Houston Report
Russell Pate

The Houston City Duals will be the biggest event of its kind in the state. Most importantly it will crown who the best in the area really is, and will also decide the area’s 4 representatives for the state dual tournament. It has always been an unfortunate joke that we invite/appoint teams to the “STATE” Dual tournament, rather than having some kind of qualifier. This selected field means the teams who call themselves “State” champions at the end are really not. This is not to take away from them, they are worthy champions, they are just not state champions if everyone in the state is not somehow involved.

Congratulations to Houston for taking a step in fixing this problem, and allowing the best to truly earn their state championships. We in Houston urge and challenge Dallas and the rest of the state to do the same. How can we ever hope for the UIL to treat it as a state title if we do not.

But this is no longer a problem for Houston. Instead of a problem we will have a great treat, as the area’s best dual teams will meet for the opportunity to represent Houston in the State Dual Championships.

The field for the tournament is as follows. Klein Oak, Klein Collins, Klein, Bryan, The Woodlands, Katy Taylor, Cinco Ranch, Mayde Creek, Strake Jesuit, Westside, and Cy-Fair. This will be the first time in memory that every top Houston team has been in one place with their full lineup. In past years, even the biggest tournaments had at least a few top area teams absent due to travel or other reasons, but this weekend will settle city bragging rights decisively.

The favorite for this inaugural Houston dual tournament has to be Bryan High School. Back in the beginning of November when this year’s first Houston Report accompanied the re-launch of this site, I wrote this about Bryan, “they will not likely go unnoticed this year, as they boast one of the state’s toughest dual lineups.” This statement has been proved true by Bryan over the course of the season, as they remain undefeated in duals, wrestling one of the toughest schedules in the city, including wins over Klein, Klein Oak, Cinco Ranch, and Katy. Bryan features a balanced lineup with no real holes. They are led by Senior Returning State Qualifier Luis Aguilar who boasts a 24-1 record on the season. Look for them to be the team to beat this weekend, and one of the toughest teams in Dallas on January 21.

The Woodlands is a team that is a mystery. They have the talent, even after losing to top wrestlers back to NO Jesuit, to compete with anybody in the state, but January finds them a little beat up and out of sorts. The early December Woodlands team would have been a probable favorite, and offered Houston a genuine hope to bring home the state championship. However, with top wrestler Colin McElroy and Heavyweight Matt Hinton among others injured, they enter this weekend simply hoping to get healthy in time for a February run. Their overall team depth gives them a chance to still crack the top 4 this weekend.

Klein is another team in the mold of Bryan, with no superstar, but also no real holes in a dual match. They had a hot start in November, and remain a threat to win the whole thing. Klein Oak is a stronger large tournament team then their district rivals Bryan and Klein, but they are also a tough dual lineup against the right matchup. They are led by their lower-middle weights featuring State Champion Shane Doughman (119), Blake Allen (125), returning State Finalist Kody Williams (135), and Josh Wisnoski (145). They use this great run of wrestlers to maximum effect, never being afraid to bump a wrestler. Westside is, like The Woodlands, tough to figure out. They have more solid wrestlers then anyone knows what to do with, but they can look unbeatable one week, and come back to earth the next (as they did in a loss to Klein Oak). If they wrestle well, look for them to be in the finals, with a chance to win the whole thing. Cinco Ranch is the last of the “favorites” to advance, and they are similar to Klein Oak in boasting some great wrestlers, but also some holes. They were recently defeated 39-30 in San Antonio by a solid Roosevelt team who was able to exploit there lineup holes.

The bottom line is the healthiest, most ready on that day team will likely win. But either way these six teams will likely account for the 4 qualifiers, with me predicting a tight rematch between Bryan and Klein in the finals. Here are the results from their recent dual.

BRYAN 38 KLEIN 37
103: JAV. AGUILAR (BRY) PIN DORAN (KL)
112: SALAZAR (BRY) 0VER NGUYEN (KL) 10-2 MAJ. DEC.
119: CASTRO (KL) PIN OTTOWAY (BRY)
125: MEEKMA (BRY) OVER HSU (KL) 5-3 O.T.
130: RENFRO (KL) OVER AL. AGUILAR (BRY) TECH. FALL
135: L. AGUILAR (BRY) OVER TREVOR (KL) 2-0
140: CARSTENS (KL) OVER LUCE (BRY) 11-6
145: ELIZONDO (BRY)OVER PEARSON (KL) 11-2 MAJ. DEC.
152: SCHULTZ (KL) OVER OROZCO (BRY) 16-0 TECH. FALL
160: COUCH (KL) PIN DOCKERY (BRY)
171: DODDS (BRY) PIN CHISTOPHER (KL)
180: PARK (KL) PIN BURKHEISER (BRY)
189: HINEY (BRY) W, FORFEIT
215: MILLER (KL) PIN DORN (BRY)
275: ZGBAY (BRY) W, FORFEIT

(a special thanks to Houston City Duals host Travis Ribordy of Klein Oak and anyone else who helped make this idea happen)