Bulldawgs cap season with trip to UIL State Championships
By RYAN ROBBINS
Special to the Leader-Press
The Bulldawgs finished up their magical season of firsts with a trip to the UIL State Championships in Houston at the Berry Center. The Bulldawgs qualified the most kids ever for the tournament this year with 2 boys (Frankie Limon, 120 and Ryan Bithorn, 170) and 1 girl (Leeann Edmond, 110).
Frankie started his tournament with a tough match against the #4 kid in the state Ian Abdallah from El Paso Franklin. After multiple scrambles in the 1st period left the match tied 3-3, Frankie was able to score a takedown and secure a pin for the win. In the quarterfinals he faced off against #3 ranked Xavier Harrell from Cypress Ranch, who eventually took 2nd in the state. Xavier controlled the pace of the match the entire way and come out with a 13-1 victory. That pushed Frankie into the consolation side of the bracket where things did not get any easier. His next match was against #6 ranked Joshua Garcia from Keller Central. The match was back and forth throughout all three rounds but Frankie ended up losing the match 7-4 in the final seconds. Frankie is only a junior and finished the season ranked #9 in the state with a record of 35-6.
Ryan had a familiar opponent in his first round, #2 ranked Caleb Sebra from San Antonio Johnson. Caleb had beaten Ryan in both of their previous matches by pinfall. This match was much more competitive, but finished with Ryan losing by major decision to the eventual 3rd place finisher. His second match was against #7 ranked Hector Hinojos from El Paso Eastlake. Another familiar opponent for Ryan, who used to wrestle against Hector as a youth while he lived in El Paso. Ryan was able to control the match from the first whistle and won 10-6. The match wasn’t as close as the score shows because Ryan gave up 2 points late in order to insure his victory. His third match was against #5 ranked Mike Amico of Katy Seven Lakes where his senior season came to an end with an 8-3 loss. Amico ended up 5th in the tournament. Ryan finished the season ranked #12 in the state with a record of 36-11.
Leeann’s first match was against the #4 ranked Riley Rayome from Humble Kingwood where she lost via pinfall in the first period. Her next match was against #12 ranked Meadow Hernandez from Euless Trinity. Leeann was unable to secure a pin and was then pinned herself shortly thereafter, ending her senior season. She was a multi sport athlete by being a part of the volleyball team as well. Leeann finished the season ranked #16 in the state with a record of 25-10.