Pinning down top finishes
Tompkins, College Park girls place second, third in Class 6A; Katy boys third in 6A
A pair of fresh-faced contenders found a way toward the podium at the UIL wrestling state championships on Saturday at the Berry Center.
Tompkins finished second while College Park was third in the Class 6A girls team standings.
It’s the highest finish for both programs. Tompkins got the program’s first individual state champion on Saturday. College Park had its first individual state champion last year. As of five years ago, College Park had one girls wrestler.
“My girls just pointed out to me last year we didn’t even have a girl make the second day of this tournament,” Tompkins coach Derek Ankney said. “To go from that to second place, it stings that we couldn’t pull it out but to still be there was phenomenal.”
Tompkins cleaned up with Kaitlyn Bryant’s first-place finish at 165 pounds, Nicole Blinn’s second-place finish at 185 pounds and Lilly Broadrick’s bronze at 119 pounds.
College Park was just three behind Tompkins with 72 points.
“The girls team finishing in third brings home a trophy for the first time in school history,” College Park coach Erik Spjut said. “I’m very proud of the girls. They had a really good season and they all worked really hard.”
Sophomore Olivia Degeorgio won the 95-pound bracket in her second trip to state while junior Brittyn Corbishley won the 185pound bracket on her third try. Both follow Hunter Robinson who won the school’s first state wrestling gold last year.
Foster’s Nwankwo makes amends
Foster senior Chidozie Nwankwo walked around the Berry Center with a bevy of medals from his wrestling career around his neck. Someone had to bring those medals knowing one more would eventually be added.
He finishes 22-0 after a win over Midlothian’s Marshall Hodges in the 285-pound 5A boys group. Nwankwo won via a 2-1 decision.
This time last year, Nwankwo had to settle for silver after Highland Park’s Aidan Conner lastsecond escape for a point was crucial in a 4-3 decision.
Nwankwo wanted to go out on top. He has a state championship from his sophomore year.
“You know when most people win state they want to win next year and the following year,” Nwankwo said. “Unfortunately, that didn’t happen for me. So I just have to pick my head up. I had to stop being selfish for myself really to be honest. I just had to get back on the mat, prove everybody wrong.”
Nwankwo is more known for his efforts on the football field. The highly rated defensive tackle and Houston Chronicle All-Greater Houston first teamer will play at the University of Houston. And with wrestling season over now, all focus is toward next fall for Nwankwo.
“I gotta stay around 290,” Nwankwo said, referring to not having to cut weight anymore for wrestling. “Really just get strong, get big and get fast.”
Morton Ranch’s Suarez is outstanding
Morton Ranch’s Jordan Suarez earned one of the Most Outstanding Wrestler honors during the meet Saturday. Suarez (44-1) defeated Seven Lakes’ Krista Garcia (44-10) via pinfall at 138 pounds in the 6A girls group.
Count it as another noteworthy honor for one of Houston’s best girls wrestling programs.
“It’s pretty great,” Suarez said. “I’m surprised. I feel good. This year, I’ve been working really hard. So, it’s pretty nice.”
A few other girls’ championship matches on Saturday were of the all-Houston-area variety, too.
Tompkins’ Bryant finished the season at 44-0 with a 6-0 decision over Cypress Park’s Fahydat Bello (44-4) at 165 pounds in 6A . College Park’s Corbishley got the win over Tompkins’ Blinn at 185 pounds in another all-Houston meeting.
New Waverly, which is 54 miles north of downtown Houston, has a 182-pound 5A boys champion in Langston Mayrant, who defeated Foster’s Brahn Howard by a 9-6 decision.
Higgins powers Katy to third-place finish
One of the stars of last year’s state championships was Katy’s Daniel Manibog, who graduated and is wrestling at Oklahoma State.
But Katy is still Katy in wrestling, too. The Tigers finished third as a team with 94 points in the 6A boys standings.
Kishawn Higgins’ 170-pound state championship was one of the big wins for the Tigers. He nabbed a major decision over Plano West’s Farid Mobarak and finishes 54-1 on the season.
Higgins and Manibog were sparring partners last year, and Higgins said it was a perfect match and that the pair’s styles offset each other and in turn strengthened them overall as wrestlers.
“When it got time for state, I felt pretty confident going into the match, always thinking I’m going to win every match no matter who I’m wrestling,” Higgins said. “It kind of just works out with the confidence. In the beginning I look to put up as many points as possible. As it gets closer to the end, if I can finish the match, I’ll finish it. But when it close to the end like that and it’s a big match, I kind of just look to win.”
Higgins, who is originally from Pennsylvania and moved to Katy ahead of his junior year, finishes his high school career with backto-back gold medals.
And of course, the Allen boys won the meet as a team on the boys side. It’s Allen’s 11th straight state championship.