A year ago, El Dorado’s girls wrestling team entered the state tournament with three No. 2 seeds.
When the state tournament begins later this month, EHS will have three regional champions entering as No. 1 seeds.
Katelyn Hayden and Sharnesia Tate were No. 2 seeds last year, but will be the top seeds in the 120- and 235-pound weight classes after winning regional titles at the 5A South Girls Regional Meet over the weekend.
Even more impressive was the performance was of Destinee Smith, who won the 130-pound division after checking in as the No. 3 seed.
Hayden knocked off Hot Springs Lakeside’s Sarahi Gaytan and Texarkana’s Zakeria Shoto before knocking off top-seeded Ashlynn Stone of Sylvan Hills to win her regional.
Smith downed Arkadelphia’s De’anna Buckley and Sylvan Hills’ Payton Finch to claim the top spot.
“I think this is her first year doing it,” El Dorado coach Alex Townsend said of Hayden. “Destinee being a first-year girl and winning it, it’s very impressive and just a testament to the type of athlete she is and the work that Katelyn has put in.”
Tate, the state runner-up at 235 a year ago, entered as the No. 1 seed and knocked off Jacksonville’s Abigail Woodall and Sylvan Hills’ Kylee Laird to give EHS a third regional champion.
“Sharnesia, we expected her, and I told her to her face that I expected her to win that,” Townsend said. “I wouldn’t expect anything less.”
Maddie Aguiluz will be the No. 2 seed in the 100-pound weight class after being upended by Sylvan Hills’ Emele Siegfried in the final.
“Maddie has motivation,” Townsend said. “I think that’s about the only girl she really hasn’t been able to beat.”
Despite having only five girls competing in the event, the Lady Wildcats finished fifth as a team with 17 teams competing.
“I think it goes to show the quality that we have of the ones that we do have,” Townsend said.
For Townsend, he hopes this is only the beginning for the Lady Wildcats.
“The girls did really well,” Townsend said. “A lot of motivation and a lot of momentum going into next weekend.”