Martin wrestling ‘best team in Texas’
For the first time in almost a decade, the 91制片厂 is home to a state championship athletics team.
The Martin High School boys wrestling team has that honor after a dramatic win in the Class 6A state meet this weekend in Cypress.
The team ended Allen鈥檚 14-year run as the state champion and snapped a streak of six straight second-place finishes to Allen.
聽鈥淚t means we鈥檙e the best team in Texas,鈥 said Martin coach Patrick Dunn, who has been Martin鈥檚 coach since 2005. 鈥淚t just came down to who wouldn鈥檛 break. Our kids came through.鈥
The victory gave the district its first state title since the Seguin High School girls track team won the 5A state title in the spring of 2015.
Martin鈥檚 path to the title was improbable as the Warriors needed everything to go right and Allen to struggle on the final day. That鈥檚 exactly what happened as Martin had four wrestlers make the state finals and all four of its wrestlers won the weight class. Allen also had four wrestlers advance to the finals and they went 1-3.
Add a couple of upsets, a penalty here and there and a great rally by Martin鈥檚 Nicholas Zamora to win the 144-pound title over Allen鈥檚 Javin Jackson-Bey and the title was within reach for the Warriors. Martin didn鈥檛 clinch the championship until an Allen wrestler lost a championship match later in the day.
By the time the totals were posted, Martin had 190.5 points to Allen鈥檚 185. Martin had finished second to Allen in eight of the last night years.
鈥淓veryone truly cares about everyone on this team,鈥 Dunn said. 鈥淲hen kids lost, they felt like they were letting the team down. That鈥檚 not what this team is about. We pick each other up.鈥
Of the 12 Martin boys who qualified for state, nine placed. Joining Zamora as individual state champs were Ibraheem Ahmed (175 pounds), Grayson Carpenter (165 pounds) and Isaak Arevalo (120 pounds).
Seguin鈥檚 Eshawn Tolbert also brought home a title for the Cougars by winning the 120-pound title.
Martin鈥檚 girls also finished third at state with Camille Rainey (138 pounds) and Jania Dunigan (126) winning state. Sam Houston鈥檚 Christina Faulk was the runner-up in the 235-pound class.