The Gauntlet Begins: 2026 Texas Postseason Preview
The “second season” is finally here. This week, the journey to the Berry Center begins as district tournaments kick off across the state. In Texas, the path is simple but brutal: finish in the Top 4 at Districts to punch your ticket to Regionals. From there, it’s a dogfight against 12 other elite competitors for a Regional title and that coveted spot on the state floor by finishing in the Top 4 at Regionals.
Every region in Texas is a meat-grinder, but some are true “Groups of Death.” We’ve crunched the rankings to identify the toughest brackets in the state for every weight class.
Note: These projections are based on current rankings and anticipated weight classes. We’ll know the final battlefield once district entries are locked.
* As a bonus treat we also compiled the data from the last 3 State tournaments and totaled up the results to find out which regions finished with the most State Champions and State Placers (top 6) over that time period !
🏆 The “Toughest Region” Breakdown
Where the brackets are deepest and the path to State is hardest.
6A Girls
100 – Region 1 – A collision course between #1 Jubilee Rendon (EP Franklin) and #5 Trinitee Hobbs (Coppell) lead the pack with 4 of the top 15 in the state
105 – Region 1 – #2 Alessandro Toscano (EP Eastwood) leads a group of 5 top 15 wrestlers
110 – Region 1 – #1 Hailey Delgado (EP Eastwood) and #2 Vanessa Sixtos (Grand Prairie) are at the top of this tough region
115 – Region 3 – #1 Nevada Daniels (Katy Cinco Ranch) and #2 Stephanie Lopez (Katy Mayde Creek) lead a group of 5 of the top 15 in the state
120 – Region 2 – #1 Tiana Crawford (Rockwall Heath) and #2 Grace Romans (Allen) make this region formidable
125 – Region 3 – Keep an eye on #2Kayla Dunn (Cypress Park)—she’s navigating a bracket that features 4 of the state’s top 6.
130 – Region 1 – #1 Echo Cranor (Keller Central) and #2 Camille Rainey (Arlington Martin) are on a collision course to wrestle for the third time this year and are joined by two other top 15
135 – Region 2 – #1 Kailen Sebert (Allen) and # 5 Tayla Skelley (Prosper) pace a group of 6 of the top 15
140 – Region 2 – #1 Landri Von Gonten (College Park) leads a group of 4 of the top 5 and 6 of the top 15
145 – Region 1 – #2 Ayden Quinones (EP Pebble Hills) is joined by 4 other top 15 wrestlers
155 – Region 2 – #1 Claire Guydon (Conroe The Woodlands) and #2 Leona Layne (Rockwall) top this tough region that hosts 4 of the top 15
170 – Region 1 – This is an absolute gauntlet. #1Aaliyah Finlayson and #2 Aisha Williams Bautista lead a field that includes 7 of the top 15
190 – Region 3 – #4 Jaida Kuntz (Richmond Foster) will be challenged by a group that comprises 7 of the top 15
235 – Region 1 – #1 Mailiana Heimuli (Euless Trinity) leads this tough group that includes 5 of the top 15
5A Girls: Panhandle Power
100 – Region 1 – #1 Noah Kovach (Azle) and #2 Lila Breedlove (Borger) lead a region with remarkable depth here with 10 of the top 15 state-ranked girls fighting for just 4 qualifying spots.
105 – Region 1 – #3 Nicole Soldevilla (Borger) and # 4 Felicity Tarango (Lubbock) are at the forefront of a region with 5 of the top 15
110 Region 4 – #2 Laila Wetzel (New Braunfels Long Creek) and #4 Adiella Reyes (SA Wagner) are at the top of a group that includes 3 of the top 10
115 – Region 3 – #1 Addison Hunt (Anna) leads this tough region that currently has 4 of the top 15
120 – Region 1 – #2 Gabriela Gutierrez (EP Del Valle) and #3 Tessa Urias (Lubbock Coronado) are at the top of a group that has 4 of the top 5 and 9 of the top 15
125 – Region 3 – #1 Malia Griffin (Melissa) and #2 Nadiyah Elizondo (College Station) lead a group of 4 of the top 15
130 – Region 1 – #1 Dalilah Coyle (Henrietta) and #2 Zaylynn Woods (Azle) headline a 9-deep list of ranked hammers.
135 – Region 2 – #1 Alyssa Indalsingh (Burleson) and #2 Marisa Iturrino (Carrollton Creekview) lead a group that has 5 of the top 15
140 – Region 2 – #1 Jordyn Parker (Frisco Centennial) is at the top of a group that includes 5 of the top 15
145 – Region 1 – #1 Xazanya Gonzalez (Amarillo Palo Duro) and #3 Gloria Vasquez (EP Burges) are at the top of a group that has 5 of the top 15
155 – Region 1 – #1 Cydney Davis (EP Bel Air) is at the top of a tough group that includes 6 of the top 15
170 – Region 1 – #1 Jasmine Vick (Amarillo Palo Duro) and #2 Elizabeth Yelle (Azle) lead a group that includes 5 of the top 15
190 – Region 2 – #1 Dani Banks (Frisco Liberty) and #2 Camille Harris ( Frisco Memorial) are at the top of a region that has 5 of the top 15
235 – Region 1 – #2 Khylee Whalen (Dumas) and #3 Mariella Prieto (Lubbock) are at the top of a group that has 6 of the top 15
6A Boys: Clashes of Titans
106 – Region 1 – #1 Hector Ortiz (EP Eastwood) leads a group that includes 5 of the top 15
113 – Region 1 – Dylan Ota (Southlake Carroll) is at the top of a region that includes 5 of the top 15
120 – Region 4 – #2 Jackson Shipley (Dripping Springs) and #4 Kyle Torres (Round Rock Cedar Ridge) lead this tough group that includes 5 of the top 15
126 – Region 2 – #1 Izayah Chavez (Allen) and #2 Brandon Pattillo (College Park) will battle for the top spot in this elite region
132 – Region 2 – An incredible field led by #1 Andrew Huerta and #2 Mason Milsaps. With 5 of the top 10 in one region, someone top-tier is going to be left home.
138 – Region 2 – #1 Cayden Rios (Allen) and #3 Luca Rios (College Park) headline this formidable group that includes 5 of the top 15
144 – Region 2 – #1 Logan Milsaps (College Park), #2 Hunter Gordon (Rockwall), and #3 Jair Jackson-Bey (Allen) make this an unbelievably talented region that totals 5 of the top 15
150 – Region 1 – #1 Keagan Sieracki (Southlake Carroll) is joined by 4 of the top 15
157 – THE TIE: It’s a dead heat between Region 1 – #1 Dom Wilson (Rockwall), #4 Ali Dodangeh (Plano West), and #9 Cohen Olsen (Allen); and Region 2 – #2 Alex Barros (Lewisville Hebron), #3 Luke Burgar (Southlake Carroll) , and #9 Duncan Ross (Coppell). Both regions are loaded with podium potential.
165 – Region 3 – #2 Keith Remington (League City Clear Creek) and #5 Maddox Fritz (Katy Cinco Ranch) are at the top of a group that includes 5 of the top 15
175 – Region 4 – #4 Nico Maurici (Austin Westlake), #5 Declan Kelts (SA Churchill) , #6 Ethan Frost (Austin Bowie), and #7 Connor Luksa (SA Johnson) will all battle it out here along with 2 more from the top 15
190 – Region 3 – #1 Sean Perez (Humble) leads a group that includes 4 of the top 15
215 – Tie – Region 2 and Region 3 – #1 Cash Cooley (Allen) is joined by 4 others in the top 15 in Region 2 and Region 3 will be a brawl between #2 JP Smith (Katy Cinco Ranch), #3 Zayde Facchetti (Humble Kingwood) , and 3 others from the top 15
285 – Region 3 – Expect a heavyweight brawl between club training partners #1 Grant Bahnsen (Houston Clear Lake) and #3 Ke’shawn Jones (League City Clear Creek).
5A Boys
106 – Region 1 – #2 Conner Smith (Dumas) and #5 Chaz Marone (FW Chisholm Trail) lead a bracket that where 9 of the top 15 reside.
113 – Region 3 – #1 Hayden Ross (Georgetown) and #3 Fabian Cruz (College Station) are at the top of this formidable group that has 3 of the top 12
120 – Region 2 – #2 Charles Alvarez (Midlothian) and #3 Eli Johnson (Frisco Wakeland) pace a group that includes 4 of the top 12
126 – Region 2 – #2 Erique Uribe (Frisco Centennial) and #3 Andre Moyron (Carrollton Creekview) will battle it out for the top spot in this region that includes 3 of the top 12
132 – Region 3 – #1 Vinny Ferrari (Melissa) leads this group that includes 5 of the top 13
138 – Region 3 – #2 Jaxon Johnson (Melissa) and #4 Enrique Olivares (Rosenberg Terry) lead a group that includes 4 of the top 10
144 – Region 1 – #1 Chase Yancey (Azle) and #2 Noah Santiago are at the top of a list of 5 of the top 15
150 – Region 4 – #1 Cruz Morales (New Braunfels Long Creek) and #2 Nicholas Torres (Mission Sharyland) headline a daunting group that includes 5 of the top 11
157 – Region 4 – #1 Bryce Palmer (Comal Smithson Valley) and #2 Marcus Perales (Mission Sharyland Pioneer) are at the top of this loaded region
165 – Region 3 – #1 Mauricio Bryant (Leander) , #2 Gunner Lund (Melissa), and #4 Bennett Ham (Highland Park) lead a group that includes 5 of the top 15
175 – Region 1 – #4 Jonathon Moss (Dumas) leads a tough group that includes 7 of the top 15 wrestlers
190 – Region 2 – #2 Rudy Velasquez (Midlothian Heritage), #3 Reece Bradford (North Richlands Birdville), and #6 Paul Miranda (Carrollton Creekview) are at the top of this region that includes 4 of the top 15
215 – Region 3 – #2 Cash Williams (Anna), #3 Karson McDonald (Leander Rouse), and #4 Jaylyn rogers-Salazar (Mesquite Poteet) pace this group that includes 5 of the top 15
285 – Region 1 – #1 Ryder Hatton (Lubbock Cooper) leads a group that includes 6 of the top 15
2023 – 2025 State Tournament results
📊 Historical Dominance: 2023–2025
We looked at the last three years of State Tournament data to see which regions consistently produce the most hardware.
6A Girls – Region 2 edges out Region 1 for the toughest region title with 1 more State Champion (16) and the same number of State placers (68) in the last three years.
5A Girls – Region 1 runs away with it producing 20 State Champs and 90 State placers in the last three years.
6A Boys – Region 1 has produced the most State Champs with 19 while Region 2 has registered the most State Placers with 82
5A Boys – Region 1 (coined the Region of Doom, Gloom, and Despair by some) lays claim to the title for the toughest region while producing 18 State Champions and 75 State placers in the last three years
Number of State Champions and State Placers from each Region over the last 3 years
6A Girls
Region 1 – (15) State Champions and (68) State Placers
Region 2 – (16) State Champions and (68) State Placers
Region 3 – (1) State Champion and (40) State Placers
Region 4 – (4) State Champions and (40) State Placers
5A Girls
Region 1 – (20) State Champions and (90) State Placers
Region 2 – (4) State Champions and (55) State Placers
Region 3 – (8) State Champions and (35) State Placers
Region 4 – (4) State Champions and (36) State Placers
6A Boys
Region 1 – (19) State Champions and (75) State Placers
Region 2 – (16) State Champions and (82) State Placers
Region 3 – (5) State Champions and (60) State Placers
Region 4 – (2) State Champions and (35) State Placers
5A Boys – West Texas is at the top here.
Region 1 – (18) State Champions and (75) State Placers
Region 2 – (11) State Champions and (63) State Placers
Region 3 – (8) State Champions and (61) State Placers
Region 4 – (5) State Champions and (53) State Placers
The Takeaway: While Region 1 (Panhandle/West Texas) often carries the most depth in 5A, the 6A battle between Region 1 and Region 2 is a literal coin flip for supremacy.
What’s Next?
The road to the podium is narrow. Check back next week for our Updated Top 20 Rankings and full Regional Predictions once the District dust settles.
Brought to you by the team at txtakedown.com.Have news or updates from your “room”? Use our contact page to let us know. Good luck to all the wrestlers—leave it all on the mat!
The link for the spreadsheet that was used for the State placement data is below. Pretty fascinating data if you are a wrestling nerd like us. Enjoy!
