Five Lady Colt wrestlers qualified for the State Championship tournament in Cypress, Texas last week. Two of them took 4th place. One of them, junior Asia Ray, was the state champion from the previous year.

“At first I was crushed that I lost, but then I realized that I just lost because of the pressure that I felt,” Ray said. “My sophomore year I was wrestling to win state, but this year I was wrestling to defend my state championship; I didn’t want anybody else to get it.”

After being a state champion as a sophomore, Asia has caught the eyes of many. Her dedication as a wrestler is admirable, and she plans to continue wrestling after graduating high school.

“Last year no college coaches were allowed to speak to me, but this year I received a four year scholarship offer to wrestle at Missouri Valley,” she said.

Although Ray placed fourth this year, she believes that she will reclaim her spot as state champion for her fourth and final year of high school wrestling.

Junior Naara Gonzalez also placed 4th in her weight class at state. She has qualified to wrestle in the state tournament since her freshman year, but this is the first year that she has placed.

“Having the feeling that you placed at state is the best feeling ever,” she said. “I was one of the top four, it’s like out of all the 185s out there, I am one of the best.”

The Lady Colt Wrestling program has an impressive history. The team won the regional championships last year, and have trained a good amount of All-State wrestlers.

“I think that the Lady Colt wrestling program is the best thing that’s happened to me,” Ray said. “Not only do I have coaches that really care about me and want me to do good, I have teammates that are always behind me and always want to help me.”

Placing at state this year has given these girls a taste of victory and has set their sights on the title of state champion for their senior year.

“If wrestling has taught me one thing, it’s to never give up on yourself,” Gonzalez said. “When you give up on yourself you’re telling yourself ‘I can’t do this’ but you have to keep pushing yourself and say ‘yes I can’. You’ve worked hard, and you’ve done a lot of things to get to where you are, so why not just try your best and never give up.”