Azle wrestling teams pin hopes on district tourney

Sophomore Landin Evans reclined on his side, eating watermelon pieces from a plastic bowl using his fingers. His bottle of Gatorade was almost empty.

Watermelon and Gatorade boost Evans’ energy after weigh-ins and increase his stamina during matches.

“It will refuel me,” he said. “If I don't, I’ll be super shaky or just not energized. I try to get the right foods after weigh-ins. Watermelon has a lot of water in it and fills you with electrolytes. Gatorade has a lot of electrolytes, too.”

Evans loses several pounds each week leading up to weigh-ins.

He wrestles at 126 pounds, but his normal weight is about 130.

One other thing. He is tough as nails.

On Jan. 20-21, the Hornets wrestled against the best teams in the state at the Texas High School Wrestling Coaches Association State Dual Championships. Evans was one of just three Hornets who won all five of his matches.

One of the other wrestlers who accomplished the undefeated feat was Evan’s older brother, senior Dominick Evans, who won a state title in Oregon as a sophomore.

Landin Evans began wrestling at a young age, and his advanced skills helped him land a varsity spot as a freshman in 2022. He earned second place at district and fifth at regionals and narrowly missed competing at the state meet. Only the top four regional finalists in each weight class qualified to wrestle at the state meet. Evans attended the tournament as an alternate but didn’t wrestle since the four athletes ahead of him all made weight.

“This year, I want to make it to state and get on the podium,” he said.

The season began slowly for Evans, who lost a couple of matches in early January. The losses spurred him to practice harder.

“I've gotten a lot better and improved since then,” he said. “I haven't lost in a little bit, so I hope to keep that going.”

Two hours later, he wrestled his Burleson Centennial opponent and won with ease. The dual with Centennial served as the final tournament of the regular season. Azle won big, giving the Hornets a boost of confidence.

The Hornets finished with 66 points compared to Centennial’s 18. The fun occurred on Senior Night, and all the seniors who wrestled won their matches.

Head coach Tyler Harrison described the tourney as a “good night for the good guys” and thanked the parents of seniors for “raising leaders and great kids.”

On Feb. 2-3, Azle will host the district championship at the Hornet gym. Wrestling is set to start at 2 p.m. Feb. 2 and at 10 a.m. Feb. 3.

On Feb. 10-11, Azle wrestlers will travel to West Texas A&M University in Canyon for the regional tourney.

Then, on Feb. 17-18, wrestlers who qualified at regionals for the Class 5A state meet will head to Berry Center in Cypress to determine the top grapplers in Texas.