Trinity wrestlers win hardware on ‘family trip’ to state

For the Euless Trinity wrestling program, last weekend’s University Interscholastic League Class 6A state tournament was just another family trip.

And, like most family trips, the Trojans and Lady Trojans brought home some souvenirs. Five of the 12 who competed (nine girls, three boys) finished in the top five of their respective weight classes.

Leading the Trinity success was Mack Beggs, winning a gold medal in the girls 110-pound weight class. The junior fought off the controversy surrounding Beggs’ transition from female to male to cap a perfect 56-0 season.

Beggs won the title match by defeating Chelsea Sanchez of Katy Morton Ranch (50-4) 12-2. That was preceded by wins of 18-7 and 12-4 in the first two matches and a win by fall at 2:52 in the semifinals.

As a team, the Lady Trojans finished second with 82 points, four behind Katy Morton Ranch.

“All the girls did great and their hard work paid off,” Trinity coach Travis Clark said. “State runner-up is a major accomplishment for these young student-athletes, and I couldn’t be more proud.

“All three of our boys had a great weekend, and one of them walked away as a state runner-up in his weight class.”

The top boys finisher was senior Alfredo Benavidez (52-4), who took second in the 132 division.

Also for the Lady Trojans, seniors Paisley Zandi and Passion Hollins placed fourth in the 148 and 165 class, respectively, while senior Savannah Bye was fifth in the 128 class.

Also competing for the Trojans were senior Keating Fanning (45-10) in the 182 division and junior Harley Williamson (51-6) in the 106 class. Rounding out the Lady Trojans’ competitors were junior Anaiah Watkins (15-19), 95 pounds; freshman Carman Allred (45-13), 102; junior Tiffany Delacruz (25-8), 119; senior Leann Irland (36-18), 138 and Aaliyiah Gilbert (17-31), 185.

L.D. Bell had two girls compete, sophomore Kylee Sanchez (11-11) in the 102 class and Mariah Cook (12-10) in the 165.

“About three years ago, I met Coach Clark and decided to commit to wrestling,” Fanning said. “I got lucky enough to work with some great partners. Six of us go to clubs nightly. That’s where the winning starts. You have to do extra.”

Zandi said when Clark and Trinity wrestlers speak of family, they are also being literal. Several wrestlers had older siblings who competed previously. For example, her brother is a former Trojan.

“My brother used to wrestle, and they barely had any girls in the program,” she said. “Now [girls] see what we’re doing and they want to join.

“I got Passion to join. I also talked to Savannah as well.”

And now, as seniors such as Zandi, Fanning and others move on, Zandi said she is comfortable with leaving the program in the hands of the younger wrestlers. Clark said he also had a special question for the seniors.

“That’s the message we give these upperclassmen,” Clark said. “When they leave my wrestling program, what legacy do they want to leave?”

In 2016, Clark’s team qualified a wrestler in every weight class for the postseason. This season it almost equaled that feat, sending 22 qualifiers in 23 events.

Trinity had seven boys and five girls win District 5-6A. They then had five girls and two boys win Region II.

Also, the Trinity girls won the regional team title and the boys were third after each dominated district.

Beggs, Hollins, Benavidez and Fanning were making return trips to state. Williamson was an alternate last season.

This story was originally published February 27, 2017 at 4:39 PM with the headline "Trinity wrestlers win hardware on ‘family trip’ to state."