The varsity wrestlers won first in the McNeil/Shoemaker tri-meet by beating McNeil 42-15 and Shoemaker 45-22.

“I honestly don’t think I performed as well as I could have,” freshman Conrad Russell said. “Partially because I was drained from trying to make weight but I learned from it and now I know how to better prepare for next time.”

Highlights were returning state wrestler, senior Zeke Garcia, getting his victory after coming back from injury, senior Ricky Smith who went 2-0 defeating a 2015 state qualifier in the process, sophomore Lance Reed going 2-0 and Russell went 1-0.

“I beat a state qualifier that won against me last year, so I’m pretty proud of my performance,” Smith said. “I’m looking forward to see how well Leander, as a team, will do against two well known teams. Hopefully we can all get some more wins under our belts.”

Next, the Lions will compete in the Georgetown Duals today starting at 6:30 p.m. at Leander High School.