Two from area win state championships
CYPRESS — A year after seeing state wrestling gold slip through their fingers, Judson’s Samaria Barnett and Smithson Valley’s Efren Arizmendez Jr. made sure they brought home the top prize.
Both notched narrow victories to claim state titles in their respective divisions at the UIL State Wrestling Championships on Saturday at the Berry Center.
Barnett, a junior, claimed two crucial points late in the third round to beat Conroe Oak Ridge junior Brooklyn Lawrence by a 4-2 decision and win the Class 6A girls 152-pound division. Arizmendez took a lead midway through the final round and held on to beat Hereford’s Azariah Martinez, 7-5, to win the 5A boys 165-pound championship.
After tying the match heading into the final period, Barnett locked Lawrence up, preventing her from earning a point for breaking free from a down position. With time winding down, Barnett put Lawrence on her back, giving her two points and the match.
Following a brief conference from the referees, Barnett was crowned the champion, and she leapt into Judson coach Taylor Spivey’s arms in celebration.
“It’s awesome,” Barnett said. “I get to see my hard work pay off on the mat and got a gold medal. I’m a district champion, region champion and state champion, which I’ve wanted to be since my freshman year.”
Barnett’s win comes on the heels of a strong showing at the state meet as a sophomore, though that run ended in a disappointing loss in the championship final. When she got back in position for gold again Saturday, it was her faith paired with her mental and physical preparation that powered her through, Barnett said.
“Her mental focus and physical focus were just there this year,” Spivey said. “Being in the moment, the spotlight wasn’t too bright. She belongs out there. She’s a state champion for a reason.”
Arizmendez, one of three Smithson Valley seniors to reach title bouts, had a similarly close match in his final. A takedown midway through the third round gave Arizmendez a 7-5 lead, and he fought off Martinez over the remainder of the round, forcing resets on a couple out of bounds calls to keep his advantage.
After losing by fall in the third round in a hard-fought title bout last year, Arizmendez came into the state meet with a 54-1 record and cruised through his first two matches, getting pins in under 80 seconds in both. He won a 7-6 decision in his semifinal against Justin Northwest’s Nathanial Jean, setting up his match against Martinez.
A four-time state qualifier, Arizmendez didn’t let that last chance slip away.
“Junior (Arizmendez) was the catalyst when he came in as a freshman in turning our boys program around, working with kids and recruiting kids,” Smithson Valley coach Tim Clarkson said. “Four-time state qualifier, state champion this year. Junior is just an amazing kid, and we’re going to miss him.”
Arizmendez’s title was the headliner in a strong showing for the Smithson Valley boys, who finished a program-best fourth in the 5A team standings.
Senior Tristan Luna placed second in the 132-pound division, and senior Nicholas Dudzikowski took silver in the 190pound division.
Smithson Valley sophomore Bryce Palmer cruised early with two wins by pin before a couple tough-luck losses put him in the fifth-place match in the 138pound division. He rebounded to claim fifth by a 4-0 decision over Salado’s Nathaniel Rechtfertig.
“The year couldn’t have been better,” Arizmendez said. “We’ve been working every single day. I’m proud of my teammates for making it as far as they did. I’m grateful I was able to make the finals twice, and I was able to finally win.”
Uvalde junior George Rodriguez came just short of defending his state title, losing to Arlington Seguin’s Eshawn Tolbert, 4-3, in the 5A boys 120 division. Rodriguez won each of his previous three matches in less than two minutes.
Uvalde’s Carlos Rodriguez was fifth at 132, going 4-2 and winning, 10-8, over Melissa’s Gunner Morris in the fifth-place match.
Pieper’s Ethan Cobarrubias finished fifth at 113, defeating Corpus Christi Veterans Memorial’s Luis Vela, 6-2, in the fifthplace match.
Macarthur senior Kei’aviyahn Evans finished fifth at 285.
In 6A, Churchill’s Curtis White finished fifth at 113, beating Mckinney Boyd’s Cael Burbaker, 11-5.
On the girls side, a trio of Pieper girls notched high finishes in 5A, leading to a fifth-place team finish for the Warriors.
Junior Meela Stubbs placed third in the 185-pound division as she rebounded from a loss in the opener to win five straight matches and secure a bronze medal.
Pieper junior Savannah Schaaf, who earned silver at last year’s state meet, finished fourth at 120, dropping the third-place match to Amarillo Tascosa’s Miliyah Pacheco. Her teammate, junior Cameron Massie, battled back from a second-round loss to go 5-2 and place fourth at 165. She fell to Richmond Foster’s Lydia Patterson in the third-place match.
Also in 5A, Macarthur junior Sofia De Alba finished sixth at 100.
In 6A, Clemens’ Christine Nunn came in third in Barnett’s 6A 152-pound division. Nunn dropped her opening match but swept through the bracket from there, winning five straight matches. She capped it with a pin of Katy Mayde Creek’s Emma Dutcher in under a minute in the third-place bout. Teammate Alyssa Rogers finished sixth at 145.
Steele’s Asaiya Golphin placed fourth at 185, coming through the consolation bracket after she won her first two bouts before falling in the semifinals. She dropped the third-place match to Rockwall’s Audree Willess.
Reagan’s Shobhana Spielmann took fourth in the 107pound division, cruising to the semifinals before suffering a setback. She rebounded in her consolation match to reach the third-place bout, which she lost to Buda Johnson’s Alyssa Escareno.