Van Buren senior wrestler Breanna Lozano wins individual state title

Breanna Lozano made the most of her only season wrestling at Van Buren. Earlier in March, the senior finally placed first at the Arkansas state girls wrestling tournament in Little Rock, winning the Class 5A 115-pound weight class.

While she was proud of her individual achievement, there was something else Lozano wanted to accomplish.

“For me, I would say I was showing my parents that I could do something,” Lozano said. “They’ve always wanted me to have it, and they’ve always thought I could do it, but I hadn’t done it yet. I also had a lot of support from coaches.”

One in particular was Van Buren coach John Petree, who has built a powerhouse program for both girls and boys wrestlers. He led the boys program to its fourth consecutive 5A state title and helped lead the Lady Pointers to a runner-up finish, with three state champions — Lozano, junior Eva Garcia in the 120, and junior Evelyn Romero in the 170.

“Coach Petree played a big role in my passion for wrestling because, I’m being honest, I did kind of lose passion for it when I first started it again,” Lozano said. “It was a sport I had been doing for four years, and then they made me like, love it again. It’s the first time in Van Buren history that the girls have ever placed that high, so that’s a really big accomplishment for Van Buren.”

And Lozano took a great deal of pride in forcing Petree to do something he never normally does, at least publicly: getting him to supply a huge grin when Lozano claimed her championship.

“I love Coach Petree, he does not smile a lot,” Lozano said. “That’s the best part of it, just getting him to smile.”

Lozano won her championship by getting a pinfall with just seven seconds left in the third period, pinning Texarkana junior Montashia Floyd. Lozano also pointed out that had the clock ran out, she still was going to get the win because she owned a commanding 7-0 advantage.

It completed a 37-5 season for Lozano, though she noted those losses came before the winter break. As she kept winning, Lozano was ready to show out at state.

“I actually went against everybody I had seen there,” Lozano said. “So I already had an idea on, like, how they were going to wrestle. Also, the night before my championship match, I stayed up all night and watched film to see what I could do differently and see what opportunities I had in that match that I didn’t take.”

Lozano won her opening-round match by getting a pin in just 1:31. She then won her semifinal by a decisive technical fall, which is a decision by 15 points before her strong showing in the title match.

It also validated Lozano’s decision to switch schools before her senior season. She went from Northside — where she placed third at state as a junior in the 6A 120-pound class — to Van Buren last year.

“I switched from 6A to 5A, which a lot of people say is harder actually, because with 5A, there’s a lot more tougher schools that train every day on a daily basis,” Lozano said. “But my mindset going into it was it’s my senior year, it’s my last time to prove to people that I can be something, and with the training I got from Van Buren, switching helped me improve on that.”

Lozano is now training to go to nationals later this year in Virginia Beach, Va., with her sights set on a national championship. She’s also hoping to get an opportunity to wrestle at the collegiate level, but wants to stay with the sport and become a wrestling coach.

Whatever happens the rest of her career as a wrestler, Lozano just loves being able to get onto the mat and do her thing.

“Really, it was just competing,” she said. “Like, I love being on that mat. … The adrenaline you get when you get on that mat and you (place) is like the best feeling ever.”