Ethan Sims, Tascosa wrestling, Jr.
On the mat: In the smallest weight class at the UIL state wrestling tournament last weekend, nobody was bigger than Sims. Making his first appearance in the state meet competing in the 106-pound class, Sims was dominant in winning four matches to claim the state championship. Sims opened the tournament in dominant fashion, pinning Huntsville’s Noah Dierksheide in only 18 seconds then pinning Colleyville Heritage’s Paxton Ulrich in 2:36. In his final two matches, Sims won major decisions, beating Dallas Highland Park’s Cooper Chapman 14-2 in the semifinals, then blanking Frisco Wakefield’s Zach Miller 8-0 in the final to win the gold medal. That finished a stellar season in which Sims finished 45-2, a far more satisfying ending than last year when he finished fourth in the Region I-5A, which normally would have earned him a ticket to the state meet, but left him sitting home since only the top three finishers went to state due to COVID-19.
Coach Joe Stafford: “Our expectations were he’d be the state champion. It was no surprise at all. We really felt like he was capable of wrestling as well as he did and he came through. He got better each round. He’d never accomplished something like that, but his record said he’s good enough to be competing with anybody. The state stage is just a little different and you never know how a kid’s going to respond and he responded really well. He was definitely coming on last year. He had a couple of really good matches with good kids and we knew he had turned the corner and stepped it up a little. He wasn’t quite big enough for the weight class last year. He’s been growing into that weight class for the last couple of years. We knew he was in the right position to be a big, strong 106. We knew technically he was good enough.”
Sims: “I think it was a pretty realistic shot. I just had to make sure these two main guys I studied on film that I’d know what they might do. It’s about not showing any fear, especially when they get close to you they can read that. Warming up for (the championship match) I felt good just being able to move around and get my mind right. With everybody sitting up there in the stands it was really cool. I was extremely nervous. It was a weird feeling that I’d never felt before. I was nervous and excited all at the same time. It was definitely the main goal of the year to win state. Coming back balancing grades and practicing, I feel like I did it way better than last year. It was mainly growing and getting stronger. I don’t know what weight I’m going to be next year but I think I’ll have as pretty good shot at it.”
About Sims
Favorite band or musician: Motley Crue
Favorite social media platform: Instagram
Favorite athlete: YouTube athlete Bradley Martin
Bet you didn’t know: Likes to build computers
Parents: Kasey and Kelley Sims