Other Sports

UIL state wrestling: Dripping Springs, Cedar Park and Smithson Valley wrestlers bring home gold

By Kelly Marshall
Austin Sports Journal

CYPRESS – Cedar Park’s Nathan Riley is a back-to-back state champion, while Dripping Springs’ Jaxon Shipley got redemption and finally had his armed raised at the UIL state wrestling championships.

Riley and Shipley were two of four wrestlers from the Austin area to win state championships Saturday at The Berry Center in Cypress. However, Shipley wasn’t the only wrestler from Dripping Springs returning with a gold medal

The Tigers’ Lucy Clarno was the lone girl wrestler from the Austin area to win a state championship.

Riley (39-1) defeated Jaxon Johnson (31-5) of Melissa in the Class 5A 113 lbs. weight class championship match by major decision, 9-0. Riley won the 106 lbs. weight class state championship in 2023.  

In the 6A 113 lbs. weight class final, Shipley (32-2) defeated Allen’s Cayden Campbell (37-7), last year’s 113 lbs. champion, by a 7-3 decision to claim gold. It was a bit of redemption for the Dripping Springs grappler. Shipley lost to Dylan Ota of Southlake Carroll in last year’s 106 lbs. final.

Clarno (44-2) defeated Mila Juarez (37-4) of San Marcos by an 11-1 decision in the 6A girls 120 lbs. weight class championship match to be the lone girls state champion from the Austin area. Juarez was the Region IV champion in the weight class.

Bryce Palmer (29-0) of Smithson Valley’s Bryce Palmer was the other local wrestler return with a gold medal. Palmer won the 150 lbs. weight class championship, defeating Carter McLaughlin (24-1) of Whitehouse by a 6-4 decision.

Cedar Park’s boys placed second as a team behind Canyon Randall in Class 5A, while Allen repeated as state champions in 6A. Girls team champions were Lubbock Cooper in 6A and El Paso Eastwood in 5A.

In other 6A boys action, Vandegrift’s Charlie Trujillo (42-5) defeated Bryan’s Cody Welch (40-6) by a 5-3 decision to bring home bronze in the 126 lbs. weight class.

Pasquale Maurici (42-2) of Westlake also won bronze. He defeated Irving MacArthur’s Wyatt Davis (37-4) by pinfall in the first period of the 190 lbs. weight class third-place match.

In 5A, Anderson’s Matthew Brock (24-2) brought home silver in the 120 lbs. weight class.. Brock lost by major decision, 9-0, to Uvalde’s Georget Rodriguez (45-5) in the championship match.

Max Brandt (46-7) of Cedar Park finished third in the 126 lbs. weight class, defeating Corpus Christi Veterans Memorial’s Aidan Rodriguez (50-4) by an 11-8 decision in the bronze medal match.

Clin McQuone (43-5) of New Braunfels defeated Enrique Uribe (36-5) of Frisco Centennial in the 132 lbs. bronze medal match by a 4-3 decision.

Other boys results from Austin-area wrestlers:

  • Leander’s Mauricio Bryant lost in the 157 lbs. bronze medal match by a 7-0 decision to Amarillo Tascosa’s Landin Lamberth (43-4).
  • Preston Kepler (38-5) of Smithson Valley lost to Dallas Kimball’s Quintraylon Johnson (45-2) by medical forfeit in the 165 lbs. weight class bronze medal match.
  • Jett Mental (44-11) of Cedar Park lost to San Antonio Veterans Memorial’s Torrance Adkins by pinfall in the 175 lbs. weight class bronze medal match.
  • Nathan Rechtfertig (43-9) of Cedar Park placed fifth in the 144 lbs. weight class. He defeated Josue Cedeno Mendoza of White Settlement Brewer by a 3-0 decision in the fifth-place match.
  • Strider Williams (35-7) of Rouse defeated Ty Hohenberger (50-7) by a 3-2 decision in the 285 lbs. weight class fifth place match.
  • Braiden Bartlett (40-9) of Lake Travis lost by pinfall in the 113 lbs. weight class fifth place match to Clute Brazoswood[‘s Aaron Reyna (35-7).
  • Cole Sides (36-3) of Dripping Springs defeated Katy’s Josue Pizana (42-11) by medical forfeit in the 126 lbs. weight class fifth-place match.
  • Dayne Garcia-Stormer (40-2) of Round Rock lost to Saul Gutierrez (39-10) of Langham Creek in the 175 lbs. weight class fifth-place match.

Girls roundup

Hutto’s Abigail Gallardo has her arm raised after winning the 114-pound girls championship at the Class 6A Region IV wresting tournament on Saturday, Feb. 8, 2024 at the Delco Activity Center in Austin, Texas. (Michael Adams/Austin Sports Journal)

Liberty Hill’s Alyciana Rogers (29-1) was the top 5A medalists from the Austin area. Rogers was defeated by Ariana Chavez (47-0) of Borger in the 235 lbs. weight class championship match by pinfall in the first period.

Abigail Gallardo (41-8) of Hutto brought home bronze after defeating Nevada Daniels (42-5) of Katy Cinco Ranch by an 11-4 decision in the 6A girls 114 lbs. weight class third place match.  

  • Joana Henry (36-7) of Vandegrift placed fifth in the 6A 152 lbs. weight class and won by forfeit in the fifth-place match.
  • Georgetown’s Aniz Ramirez (25-3) lost to Melissa’s Akeelah Moore (45-2) by a 3-0 decision in the 120 lbs. weight class third place match.
  • Aburee Schubert (28-8) of Liberty Hill placed fifth in the 145 lbs. weight class by defeating San Antonio Edison’s Maria Munoz by pinfall in the first period.
  • Smithson Valley’s Alexis Avalos (31-7) placed sixth in the girls 100 lbs. weight class, falling to Sofia De Alba of San Antonio MacArthur by pinfall in the second period.
  • Amaris Rivera (30-7) of Leander was defeated by McAllen’s Ava Aragon (48-3) by technical fall 16-0 in the second period of the fifth-place match in the 107 lbs. weight class.
  • Summer Williams (37-6) of Smithson Valley defeated Natalie Powell of Burleson Central by pinfall in the first period of the 114 lbs. weight class fifth place match.
  • Gabriella Knight (21-11) of Smithson Valley lost to Michelle Ramirez (49-6) of El Paso Del Valle by a 7-3 decision in the 185 lbs. weight class fifth-place match.

This article has been edited to correct an error.

Support Local Journalism

Your voluntary donation helps us keep Austin Sports Journal free and local, while supporting our mission of providing community-focused sports coverage.

DONATE TODAY