The Caprock Lady Longhorns won the UIL Class 5A state championship in Cypress on Saturday. [Photo by UIL Athletics]
The Caprock girls highlighted the Class 5A UIL State Wrestling Tournament bringing home the 12th state title in school history on Friday and Saturday in Cypress.
The Lady Longhorns win their first state championship since 2012, scoring 107 points to get by runner-up Azle (98). Randall, last year’s state champion, earned the bronze trophy with 76 points. Borger placed fifth as a team.
Caprock senior Tatiana Garcia capped off an epic career by going back-to-back as an individual state champion in the 119-pound division. Garcia beat El Paso Chapin’s Keilani Guillermo by an 11-5 decision. Garcia ends her season at an unblemished 41-0, and ended her high school career winning 66 straight matches after a 25-0 record last season.
Joining Garcia on the gold medal stand was teammate Kareli Cadena. Cardena beat Azle’s Annabelle Davis to win the 148-pound state championship. Cadena ends a terrific year at 38-2.
Adding to Caprock’s huge Saturday was Niyasia McCampbell, who earned a silver medal in the 185-pound weight class. Victoria Baldivia and Jaden Culifer won All-State honors.
Randall also had a pair of state champions. Senior Jaryn Ortegon is a two-time gold medal winner as she defended her 102-pound crown by beating Judith Sandoval of El Paso Hanks by a slim 3-2 decision. Ortegon was 31-1 overall on the year. Teammate J’Nessa Reynoso also won a close 2-1 decision in the 148-pound division to beat Campbell of Caprock to gain a state championship.
On the boys side, the Dumas Demons came in as state runner-up to Lucas Lovejoy. Dumas, the District 3-5A and Region I-5A champion racked up 81 points just short of Lovejoy’s 93.
The Caprock boys also found the medal stand for the first time since 1980 by getting bronze. Tascosa placed fourth, and three-time defending state champion Randall came in sixth.
Dumas brings back a pair of gold medal winners.
Freshman Hunter Bogner was quite the surprise winning his first state championship by a 7-3 decision over Gabe Aldaco of Grapeland in the 113-pound class. Bogner finishes an unreal season at 44-3. Teammate and leader Bronson Baxter put a stamp on his sophomore year in an emphatic way pinning Xavier Jukes of Prosper Rock Hill to win state in the 145-pound division. Baxter was strong all season for the Demons finishing with a record of 54-4.
Tascosa’s Ethan Sims (41-2) opened Saturday’s finals with a gold medal dominating Zach Miller of Frisco Wakeland. It’s the first gold for Sims. And Randall’s Aidan Medina is a state champion in the 126-pound class. Medina, who moved up in weight from last year, scored a 4-3 decision over Jayden Bustlillos of El Paso Riverside.
For a look at full results from the Boys and Girls UIL State Wrestling Tournament, please visit https://www.trackwrestling.com/TWHome.jsp?loadBalanced=true