Keller Central wrestler seeks another medal upgrade at UIL state meet
Keller Central senior wrestler Blaine Martinez hopes on Saturday the third time is a charm.
Martinez has qualified for the UIL State Wrestling Championships the previous two years, finishing third his sophomore year and second last year in the 132-pound weight class.
The event is Friday and Saturday at the Berry Center in Cypress, northwest of Houston.
With a spotless 42-0 record heading into the state meet, Central coach Bill Wilson is convinced that Martinez is focused on the ultimate upgrade.
“He’s worked his whole high school career for this, and he’s ready,” Wilson said. “He is definitely capable of winning a state championship on Saturday, but there are other wrestlers capable of winning as well. If he’s on, he’ll win.”
Martinez said since he first started wrestling at eight years old, his ultimate goal was to win a high school state championship, and that is exactly where his focus is now.
“I’ve fallen short every previous year and this is something I’ve wanted for a while,” Martinez said. “I will do whatever it takes to get my hand raised at the end of the day.”
Central has had 32 state qualifiers since 2009, and Wilson said that having a state championship for Martinez would mean a lot to the Central program.
“It shows that it’s possible,” Wilson said. “You have little kids watching these tournaments, and winning a state championship is not an easy thing to do. A state title shows these kids that it can be accomplished.”
In the boys 5A division, Saginaw Chisholm Trail won the Region II meet last week. The Rangers qualified eight wrestlers for the state tournament.
Chisholm Trail’s region includes other top 5A schools Azle, Frisco Centennial and Frisco Liberty.
Rangers coach Terry Wright contends that a team title is not out of the realm of possibility.
“We want to win every tournament we enter, including state – but obviously that is going to be a tough task,” Wright said. “With our region being so competitive, we kind of beat each other up a little bit.
“We’ll just have to wait and see. I think there are five or six teams that realistically have a chance of winning it all. It will come down to which team has the best tournament. I do think you are going to have to have at least six placers overall and a couple in the finals to win it all.”
Chisholm Trail’s two best shots at state titles are Dillon Thomas (170, 46-0) and Jay Gonzalez (182, 43-2), who both earned gold at regionals.
“They are both outstanding wrestlers, very hard working, athletic, and never miss a practice,” Wright said. “Dillon placed fifth last year as a sophomore and Jay placed third last year as a junior. There is nothing like experience.”
Wrestlers to Watch
Boys
Brian Andrews
Senior, Grapevine
285-pound weight class
Andrews (37-0) is a two-time state champion and has proven to be one of the stronger wrestlers over the last three seasons, going from the 195-pound class to 285 pounds between his sophomore and junior years, and still bringing home state titles in both seasons.
Taylor Parks
Senior, Arlington Bowie
145-pound weight class
Parks (48-0) has a notable victory over Rockwall’s Michael Duvall, the Region I champion earlier this year.
The Bowie senior is joined by two two teammates in Marco Soto and Adam Kilgore who coach Scott Ervin believes could all vie for a state title.
“All three wrestlers are in a great position,” Ervin said.
Schon Ausman
Junior, Justin Northwest
145-pound weight class
Ausman (47-4) won his regional tournament last week. He qualified for state last year in the 6A division at at 152 pounds, but having moved down a classification and a weight class could be just what the doctor ordered.
Others to watch
Carter Dorsett, Boswell, 138 pounds
Nate Moore, Weatherford, 160 pounds
Girls
Alexis Hanna
Junior, Azle
110-pound weight class
Hanna (31-3) helped the Hornets to a second-place finish at the Region II tournament by winning all four of her matches by fall.
“Alexis is strong, she is fast, she has a mean fireman carry and a sweet arm spin that she can hit on almost anyone,” coach Monica Allen said. “She has really moved up the ladder this year coming off of a sixth-place finish last year.”
Mack Beggs
Junior, Euless Trinity
110-pound weight class
A transgender teen, Beggs (52-0) won his regional tournament championship when his opponent in the girls 110-pound weight class forfeited the match.
Beggs is receiving testosterone treatment while transitioning from female to male and would like to compete in the boys division, but is prevented from doing so by a UIL rule that requires athletes to compete with the gender listed on their birth certificates.
Jacqueline Bunyavong
Senior, Carter-Riverside
102-pound weight class
Bunyavong (27-3) could be the Fort Worth ISD’s best shot at winning a state championship. She pinned her first three regional-tournament opponents on the way to a regional title.
Others to watch
Asia Ray, Arlington, 95 pounds
Aileen Robledo, FW Paschal, 185 pounds
This story was originally published February 22, 2017 at 5:46 PM with the headline "Keller Central wrestler seeks another medal upgrade at UIL state meet."