Depth to be tested at district wrestling meets

There’s more to winning a district wrestling championship than just first-place finishes. It takes depth throughout a roster to pick up valuable points for placing third and fourth.

That lesson will be on display today when PSJA High hosts the District 32 wrestling meet and Friday and Saturday when Grulla hosts the District 31 event. Each district has its share of stars but it’s the teams with depth that end up with championships.

“You’ve got to understand that, third and fourth place, those are like the hidden yards in football, those are like the hidden points in wrestling and that’s one thing a lot of coaches don’t procure,” PSJA High coach Rolando Becerra said. “A lot of coaches will say, ‘This guy’s a stud, this guy’s the No. 1’ and they’re only trying to focus on their star wrestler, their No. 1.

“But they may not be nurturing their third-place guy, their fourth-place guy and those are the guys that are going to give you those points that puts your team up.”

That came up for the Bears last season when Weslaco High won the District 32 title. Though PSJA had more individual titles, it was the Panthers’ depth that won the championship by 10 points.

While Weslaco tries to defend its boys title, San Benito will look to defend its girls district championship.

Then on Friday and Saturday, two La Joya schools will look to defend their titles.

On the boys side, Palmview will look to repeat while sister-school Juarez-Lincoln will try to retain its title.

Brian Sandalow covers high school sports for Valley Freedom Newspapers. You can reach him at (956) 683-4436 or via email at bsandalow@themonitor.com.