By Sarah VanderPol

Photographer

@sarahvanderpol

With eight senior boys and two senior girls, the Coppell High School wrestling program will be graduating a fair amount of athletes this season.

“[Senior Night] is always great,” CHS wrestling coach Chip Lowery said. “You hate seeing that group of kids graduate every year, but it’s a chance for them to get recognized especially when you have so many that have wrestled for four years, it’s bittersweet.”

Of these 10 senior athletes, there have been three standouts this season: girls captain Anna Woo, boys captain Jesse McPherson and David Murillo. All three of these athletes have many notable accomplishments and have truly developed over their four years in the wrestling program at CHS.

Woo originally had no intentions of being in the sport, much less to stay in it. Her freshman year, Woo was in physical education with Lowery. Lowery was in need of a 95-pounder and convinced her to join the team.

“We liked her, we liked her work ethic, but she didn’t display any emotion at all,” Lowery said. “She has really grown emotionally over the time.”

While Woo did join, she certainly didn’t think it was something she would stick with for all four years of high school.

“I wanted to quit multiple times but the coaches is what made me stay because we have a good relationship,” Woo said. “I’ve put so much time into it why not finish it out?”

Becoming a captain is something that Woo certainly had to work for, but something she enjoys.

“[Becoming a captain] takes a long period of time,” Woo said. “You have to come to the practices everyday and show leadership throughout your freshman and sophomore year.”

To the coaches, being a captain is more than being the top wrestler, it’s about being a leader.

“Anna and Jesse have grown into becoming team captains,” Lowery said. “That is the greatest thing on our awards board.”

As a senior captain, Woo gets the opportunity to work with the new freshman athletes in their training.

“Coaching the freshmen and seeing them win makes me happy,” Woo said. “I’m excited to come back when all the freshman are seniors.”

When asked what motivates her, Woo was quick to answer.

“Getting my hand raised in the end definitely motivates me,” Woo said.

Woo is not the only Coppell wrestler eyeing a spot on the state medal stand at season’s end as McPherson and Murillo are producing dominant performances on the mat.

McPherson has had an impressive season, finishing in the top three in nearly every tournament.

“I have the same emotions every time I go out to wrestle,” McPherson said. “I have the mindset to wrestle my hardest and be the best guy out on the mat that I can be.”

Being in and out of the sport during his eighth grade year, McPherson decided to rejoin in high school, following in his older brother Mark McPherson’s, a 2011 CHS graduate, footsteps. Currently, Mark is coaching a younger kids team here in Coppell and Jesse enjoys assisting in the development of these young athletes.

“I help train those kids and I really like bonding with them,” McPherson said. “I feel like I can connect with a lot of them because I’ve been in that spot too.”

As a freshman, McPherson was small coming in, a 103-pounder. Now, as a 126-pounder, he is far more mature, both physically and mentally.

“His very first match I had to scold him for showboating,” Lowery said. “Now, he is just a dedicated leader. For us, that is more important than champs and place winners, people that are selfless and give to others. On top of that we see that these kids always become successful because they put in the work.”

Murillo has lost only one match this season. His motivation, simple and to the point.

“I just like to win,” Murillo said.

Murillo was not originally in wrestling. Murillo’s father did judo when he was younger and put both Murillo and his brother into the sport in the second grade. The practices ended up being too far for them, so the boys both joined the CHS wrestling program. Murillo dedicates a lot of his success to his brother.

“My brother taught me a lot, he taught me most of the stuff I needed,” Murillo said. “He was always training me and working with me. The coaches conditioned me and taught me the rest of the stuff I needed [to be successful].”

Lowery has been a large part of Murillo’s development over the past four years, helping David place 4th at state last year as a junior.

“Last year he was a state place winner,” Lowery said. “The state tournament is so tough that usually we don’t have a lot of kids that place before they’re a senior, so for him to place last year was a great accomplishment.”

At the District 7-6A Tournament on Feb. 7 at Lewisville High School, Woo took first, McPherson took third and Murillo took first, qualifying them all for regionals. At the Class 6A Region I Tournament on Feb. 13 and 14 at Allen High School, Woo placed first, McPherson placed fifth and Murillo placed second. All three qualified for the Class 6A State Tournament on Feb. 20-21 in Garland. Their state send off will be on Thursday, Feb. 17 at 2:45 p.m.during 6th period.

“For all three of these kids, they started for four years,” Lowery said. “You hate to see them go, you wish you could keep them, but you’re glad they got recognized for their time here.”