The boys wrestling team made history Saturday, winning the 5A Texas High School Wrestling Coaches Association State Dual Tournament with their 36-27 win over Centennial.

“It feels great,” senior captain Kevin Overlin said. “It really means a lot because we came in 2nd place last year, and it was almost the same exact situation, except we came up on top.”

Going into the tournament, many of the wrestlers were excited at the prospect of bringing home a state title.

“It was a mix of nervousness and excitement,” senior Nathan Lewis said. “We knew we would get up to the final spot. It was just the excitement and nerves of bringing it home in your last year.”

Last year’s tournament gave the team a sour taste in their mouths, losing to the Titans in the final match.

“Last year we had an exciting tournament, but a heartbreaking ending,” head coach Jason Thurston said. “This has been the day that had been circled for a long time.”

The team won their first games of pool play, defeating host Bryan High School 45-27 and Houston Davis 72-6 to advance to the quarterfinals. Defeating Pioneer High School 72-10 and then Rockwall Heath 40-31, the team found themselves in familiar territory.

It would come down to the final match once again, except this time, the Redhawks would be the ones celebrating.

“How hard we worked in practice gave us confidence that we could wrestle anyone,” Lewis said.

Thurston talked about the admiration he had for his players.

“I love them,” Thurston said. “I love competing with them, and that’s not dependent on winning or losing. We had some guys drop some tough matches, but I love watching them compete.”

For the the wrestlers, this title will be a moment they will look back on for the rest of the school year, and even beyond.

“It’s an amazing feeling,” Overlin said. “It’s something I’ll look back on for the rest of my life.”