When one walks into the arena where state titles are won and lost, it can foster feelings of anxiousness and nervousness.
Not so for Ava Aragon. When the McAllen High senior stepped onto the mat a few moments before her bout for the 2026 state high school girls wrestling title, she felt almost uneasily calm.
“Honestly, I felt really comfortable,” Aragon said. “Just knowing I had gone and prepared (helped). I noticed my opponent as well. She wasn’t warming up.”
Not warming up proved costly. From the opening whistle, Aragon went right after her opponent from Canyon Randall High. It took less than 90 seconds for her to secure a pin, ending the match in the first round.
“I was pumped,” Aragon said of her state title. “It’s an honor to be able to put my name out there. I hope it’s a good example for other people.”
She earned the Class 5A state championship for the girls 105-pound division. The competition for Class 5A and 6A schools took place at the Berry Center in Cypress, Texas February 13-14.
She is the first girl to win a state title in wrestling in McAllen High’s history. In fact, she is just one of a handful of girls in the Rio Grande Valley to bring home a state championship in wrestling.
Gina Reed, McAllen High’s Boys and Girls Wrestling Coach, has known Ava since she was a freshman and has coached her for the last two years.
“She’s a joy to be around,” Reed said. “She’s always happy.”
Once Aragon, who stands 5-foot-1, steps onto the wrestling mat though, it’s a different story.
“When she’s on the mat, when she’s competing, it’s like a little switch,” Reed said. “She’s hyper-focused. She’s like a machine. She’s very competitive.”
She’s so competitive that, during the season, Ava would sometimes bump up to a heavier weight class during matches when no one was available to wrestle at 105 pounds.
“She didn’t want to back down,” Reed said. “She’s not scared. That fearlessness is what got her a state title.”
Ava’s determination to succeed is evidenced in her steady improvement since her freshman year when she won Newcomer of the Year. She is now a 3-time District champion, a 2-time Regional winner and 3-time state qualifier. After qualifying for state as a sophomore, she finished fifth in Texas as a junior before winning it all this year as a senior. In fact, she was ranked No. 1 in her weight class going into this year’s state meet by the Wrestling Texas web site.
In summer 2025, she was named RGV Sports’ Female Wrestler of the Year.
“Ava has demonstrated remarkable consistency, discipline, and competitive excellence at the highest levels of Texas high school wrestling,” Reed said.
At the elite tier of the sport, the mental game is just as crucial as the physical game, Reed added.
“At that level, everybody has good technique, everybody is in shape,” Reed said. “It’s the fear and the mental game that is the big challenge at that level.”
Aragon is the second wrestler from McAllen High to bring home a gold medal in wrestling. Sam Mangum won state wrestling titles in the boys division in 2009 and 2010. In fact, he coached Ava as part of her Thundercats club team.
Aragon finds the solitary nature of the sport appealing. Unlike a team sport, wrestlers can only rely on themselves at match time.
“I’ve always been hyper-independent and so, being able to do a sport that relies solely on your effort, your determination and your drive, that’s my type of sport,” Aragon said. “You only have yourself to look back to. Did you put in the work? Did you put in the time? That’s something I’m able to handle. You do have to be mentally tough in this sport.”
“She doesn’t let failures or losses sit in her heart,” Reed said. “It always made her motivated to get better. It doesn’t happen at this age in a lot of kids. She was able to internalize it and use it.”
Aragon wants to continue wrestling in college and is thinking about majoring in computer science. She has a message for other students.
“Definitely give it (wrestling) a try,” she said. “You might fall in love with it.”