Carroll wrestlers finish 5th at state duals, look toward district meet
With the district tournament coming up in just two weeks, the Carroll wrestlers are looking to add even more hardware to their trophy case.
The Dragons returned recently from Houston, representing Region I at the 6A State Duals tournament.
Carroll finished fifth in the team dual competition among the top 16 schools from across the state. They beat Morton Ranch in the fifth-place dual after losing in the championship bracket to Arlington Martin.
Martin was beaten in the finals by repeating state champion Allen.
The state dual meet is just one event in which the Dragons have excelled this season amid some of the tougher competition in meets around the region.
Carroll brought home the Timber Creek Christmas Tournament team title in addition to finishing as the second-highest Texas school and fourth overall at the Outlaw Invitational at Allen just after the New Year.
Carroll has also traveled across the state lines to take on some of Oklahoma’s toughest teams.
The Dragons were 10th at the Mid-America Nationals in Enid, Okla., finishing just behind Oklahoma’s state champion from last season, Norman North. They came away with five wrestlers earning a spot as a top placer. They also wrestled well at Sooner State’s Southmore Invitational.
And the Dragons are accomplishing their run with a relatively young team.
“We’ve been doing really well,” said Carroll head coach Joe Hathaway. “Last year we had a tremendous amount of freshmen and sophomores.”
Competing with two freshmen and a strong contingent of juniors this year, the Dragon Youth Wrestling program has served the varsity well.
Although young, the wrestlers are coming into the high school program with some solid experience.
Among the younger wrestlers is freshman 120-pounder Cameron Haddock. Haddock has looked strong thus far, including taking the championship at the Outlaw Invitational.
Another freshman looking to make his mark at the district tournament is Andrei Steinjaan at 126.
Zach Francis, 182-pounds, is another wrestler who has placed in many tournaments.
“We’ve got a well-rounded and solid dual lineup,” Hathaway said. “We’ve got some guys that have done real well.”
Returning regional qualifiers are also expected to help Carroll compete for a district tournament title and send multiple qualifiers on to the Region I tournament in El Paso.
Jack Duval, 160 and Trevor Price, 145 are both regional placers who will be looking to repeat and improve on their finishes from last season.
The Dragons are now 9-3 in duals this season, having lost to Allen, Arlington Martin and Flower Mound.
Hathaway feels that the top-level competition will bode well for them well when the stakes are high in the regional and state tournaments.
Before then, Carroll will look to qualify wrestlers at the district tournament at Keller on Feb. 4.
Carroll will also be the host for the Middle School State Tournament on Jan. 30-31.
This story was originally published January 16, 2015 at 12:36 PM with the headline "Carroll wrestlers finish 5th at state duals, look toward district meet."