On Saturday, January 27th, Zachary’s female wrestlers competed at the LHSAA Girls’ State Wrestling Championship. The following weekend, on Friday and Saturday, February 2-3, the male wrestlers competed at the LHSAA Boys’ State Wrestling Championship.
The Broncos performed outstandingly at the state championships this year. While individual placings and rankings varied across the entirety of the wrestling team, each wrestler displayed abilities, sportsmanship, and will power. The highlights of the event included crucial matches, where the Broncos demonstrated their resilience and calculated aptitude. Whether on or off the mat, each wrestler enjoyed the closeness they had to their team and exhibited professional sportsmanship when competing.
Coach Benjamin McHugh, “Coach Ben”, has been coaching wrestling for the past two years. Seeing his wrestlers at state was really rewarding for him, as he got to watch his team showcase their exceptional wrestling abilities, obtain personal bests, and win matches. His favorite part of coaching wrestling is being able to push the athletes he coaches and inculcate confidence in each wrestler.
First-time wrestler, Sarah Houston (9) shocked all when she became the 120-pound state champion at the LHSAA Girls’ State Wrestling Championship. As the younger sister of Sergio Houston (12), another ZHS wrestling prodigy, Houston has been attending her brother’s wrestling meets since she was in middle school. When she joined wrestling this year, she knew what a disciplined, quality wrestler should look and act like.
To prepare for each meet, Houston made sure she worked hard at every practice, even when she felt exhausted. Houston stayed every day after-school until 4:30, working to improve and perfect her skills any chance she got. She also focused on staying hydrated and eating healthy.
“I really tried to focus on what I ate. You know, I believe hydrating and getting the right nutrients helped me perform better during practices and meets,” Houston (9) said.
When she won at state championships, Houston was shocked. This was her first year wrestling, so winning state was a huge accomplishment for her. She accredits her success to Coach Ben, her older brother (Sergio), and herself. She stayed motivated throughout the season and pushed herself to reach her goals.
Leading the ZHS wrestling department for most of his high school career, Sergio Houston (12), wrapped up his high school wrestling career, placing 2nd in the state overall and highest amongst his fellow teammates. Houston has been wrestling since freshman year, when he first heard about tryouts on the morning announcements. That was all he needed to show up and give it his best.
After hearing he won 2nd place, Houston was very proud of himself for ending his high school wrestling career off strong. Houston credits Coach Ben for all his help and support.
“I give a lot of [credit] to Coach Ben. He was the one who always had practice formulated for success, which allowed for us to get a lot of reps in, all while maximizing our time. Wrestling just became second nature for me,” Houston (12) said.
Looking back on his high school wrestling career, Houston says Jacury Johnson (11) has been a steady friend for him and a huge motivation to continue wrestling. Back in September, when Houston was involved in a car accident, he remembers Johnson encouraging him to get through the complication, so that they could wrestle and make it to the championships together. Houston quickly recovered and put all his effort back into wrestling, eventually getting him to where he is now.
