Of all the wrestlers at Lake Washington High battling for a state title, the most likely candidate is in the girls’ 190-pound bracket.

Senior Jackie Castro qualified for the state tournament last year, losing by fall in five minutes, 59 seconds in the first round to Fife sophomore Niki Abaglo.

Castro then bowed out of the tournament with a loss in the first round of consolation, but the football player — the Reporter profiled Castro in October — won the KingCo 190-pound title last winter and looks to be one of the strongest competitors this winter.

Another returning conference champion is Alex Garry, who won the KingCo title at 285 pounds as a freshman. He’s bigger and stronger this year, Lake Washington coach Steve Becher said, and finds success because of his good technique.

Senior Bilal Khilfeh made the conference championship match at 152 pounds last year but will bump up a weight class or two and is listed at 170.

Hunter Giffard, a 132-pound junior, finished second in KingCo last year and might be looking at qualifying for state this winter.

Becher sees potential in a pair of freshmen, 126-pounder Elijah Lux and 106-pounder Max Reisman.

There are still open spots in the lineup at 113, 138, 145 and 152 pounds, as well as openings at 182 and 195 with wrestlers still battling for starting positions.

Becher said the turnout was good this year, and he plans to be 2-3 wrestlers deep in each position and be in contention for a conference title. The Kangs finished third last year behind Interlake and Mercer Island, going 12-15 overall with four finalists.