The Wrestling Team had three students place in the top 6 at the UIL State Tournament. 

Aviana Carceres and Saul Gutierrez were both recurring state qualifiers, but for Gianna Zavala, this was her first time at state, fueling a mix of confidence and anticipation for the team.

“Nerves are good ‘cause it means you [sic] care, and you have some energy from that,” Coach Thomas Murray said.

On day one of the tournament, Carceres and Zavala won both of their matches, qualifying them to the semifinals for day two. Gutierrez won one round and lost another, meaning he had to wrestle in the ‘backside’, which required that he win a third match to stay in the tournament. 

“When you get to day two, that’s when the best wrestlers that are in the state are competing,” Murray said.

On day two, Gutierrez started off in the ‘blood round’, which decides whether or not a participant will receive a medal. He won by 16 points, allowing him to advance in the tournament, ultimately placing 6th overall. Carceres and Zavala both lost their semifinal rounds, but each performed well and placed 3rd overall. 

“Both of them wrestling was probably some of the best I’ve seen them wrestle all year, so it definitely peaked at the right time,” Murray said.

While all competitively successful, each wrestler has their own distinct style. For instance, Murray describes Caceres as a “bulldog,” which is a “go-go, aggressive type of wrestler.” Meanwhile, Zavala, her sparring partner, is “the complete opposite” because she is “very defensive” and waits for “someone to do something wrong, so she can attack.” 

Gutierrez, who is a two-times judo national champion, brings “that kind of flair” because he brings those “big throws and big moves into the sport.” 

To qualify for state, each wrestler had to reach the top 4 at the regional meet beforehand. Their placement at regionals also determines their seeding for state, which affects the difficulty of their early rounds.

“We train so hard throughout the year, that hopefully we’re there mentally when we get there, so it’s not a big shock,” Murray said.

The state tournament was held at the Barry Center, providing a comfortable environment for Langham’s competitors.

“We don’t have the big shock factor of ‘oh, it’s the Barry Center’, which a lot of other teams from El Paso or Dallas might have,” Murray said. “I think, mentally, it helps us quite a bit.”

To prepare for the competitions, the team engages in rigorous training, starting in August until the season ends in February. Training sessions start at two days a week for 2 hours each, but quickly move up to 5 days.

“It’s a grind,” Murray said. 

That also requires careful time-management between other obligations such as clubs and other extracurricular activities.

“These kids are committed and dedicated—they’re disciplined,” Murray said. “It’s physically draining but also takes a lot of mental toughness and mental strength.”

Most Langham wrestlers enter the sport with no experience before high school, creating a unique challenge for them. 

“They’re behind everybody else, so they really have to commit,” Murray said. “They have to do extra practice after school; they have to learn how to eat correctly; they have to learn how to cut weight correctly; they have to learn how to manage their emotions correctly.”

That requires extra dedication. 

“Your body will take care of itself,” Murray said. “It’s the mental training, the preparation, and sometimes knowing ‘hey, I’m not gonna be able to hang out with my friends this Saturday—I gotta work’.”

Coaching these students requires its own dedicated approach.

“Everybody is their own person, so you can’t just treat everyone like robots ‘cause everybody [has] got their own individual feelings, their own individual worries, there’s things that are going on at home, grades—everything,” Murray said. “So it’s just about getting a relationship with your kids, knowing how to treat each kid, and realizing that it’s about their experience.”

But it can also be hectic.

“Coaching is chaotic,” Murray said. “Sometimes I got four, five, six matches going on [at] a time. So, we’re running back and forth and back and forth.”

When Murray first arrived at Langham, there were only 25 students in the wrestling team, which has since increased to 85. In the seven years since Murray began coaching, Langham has had 7 state placers and almost 20 district champions.

Team results for Regional and State meets: 

• Gianna Zavala placed 3nd at Regionals and 3rd at State in the 110lb weight class.
• Aviana Carceres placed 2nd at Regionals and 3rd at State in the 115lb weight class.
• Saul Gutierrez placed 3rd at Regionals and 6th at State in the 190lb weight class.
• Romeo Granados placed 5th at Regionals.