Two Vernon Lions will be advancing to the Class 5A Region 1 Wrestling Tournament after finishing in the top four in their weight class at the District 3-5A Wrestling Tournament that was held here at D.O. Fulton Gym on Thursday.
Vernon’s top finisher was junior Bowie Eakin, who reached the finals and finished second in the 165-pound class. Sophomore Carlito Rodriguez advanced to the semifinals and ended up fourth in the 175-pound class to also earn a trip to the regional tourney. The top four places in each weight class qualified for the regional event.
Two Lion wrestlers, Merrick Byars and Isaiah Garcia, just missed earning regional tourney spot by finishing fifth. They will both be alternates to the regional tournament. Byars was fifth in the 126-pound class, while Garcia was fifth in the 132-pound class.
Four Vernon wrestlers, two Lions and two Lady Lions placed sixth in their weight class. Those included Lions Eh Soe at 157 pounds, and Sylus Belcher at 215 pounds; and Lady Lions, Xiomara Fernandez at 105 pounds and Koral Grace at 125 pounds.
“Our wrestlers performed well and fought hard against some of the toughest competition in the state,” Vernon wrestling coach Brock Payne said. “We are very proud of our wrestlers and all the hard work they put in throughout this season.”
Vernon, along with all schools in Class 4A and below, have to wrestle up in Class 5A, as the UIL only recognizes wrestling as a sport in Class 6A and Class 5A. With that being the case, Vernon’s District 3-5A include these schools: Lubbock High; Lubbock Cooper; Lubbock Coronado; Lubbock Monterey; Lubbock Cooper Liberty; Lubbock Estacado; Canyon; Canyon Randall; Canyon West Plains; Frenship Memorial; Springtown; Henrietta; and Happy.
The Class 5A, Region 1 Wrestling Tournament will be held Friday and Saturday, Feb. 6 & 7, in Lubbock at the Lubbock Memorial Civic Center.