By Terry Carter
Regional champions for eight years in a row, the Katy boys’ wrestling team arrived the UIL 2023 Boys State Championship ready to earn more state medals.
In 2022, Katy had one state champion and two state finalists (second-place finishers), and all were juniors returning this season. When all of the mat battles finished on Feb. 18 at the Berry Center in Cypress, the Tigers had repeated as the fourth-place boys’ team among all 6A wrestling squads.
And once again, Katy celebrated one state champion and two state finalists. In the past decade, Katy head wrestling coach Vinnie Lowe has made a case that he has one of Greater Houston’s two best wrestling programs.
He not only prepares his wrestlers to become champions, but Lowe seems to empower his student-athletes to become champions, and perhaps heroes, in real life.
Katy assistant coach Julie Stayton, a state champion wrestler at Katy in 2010, and Cinco Ranch assistant coach Christina Bautista, a 2012 state champion, now inspire many female wrestlers, are part of a movement of wrestlers and former wrestlers to impact the world.
The lessons taught on the wrestling mat are intense life lessons that benefit every student, regardless of size, background, challenge, adversity, strength and skill. The dedication required is therapeutic and transformative.
At state the Katy boys earned 93 team points to place fourth behind only Allen (201.5), Arlington Martin (186) and College Park (110). Katy’s route to fourth place was powered by an epic championship run by unbeaten Tiger Jeremy Manibog (45-0) at 165 pounds, 2-time state finalist JP Garcia (50-7) at 157, and state finalist Rodney Trotter (57-3) at 285.
This trio finishes their high school careers with two state champions — Trotter won in 2022 — and four state finals.
Other standout, all-state performances at the state tournament included:
- Cinco Ranch’s Richie Walsh finished as a state runner-up at 106 pounds with a 49-12 senior season record.
- Jordan junior Garrett McChesney (49-2) won state in 2022 in 5A. This year he reached the state finals at 138 pounds in great form before dropping a 3-2 decision to Westside’s Kyle Lew. Both delivered mat brilliance.
- Katy senior Connor Timmons (53-7) placed fourth at state at 150 pounds.
- Katy junior Dimitrios Katsigiannis (36-10) finished fifth at 215 pounds.
Top finishers for the girls included:
- Kate Knight (45-9) of Cinco Ranch, who finished third at 152 pounds.
- Katy junior Abby Fonseca (48-3) captured third place at 185 pounds.
Katy junior Abby Fonseca placed third at state. (Photo by Terry Carter/UDPhotos)
Katy unbeaten senior Jeremy Manibog won the 165-pound state championship. (Photo by Terry Carter/UDPhotos)