toward UIL state in February – starting with the Centennial Tournament in Frisco next weekend and Senior Night at Allen High School on January 29. The Region III Tournament will be hosted by Allen on February 13-14

In a surprise move, Best gave the Eagles Monday off from practice. Not surprisingly, however, Coach Best added “Tuesday, be ready to go back to work. We’ve got to get ready for the District, Regional, and State tournaments.