Highland Park will send an impressive contingent of eight wrestlers, including three freshmen, to the Class 5A state tournament beginning Friday in suburban Houston.
HP freshman Holden Jacobs (35-3 individual match record) will be a top seed in the 144-pound weight class after winning the Region III title on Feb. 8. His classmates Jax Hanson (33-6) at 120 pounds and Graham Rodgers (38-8) at 157 pounds also qualified.
HP’s regional runners-up heading to state include Jack Rice (39-7) at 132 pounds and Ryan Wright (29-5) at 150. Others competing at the state tournament for the Scots are Jaden Taylor (28-14) at 113 pounds, Bennett Ham (39-6) at 165 pounds, and Amin Elahmadi (21-5) at 215 pounds.
Meanwhile, Hillcrest is sending four competitors to state, including a trio of Region II champions who will be among the favorites in their respective weight classes — Victor Ramirez (33-1) at 113 pounds, Elijah Guzman (40-1) at 138 pounds, and Alexa Rodriguez (48-1) in the girls 100-pound class. Neveah Blair-McKnight (24-3) will represent the Panthers in the girls 107 class.
In Class 6A, Kingston Stephens (35-4) of Jesuit Dallas qualified for state as a Region II runner-up at 106 pounds.
