Roosevelt Joubert/C&SMediaTexas
Plano East’s Nathan Rankin has a good lock on Allen’s Noah Yeamans during the 106-pound championship match during last Saturdays’s district meet at Plano East High School. Rankin, a junior, rallied to win the contest 11-7 and will wrestle this weekend at the regional tournament in Allen, as will a number of other East grapplers.

By Greg Ford
Sports Editor
[email protected]

PLANO — Two years ago, as a freshman, Nathan Rankin won the 106-pound classification at the district meet, finished as the regional runner up and then went to state.
In 2015, the diminutive dynamo took second at 106 in the district tournament, finished third at regionals and went to state.
This past Saturday, the current Plano East junior again captured the 106-pound crown with an 11-7 win over Allen’s Noah Yeamans, and this time he expects the winning to continue over the next couple of weeks.
“My goal is win regionals and state this year,” Rankin said. “(This is) the biggest I have been, so I would have to say size is on my side.”
Rankin is one of six Panthers headed to this weekend’s regional meet in Allen, where a top-four finish will earn a spot at the Feb. 19-20 state meet in Cypress. They each earned that with a top-four finish during last Saturday’s district tournament at Plano East. Among them are heavyweight Dane Cordell, who took second in the heavyweight division, and Anthony Schement, who was third at 170.
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