Elijah Luna, Randall Wrestling, Sr.
On the mat: At the UIL Wrestling State Tournament, which took place last weekend at the Berry Center in Cypress, Randall senior Elijah Luna was destined for a redemption run. Seeded sixth in the Class 5A heavyweight class, Luna pinned Cedar Park’s Jude Burke before outlasting Dallas South Oak Cliff’s Jeremiah Mendez with a 3-1 triple overtime victory. Luna then handled Azle’s Jordan Durrett, 11-5, in the semifinals to earn a rematch against Lubbock-Cooper’s Ryder Hatton.
In his rubber match against the top-seeded Hatton, Luna pulled off the upset by scoring seven points in the final 11 seconds to become the latest state champion for the Raiders.
Coach David Quirino: “(Luna) ended up beating (Hatton), who was undefeated and had multiple Division I football offers. (Hatton) will be attending Air Force, while Elijah will be attending WyoTech trade school. Owing three versus his opponent, (Luna) kept a cool composure in the finals and managed a great match. He secured a takedown in the final seconds and nearfall points to secure the win.”
Luna: “It felt great to avenge my losses against Ryder (Hatton) on the biggest stage. I had a tough tournament, with close matches against tough kids. So, to go into the finals as an underdog and prevail felt amazing.”
About Luna
Favorite band or musician: Chet Baker
Favorite social media platform: Snapchat
Favorite athlete: LeBron James
Bet you didn’t know: “I’m a big fan of chess.”
Parents: Kimberley Sevilla and Jose Sevilla