GAMES
RANKINGS
Living Out A Dream: Foster's Canales wins State Wrestling Crown
HOUSTON – Since stepping off the podium inside the Berry Center a year ago with a bronze medal draped around her neck, Madison Canales has not stopped working.
Foster wrestling coach Scott Kimball jokes with the sophomore that he is going to “steal her shoes so she can’t practice and get off the mat” because of the amount of work she puts in.
All that work. The hours of practice, the hard work and dedication to the sport paid off for Canales on Saturday evening.
Five minutes into her title match, Canales, who was laying underneath Frisco’s Belen Rios pushed herself up to her knees, spun around and pinned Rios to the mat. After 30 seconds of having her pinned down, Canales heard the sound she had waited for for a year – the smack of the referees' right hand on the mat.
Madison Canales was officially a State Champion.
“I’ve been envisioning this moment for so long,” Canales, who was wearing Arizona State socks during her title match, said. “I’ve worked so hard for it. It was so cool to live out my dream.”
VYPE🎥: Heart of a Champion@Fosterwrestling sophomore @the_madicanales won her first-ever #UILState wrestling crown on Saturday with a pin. Relive the victory! #vypecampus
🎥: @jokoch09
(@lcisdathletics @LamarCISD @FosterHSNews @WrestlingTexas @UIL_AD @KPRC2RandyMc) pic.twitter.com/bQFeVOjHfi
— VYPE Houston (@vypehouston) February 20, 2022
FEATURE - CHIP ON HER SHOULDER: Grit, Fight Define Foster's Canales
After securing the first state title of her career at Foster, then ran and jumped into Kimball’s arms. The two embraced with Kimball patting her on the back.
“Great kid. Phenomenal work ethic,” Kimball said. “She deserves it more than any kid we’ve had.”
As Kimball sat Canales back down to the ground, the crowd around her parted and she made a b-line for her mother Kristin standing in the first row leaning over the rail. The two embraced with tears of joy flowing down their cheeks.
“I was like ‘Oh my God, I can’t believe it’,” Canales said about what she told her mother in the moment.
Kristin added: “I’m just so proud of her. She’s worked so hard for this. She goes to club. She’s dedicated to this sport. I knew she could do it.”
VYPE 🎥: All the emotion of a Champion!! @Fosterwrestling Madison Canales embraces her coach and then runs over and embraces her mother Kristyn after winning her first-ever title. #UILState @lcisdathletics @LamarCISD @FosterHSNews @coach_mcdowell @UIL_AD @KPRC2RandyMc @HTownHSS pic.twitter.com/4EvGb24xmp
— VYPE Houston (@vypehouston) February 20, 2022
With the win, Canales finishes her sophomore season with an overall record of 41-0 and the Class 5A-128-pound state champion.
At a school like Foster, which has a rich history in wrestling, Canales can now officially etch her name into the record books.
“I love being at Foster,” Canales said. “We have a really good history with wrestling and it’s just amazing to be among such great wrestlers and people.”
Allen's Braxton Brown pins opponent.
DFW Athletes Come Up Big in UIL Wrestling State Meet
Teams across the state gathered on Saturday to compete in the UIL Wrestling State Tournament. A handful of Dallas-Fort Worth area athletes competed and brought their schools glory while some athletes also made history.
Allen: A history of excellence and newly paved paths
As Allen senior Braxton Brown won his fourth state title in wrestling over the weekend while competing at 120 points during the UIL Westling 6A State Championships, the Allen Eagles boys' wrestling team was able to clinch their 12th consecutive team title with 169 points. The first-place finish was 18 points more than Arlington Martin who finished second at the meet.
While the boys were continuing Allen's success, the girls were busy making a name for themselves. With Eliana Martinez winning in the 102 weight class and Jasmine Robinson winning gold at 148 pounds, the Allen Eagles' girls wrestling team won their very first state title with 81.5 points.
Joseph Liescheski, another Allen star, was Abe to dominate in his weight class with a 13-0 major decision for his first state title. Liescheski's win was enough to set the tone helping encourage a will to fight in teammates Brown and Kade Moore. Moore won gold at 126 pounds.
Southlake Carroll Makes History
The Allen Eagles girls' team wasn't the only team to make history, though. Despite a slow start, Southlake Carroll's Bayley Trang was able to rally and win gold in the 110 weight class during overtime. Trang, the first state finalist in a decade, trailed 5-0 before coming back to force overtime and win with a takedown. The sophomores' win marked the Dragons' first girls state champion.
Since Trang is only a sophomore, fans can expect this sort of excellence to not die down just yet. Southlake Carroll won't take another decade to show up at the state meet again. It's possible we will see a repeat!
It's a Family Affair at Arlington Martin
Donavan Whitted is a name you should recognize. The Arlington Martin senior won his third-straight state title on Saturday while wrestling at 145 pounds. His first title was in the 106 weight class as a sophomore while his second was three spots higher in the 126 weight class as a junior.
Arlington Martin teammates as well as Whitted's cousins Nasir and Sincere Bailey also came up big for the Warriors. The Baileys moved to Texas from Illinois earlier this school year and have been staying with Whitted. Nasir won at 132 pounds while his brother Sincere won in triple overtime at 152 pounds. Nasir, a sophomore, can be expected to come back just as strong next year while Sincere is a senior and has wrestled his first and last season for Arlington Martin.
Also joining on the podium for Arlington Martin was Shawn Ryncarz. Ryncarz win in the 113 weight class marked four gold medals on the day for the Warriors.
Stay Tuned for Next Season
With so many great athletes representing DFW at the UIL Wrestling State Championships, fans can expect to see a strong offseason followed by another championship run by many of the same athletes. Dallas-Fort Worth isn't done fighting for gold medals just yet.