With 10 runs on the scoreboard in the top half of the first inning, the La Joya Lady Coyotes had no trouble cruising to their third district win against the Juarez-Lincoln Lady Huskies Tuesday evening. The Lady Coyotes improved their overall record to 8-8 and their District 30-5A record to 3-1.

The loss left the Lady Huskies winless in five district games and dropped their overall record to 2-11.

While Coach Adrian Trevino’s Lady Huskies managed to pull within eight runs of the Lady Coyotes with two runs of their own in the bottom of the first inning, that would be as close as they would get as they went on to lose in four innings by a score of 17-2.

Read more: Lady Coyotes rout Lady Huskies

It took 580 matches over three days at two different venues to do so, but the girls 4A and 5A UIL State Wrestling Meet champions were crowned in Austin last week. With three of the medalists coming from La Joya and Mission schools, the Big 6 was well represented at the state’s toughest and most prestigious meet of the year.

Read more: Veterans, Juarez-Lincoln, Palmview medal at State

The La Joya High School wrestling team has two state qualifiers among the two boys and three girls who competed at the Region IV-5A meet in San Antonio two weeks ago. The Coyotes have quality even if they do not have quantity.

As one of La Joya’s two state qualifiers, Kristian Rivera came within one win of bringing home a regional championship. Winning his first three matches in the 220-lb. weight class, Rivera advanced to the championship match where he put up a good fight but fell short against last year’s regional silver medalist Nick Mabry from New Braunfels’ Canyon High School.

Despite his championship match loss, Rivera’s season record currently stands at 32-2. He went two and out at last year’s regional meet. That combined with dealing with a less than ideal home situation makes his success this year even more impressive, according to first year La Joya Head Wrestling Coach James Muzquiz.

Read more: La Joya’s Rivera eyes gold medal at state wrestling meet

After dominating the district meet winning 19 out of 24 events just one week prior, the Sharyland High School swimming and diving team found the waters at the Region VIII-5A swim meet in Brownsville to be rougher. With swimming powerhouses such as McAllen Memorial, who took the boys’ championship for a sixth consecutive year, and Los Fresnos, whose girls pulled out a seven-point first place finish over C.C. King, the Rattlers finished fourth place for their boys and girls teams at regionals.

La Joya High School, whose girls placed fourth and boys placed fifth at the district meet the week before, placed 16^th and 15th, respectively, at the regional meet last weekend.

Read more: Cecilia Hernandez advances to state

Eleven girls and two boys from the Mission-Sharyland-La Joya Big 6 schools will be on their way to Austin next week to take the mat against the best of the best from across the Lone Star State. In what will be a three-day meet at two different venues, wrestlers ranging in weight from 106 lbs. to 285 lbs. for the boys and 95 lbs. to 215 lbs. for the girls will all be doing their best to win by fall, decision or technical superiority. Those who advance from Thursday’s and Friday’s preliminary rounds will compete in Saturday’s finals where championships and gold medals will be won and lost.

With the top four finishers in each weight class at last weekend’s regional meets qualifying for the state meet, Veterans Memorial and Juarez-Lincoln will have the most wrestlers representing their schools at state among the Big 6 schools with three wrestlers each. Mission High, L.J. Palmview and La Joya High will each have two and Sharyland will have one.

Read more: Thirteen local wrestlers to compete at state

McALLEN – Sharyland’s boys and girls wrestling teams sent a combined eight grapplers to the regional tournament that got underway Thursday at San Antonio’s North East Independent School District Blossom Athletic Center.

The Rattlers claimed second place at the Feb. 1-2 District 16-5 Meet held at McAllen Memorial with team score of 203.0. The host school won the meet with 222.5 points.

Read more: District Wrestling Tournament: Sharyland boys, Juárez-Lincoln capture second at district