Fargo

Eastwood Wrestlers Come Back Home to Hero's Welcome

By Courtesy Luis Rico

Sunday, July 25, 2010 - 9:26pm

Sunday, July 25: This week in Fargo, North Dakota the ASICS/Vaughan Junior & Cadet National Championships are taking place. Every year the nations best high school athletes gather at the nations largest wrestling competition in the world. Fargo is where future collegiate and eventual World and Olympic Champions showcase their skills in the international styles of Greco-Roman and Freestyle.

After an All-American performance at Freshman High School nationals in Virginia Beach Devin Vasquez (Cadet 130lbs) once again made the podium placing 6th out of 54 competitors earning All-American honors in Greco-Roman. After making it out of pool B, he eventually lost to Jesse Carlisle of Utah and returning All-American and Fila Cadet Champion Brandon Jeske of Virginia.

Fresh of his State Championship season this year at Eastwood High, Andy Rico (Junior 145lbs), with 77 competitors in his bracket, fought his way into the finals. After ringing off 4 straight wins yesterday, Andy suffered a 5th round loss, but battled back in the round robins to earn a spot in the finals against Dylan Ness of Minnesota. Andy lost two straight periods to Ness to earn a 2nd place finish. Ness a MN 3A state champion and a multiple high school All-American and will follow in his older brother Jayson's foot steps and wrestle for the powerhouse Golden Gophers at the University of Minnesota, where Jayson was a 2010 NCAA Champion and 4 time All-American.

This has been a big year for the city of El Paso in the sport of wrestling. An even bigger year at Eastwood High winning their 7th straight district title, placing in the top 10 at State Duals and the State Tournament. Even more so these to kids are not only high school teammates, they are also club teammates with the Texas Tribe and have been for the past 6 years. After the grueling high school practices these two kids head off to club practice for another couple of hours. Its no wonder why they are the elite not only of this town, but of the entire nation.