Why Ranked Texas?

Over the past two years, the Ranked Wrestling project has become more than we ever imagined it would be.

What started as an idea to use social media to shine a brighter light on Houston-area high school wrestling has turned into something we are incredibly proud of. We’ve shared results, built rankings, covered tournaments, highlighted unforgettable moments and, most importantly, helped tell the stories of the wrestlers who make this sport special.

And we’ve had an absolute blast doing it.

There have been late nights updating rankings, weekends spent following tournaments across the state, countless messages about results and matchups, and hundreds of conversations with wrestlers about their journeys. Along the way, we’ve watched the wrestling community embrace what we were trying to build.

We believe this platform has made a real, positive impact. More wrestlers have had their accomplishments recognized. More stories have been told. More fans have been introduced to athletes and programs they might not have known otherwise. And Texas high school wrestling has had another place where the athletes themselves can be the center of the conversation.

We were also incredibly fortunate to launch this project at an amazing moment in Houston wrestling.

Think about some of the Houston wrestling stories we’ve had the opportunity to cover over the past two years: the emergence of Claire Guydon and Sean Perez, the dominance of Emily Beltran, Jared Remington’s development into a state and national champion, Stephanie Lopez pulling off an unforgettable state championship upset, and Landri Von Gonten’s meteoric rise into one of the biggest names in high school wrestling nationally.

Those stories—and so many more—have made the past two years an incredible time to cover wrestling.

And as much as we are proud of what we have built, those stories also helped us realize something else:

There was too much happening across Texas to keep our focus limited to one part of the state.

What about the wrestlers from Region 2 who Houston-area schools regularly compete against during the postseason? What about wrestlers from San Antonio who traveled to Houston tournaments and turned in performances that deserved recognition? Wrestlers like Shawn Coffel and Micah McCaskill immediately come to mind.

It became harder and harder to look at a great performance and say, “That wrestler doesn’t live in the Houston area, so we shouldn’t cover it.”

Then came the moment when we knew this project needed to become something bigger.

You don’t always get one clear “lightbulb moment” when making a decision like this, but Ranked had one.

It came in February 2026, when we interviewed McAllen wrestler Ava Aragon after she won a 5A state title at 105lbs.

Aragon spoke with incredible passion about where she comes from, the toughness of wrestlers in the Rio Grande Valley, and the pride she feels representing her family and community.

One quote in particular stuck with us:

“I’m representing the Rio Grande Valley. We may be small, but we’re going to bring the fight and make some noise.”

That struck a nerve.

That is what high school wrestling is all about. Every part of Texas has athletes carrying that same pride in their school, their town, their coaches, their families and the communities that helped shape them.

At that point, we knew our coverage needed to expand beyond Houston.

There are simply too many great wrestlers, programs and stories across Texas to ignore.

Ranked Texas is the next evolution of what we started with Ranked Houston.

When we launched this project, we never planned on covering the entire state. But as the platform grew, so did our understanding of just how many stories were waiting to be told.

Ranked Texas allows us to continue what we started while giving more athletes across the state a platform to be recognized.

The name is changing. The scope is getting much bigger.

But the mission remains the same: highlight the wrestlers, celebrate their accomplishments and tell the stories that make Texas wrestling special.

‍