Allen Outlaw
Here is a breakdown of some of the action we saw at the Allen Outlaw Tournament this past weekend. We will start with the boys.
106
Nick Payne (College Park) and Hector Ortiz (Eastwood) both came into the weekend undefeated in Texas, and we’ve been saying all season that these are the two best guys in the state at 106. Their finals matchup only reinforced that belief, as there was very little separation between the two elite grapplers. Ortiz came away with the win thanks to a third-period escape, and you have to wonder if Payne will second-guess his decision to take neutral in the second period instead of securing the escape point. That’s almost certainly something Payne will be focused on before these two meet again in February.
Sebastian Clark (Lake Travis) finished third and continues an impressive season. Expect Clark to be right in the mix for a spot on the state podium.
120
Allen freshman Oliver Pulliam is the real deal. Pulliam went through two state champions and another state placer to claim the title, capping it off with a dominant finals win over returning state champ Jackson Shipley (Dripping Springs). Honestly, it wasn’t particularly close. Pulliam controlled the pace, capitalized on reattacks, and earned an 8–2 decision.
Watching Pulliam this weekend, it’s easy to see why he’s having so much success. As a freshman, he’s not at the same physical level as some of the older guys, but he more than makes up for it with skill and an edge that’s hard to quantify. He’s a bully on the mat, and that edge creates real separation. It probably drives opposing coaches and athletes crazy, but Pulliam won’t care—he’s just winning right now. Impressive stuff.
126
This was a loaded bracket featuring multiple state placers and returning state champ Izayiah Chavez (Allen) as the top seed. Chavez took home the title, and while he didn’t run through everyone, he was extremely impressive—winning close matches and scoring when he needed to against top-tier competition.
Brandon Pattillo (College Park) and Adrian Fierros (Cinco Ranch) finished third and fourth. We’ve been very high on Pattillo all season, and he pushed Chavez to the limit in a 6–4 semifinal loss before bouncing back to beat Fierros for third. It’s still a bit strange seeing Fierros in a Cinco Ranch singlet, but it’s great to have him back on the mat. He looks like he’s still rounding into form, so expect Fierros to keep improving as the season goes on. Don’t be surprised if this group runs it back at the Berry Center in February.
132
Mason Milsaps knocked off four state placers to earn the title here and continues to show rapid growth in his first high school season. He relied on a strong reattack game to defeat Frisco Centennial’s Yusuf Uribe in the finals.
Uribe had an impressive semifinal performance of his own, taking out Charlie Trujillo (Vandegrift) 6–3. Trujillo was coming off a double-overtime battle with fellow Austin-area wrestler Braiden Bartlett (Lake Travis) in the quarters—a razor-thin match between two guys who clearly know each other well.
Another notable result came from Leonides Fernandez (Eastwood), who entered the weekend undefeated and upset former state champ Cayden Campbell (Allen) in the quarterfinals. Fernandez was the fresher wrestler in overtime, and it showed as he earned a 12–9 OT victory. Fernandez is not someone anyone will want to draw at the Berry Center in February.
144
Logan Milsaps used relentless pressure and physicality to dominate his way through the bracket before facing a surging Chase Yancey (Azle) in the finals. The match went to overtime, but Milsaps hit a clean underhook knee-pick off a reattack to secure the decisive takedown and the title.
In the semifinals, Yancey put together one of the most impressive comebacks of the tournament. Down four points with 30 seconds left against Hunter Gordon (Rockwall), Yancey scored two late takedowns and rode out the match to upset the returning 6A runner-up.
157
We thought Dominic Wilson (Rockwall) might run through this tournament and that came to fruition here. Wilson bonused his way through the tournament on the way to a title. A Houston name to keep an eye on is Waldo Jimenez (Caney Creek) who finished 6th and had a bunch of solid wins.
190
We got another chapter in the growing rivalry between Etthan Sanchez (College Park) and Mason Negro (Katy). Sanchez capped off a dominant weekend with an 8–6 win over Negro in the finals, after not going the full six minutes in any other match.
Negro also had a strong tournament, highlighted by a semifinal victory over a Tennessee state placer.
On to the Girls
100
Jubilee Rendon (El Paso Franklin) put together a dominant run to the title and looks poised to finish her career back on top of the state podium. We were hoping to see a rematch between Rendon and Katy’s Natalie Roberson, but that was derailed by dangerous Oklahoma entrant Preslea Wilkerson. Wilkerson hit some big moves to take out both Roberson and Channing Travis (Allen) on her way to the finals. Roberson battled back to finish third.
105
Returning state champion Emily Beltran (Katy) stayed undefeated with another title run. She met Alessandra Toscano (Eastwood), arguably her top challenger in the state, in the finals. Toscano showed why she’s so highly regarded and was right there with Beltran in several scrambles, but Beltran consistently came out on top of the exchanges. Her cleaner attacks and control led to a technical fall in the finals.
College Park’s Giuliana Rios is down at 105 this season and had a solid tournament, finishing fifth.
110
Hailey Delgado (Eastwood) continued her dominance in Texas with a tournament title. Arlo Ogle-Garza (Lovejoy) is a wrestler who competes everywhere, and she managed to go a full match with Delgado — no small feat at this point. Ogle-Garza looks like someone with her sights set firmly on a 5A state title.
115
Cinco Ranch’s Nevada Daniels had an excellent tournament on her way to a title. A two-time state medalist, Daniels is clearly chasing a state championship as the final piece of a great high school career. This performance kept her undefeated and right on track toward that goal.
120
Tiana Crawford (Rockwall Heath) continued her undefeated sophomore campaign with a pair of gritty wins. Crawford took out state placer Naime Abdallah (El Paso Franklin) in the semifinals with a last-second takedown, then edged state champion Grace Romans (Allen) 7–6 in the finals. Crawford has been one of the breakout stars in Texas wrestling this season.
125
Katy’s Alina Hopkins continued her rise, knocking off a Louisiana state champion and several other tough opponents on her way to the finals. Hopkins is becoming another example of the long line of Katy girls who make massive jumps during their careers. In the finals, she ran into returning state champ Lucy Clarno (Dripping Springs), who was dominant throughout.
130
Haley Pitts (Katy) is back on the mat and looked strong on her way to a third-place finish. Her only loss came in the semifinals against Echo Cranor (Keller Central). Cranor continued her excellent senior season by hitting a mean suck-back to pin Avery Fitzgerald (Rockwall) in the finals. The suck-back is an underrated move — maybe Cranor will be the one to bring it back.
135
Two-time state champion Kailin Sebert (Allen) crushed the field here. One notable Houston-area result saw Keira DeWitt (Clear Springs) pick up a quarterfinal win over College Park’s Desiree Romero, which Romero later avenged in the third-place match. A good showing from both Houston-area wrestlers.
140
The two best 140-pounders in the state squared off again in the finals. Landri Von Gonten (College Park) and Jordyn Parker (Centennial) met last month, and while Parker kept that matchup competitive, Von Gonten made key adjustments this time. She hit clean techniques and secured a third-period pin. There’s clear mutual respect between these two elite wrestlers, and don’t be surprised if both have their hands raised at the Berry Center next month on the 5A and 6A mats.
145
Ayden Quinones (El Paso Pebble Hills) and Joanna Henry (Vandegrift) went to war in the finals. Henry simply does not go away in tough matches, but Quinones kept her pace high and was the more energetic wrestler throughout, ultimately prevailing in double overtime.
155
Leona Layne (Rockwall) and Zamariya Williams (Rockwall Heath) met for the second time this season. The match was tight through the first period, but Layne powered through for a second-period pin. These two will definitely be seeing more of each other as the season progresses.
Princess Lopez (Caney Creek) continued her sneaky-good season with a third-place finish, avenging both of her losses from earlier in the tournament along the way. Impressive wrestling.
170
Madeline Moore (Cinco Ranch) turned in a strong performance, finishing second behind returning state medalist Isabella Moreno (El Paso Eastwood). Moore is one of the bright young stars in the Houston wrestling scene, and it’ll be exciting to see how she finishes out the season.
190
Tristyn Alo-Suliafu (Jordan) was looking for a signature win in the finals against returning state runner-up Camille Harris (Frisco Memorial), but came up just short and finished in second place.
Keep up the great work!