MAKING HER-STORY
Attalia Watson-Castro, of H-F, becomes the first in annals of sport in Illinois to repeat as state champion
Homewood-Flossmoor senior Attalia Watson-Castro made history when she became the first girl to win back-to-back state championships in wrestling.
But that nearly didn’t happen. Over the summer, Watson-Castro strongly considered walking away from high school wrestling without making a run at a second title.
“After Fargo this past summer, I thought about it,” Watson-Castro said. “I’m not really a big fan of folkstyle. I love freestyle wrestling, so I was debating quitting the high school folkstyle season and just focusing on freestyle for that season after high school.”
But Watson-Castro did come back to the Vikings — for herself and her teammates.
“After helping the new girls from school who came out to try the sport, I couldn’t let it go,” Watson-Castro said. “Plus, especially being the defending champion, I couldn’t give it up.”
Watson-Castro (38-1), the first Daily Southtown Girls Wrestler of the Year, ended up beating El Paso-Gridley’s Savannah Hamilton 9-3 in the 130-pound state championship match.
“It means a lot,” Watson-Castro said. “There was a lot of time and effort put into it that I didn’t think I was going to put into it. Especially after I wanted to quit. I’m glad I stuck with it.”
So are her fellow Vikings and coaches.
Last season, Watson-Castro was the only girls wrestler from the Southland to win a state title. This time, she was joined by teammate Ini Odumosu, who won the 190-pound championship.
Odumosu, who won the title in just her second full season of wrestling, credited Watson-Castro with helping her succeed.
“I want to say Attalia is my inspiration at this point,” Odumosu said. “She kind of took over our practices. We call her ‘Coach T.’ She had us conditioning so hard. Last year, I couldn’t do six minutes without getting tired, but she got me there. I have to thank her for all she’s done not only for me but all the girls on our team.
“I don’t think she realizes it, but she’s the strongest driving force our team has. If you’re not keeping up with the team, she’ll make sure you get it together and push through.”
H-F coach Scott Aronson is thankful for all Watson-Castro has done for the girls program.
“She’s been an unpaid assistant coach,” Aronson said. “She’s given the girls positivity, support and a wealth of knowledge. She knows more about wrestling than I do and she
doesn’t pull any punches. She holds them accountable.
“I don’t know if we’d be where we’re at without her. She’s all that and a bag of chips.”
Aronson wanted to make sure Watson-Castro was not overwhelmed by expectations as a returning state champion.
“I think it’s been a struggle for her,” Aronson said. “The one thing I tried to tell her this year is, ‘I’m not putting any pressure on you.’ I know she puts it on herself, and I know as a returning state champ, she had all these expectations. I tried to give her space to grow and do it for herself, not for everybody else.”
Of course, Watson-Castro does not do it just for herself.
She took pride in her teammates’ success. She also helped H-F’s girls wrestling program grow into one of the best in the state while setting the standard for all future wrestlers.
“Being a freshman, there were only two girls wrestling with me,” Watson-Castro said. “Now I’m a senior and we had 24 girls. We had six make it to state, which was great.
“It was really touching to see it grow. I started out wrestling against only boys, and I’m really glad and thankful that there’s a state series for the girls now.”