WRESTLING

BUNNELL –
Over the past three winters, Spring Hill-Springstead has meandered 150 miles – through the Ocala National Forest – to Bunnell.

During that time, SHS has traditionally faced the salvos produced by traditional aircraft carriers: Kissimmee-Osceola, Fort Myers-Riverdale and Green Cove Springs-Clay.

But due to conference-tournament scheduling conflicts, neither the Kowboys, Raiders nor Blue Devils could attend the two-day 26th annual Flagler Palm Coast Rotary Invitational Wrestling Tournament.

Without that trio, F.W. Springstead’s fourth trip to Flagler County resulted in its fourth straight – and tournament record – team title Saturday night.

FLAGLER GOLD – Six Eagles garnered gold medals Saturday night during the 26th annual Flagler Palm Coast Rotary Invitational. First row, from left: Stephen Pavao and Joe Russo. Back row, from left: Josh Herrera, Thomas Gupton, John Dreggors and Cody Ross.

Host Palm Coast holds the tourney record for most team crowns in this event (seven), though the Bulldogs never captured this tournament more than two times in a row.

The defending Class 2A state champion Eagles were a little deeper Saturday night than traditional power Winter Springs, winning by 123.5 points or 307.5-184.0.

As a consequence, Head Coach Eric Swensen and Assistant Coach Sal Basile’s squad earned its fourth team title of the season and 38th over the past eight years – or since they took over.

The Mariner Boulevard mat men roared through the 29-team individually bracketed tournament field, registering 52 wins in 60 bouts (87 percent), featuring 26 pins.

Most importantly, 12-of-13 Springstead grapplers placed fourth or better. None left with a below .500 won-lost record.

What set this tourney apart was the Eagles’ depth. Due to a volume of upsets, the pre-tournament seedings meant very little. Case in point, in only 3-of-14 weight divisions did the No. 1-2 seeds clash in the finals.

In a tourney SHS led from the opening whistle, six Eagles returned home champions featuring junior Stephen Pavao at 120, freshman Josh Herrera at 132, junior Joe Russo at 138, senior Cody Ross at 152, senior Thomas Gupton at 195 and senior John Dreggors at 285.

Two other Eagles just missed gathering gold medals.

Senior Sean “Buddha” Redman (26-3 overall) dropped a tense and evenly fought 145-pound title match to 2011 state placer Mike Hess of Jensen Beach in the fourth overtime, 2-1. The loss snapped Redman’s career-best 16-match win skein.

In the 113-pound final, Eagle freshman Michael “Mikey” McDonald (24-7) exposed his back on a tilt against the top seed, Crawfordville-Wakulla’s Zach Malik. At 1:25, the mat official stopped the match on a fall as he ruled McDonald literally pinned himself.

SHS, however, was successful in the other four consolation matches as freshman Matt Landgraff at 106, junior Jordan Rivera at 126, senior Jake Smith at 160 and freshman Conor Ross at 170 all earned third-place bronze medals.

Coach’s corner

Afterward, Coach Swensen didn’t dwell on the teams who – for whatever reason – were not at Flagler this year. He was most impressed with the Eagles’ complete picture.

“I can’t worry about why Kissimmee-Osceola or Riverdale weren’t here – those are two great programs. We concentrated on who was here,” Swensen. “This weekend, we had to have guys step up. You could see the growth from practice. We’re on the right track.”

“This one belonged to the whole team,” said Swensen. “The proof is in the pudding. We had 12 placers this weekend and our 220-pounder (Willie Smith) also wrestled well.”

Swensen addressed the tourney’s highlights.

“Buddha wrestled awesome against Mikey Hess,” said Swensen. “Hess is a credentialed kid. He’s real tough. He placed third at states, and Buddha went toe-to-toe with him. This shows how much he’s closed the gap. Don’t forget, Sean beat the Sarasota kid (Sean Dulom) who beat him at Durant to reach the finals.

“As far as our other (finals) loss, there was some question about whether or not Mikey (McDonald) was pinned,” Swensen said. “It was a tough call. Mikey wrestled extremely well to reach that point.”

Swensen believed there were a ton of outstanding individual efforts.

“Pavao wasn’t even seeded at 120. He was drawn into the tournament and won it,” exclaimed Swensen. “He was phenomenal. Russo and Conor Ross weren’t seeded either. Russo won it and Conor lost in the semis (to Winter Springs’ Joe Davila), 2-1. Davila had beaten him before at Durant, 10-3. He also made up some ground against an outstanding wrestler.”

Swensen added, “Our big boys – Cody (Ross), Gump (Thomas Gupton) and (John) Dreggors – all handled their business. It was impressive. What was also nice to see was someone like Matt (Landgraff) come all the way back. After he lost on Friday, he fought back and eventually beat that same kid in the consolations. That’s what I’m most proud of – when guys that get beat and come back and beat that guy (DeLand’s Jacob Browning) the next time. That’s really what this is all about.”

Ross: Three-time Flagler gold medalist

For the fourth straight winter, Cody Ross reached the Flagler finals. For a third time –and second year in a row – he walked away with a gold medal draped across his neck at the top of the podium.

This weekend, the top-seeded Ross went 5-0 with three pins. The three-time state placer and two-time defending state champion opened the tourney by pinning Zaki Majboor of Buchholz in 44 seconds.

Next, he folded DeLand’s Miguel Hernandez in 2:47. In his final match on Friday, Ross flattened Tallahassee-Chiles’ Kevin Hilton in 51 seconds for his 89th career pin. That fall pushed him past alumnus Kevin Levija’s 88 pins from 1986-1990 into third place all-time at SHS.

Now, only 2011 graduates Shawn Landgraff (95) and Richie Bliss (101) currently stand ahead of Ross in career pins. Bliss’ total serves as the 39-year Hernando County record.

In the semifinals, Ross undressed No. 4 seed Trevor Betros of University Christian via a major decision, 17-6.

In the finals, Ross defeated the No. 2 seed, talented 3A state champion Eric O’Neill of Winter Springs, 5-3.

Ross trailed 1-0 in the second period before tying the match on a stalling call against O’Neill, 1-1.

In the third period, Ross earned a one-point escape, earned another penalty point on a starting position violation versus O’Neill, and then sealed the match with a two-point takedown with 25 seconds.

Despite Ross solving a state champion and finishing his career at Flagler with an 18-1 career mark, he was denied the tourney’s Outstanding Wrestler Award.

The tourney’s public address announcer said on a coin flip, Jared Browning of Jensen Beach at 126 pounds was named Outstanding Wrestler.

Regardless of that decision, the Eagle captain stretched his current win skein to 20 in a row. Ross (28-1 this winter) enters next week’s rugged Ippolito Tournament at Brandon with a Hernando County career-best mark of 170-12 (93 percent).

Ross was asked to compare O’Neill to Camden County, Ga. senior Austin Trott. Trott defeated O’Neill at Durant and has handed Ross his only two losses over the past two years.

“O’Neill is a very good wrestler and he’s really athletic,” described the 17-year-old Ross. “I’d say the two are very comparable. Either guy could win on any given day. It depends on who shows up.

“Tonight, I wrestled real well,” added Ross. “He tried to pin me against the edge of the mat. I thought I capitalized when I needed to.”

Despite the Eagles’ prowess at Flagler, Ross had a warning for his teammates.

“I think this was our best overall showing this year,” he said. “This can’t be our best tournament. States has to be our best. But it’s a huge confidence-builder for our guys. Buddha and I are trying to be the best leaders we can be by turning up the heat. You can see the guys wrestling harder.

“But next week at Brandon is entirely different,” explained Ross. “It’s a completely different atmosphere. I’ll see (Travis) Berridge again. We’ve wrestled since I was 5 years old. Next week will be for bragging rights.”

Dreggors: Remains atop the podium

Like Ross, Dreggors finished a team-best 5-0. The three-time state qualifier and 2011 state runner-up microwaved his first four opponents, needing 54, 29, 93 and 35 ticks to reach the tourney finals.

In the finals, Dreggors tangled with Jacksonville-Bolles’ unbeaten Max Tejeda. Tejada, who came in as the No. 3 seed, edged Winter Springs senior Scott Accomando in the semis, 3-2, to face Dreggors.

Within the first 15 seconds, the top-seeded Dreggors secured a two-point takedown en route to a 6-1 decision over Tejada (15-1).

With the win, Dreggors walked away from Flagler with his second straight gold medal and finished his career in the Bulldog gym at 13-1 with three medals.

Dreggors’ efforts pushed him to 13-0 this winter with 10 pins. Just as important, Dreggors enters next week’s Ippolito Tournament at 102-11 (90 percent) lifetime at SHS, featuring 76 pins.

“My last kid was the toughest guy I faced,” remarked the 17-year-old Dreggors. “He pushed the pace more than any of the other guys I saw.

“Right now, I feel pretty good,” added Dreggors. “I’m pretty happy to win a gold medal here for the second time. I’m very happy for guys that won for the first time, like Russo and Pavao. I’m proud that we all won again. Everybody’s been putting in their time in the (wrestling) room – it shows.”

Gupton: Continues on a roll

A year ago, Gupton placed fifth at Flagler en route to his first trip to states.

This weekend, the No. 2-seeded Gupton remained red hot going 4-0 with two pins to capture his initial gold medal at Flagler.

In the tourney finals, “Gump” faced the top seed, Josh Fox of University Christian.

Though Fox led 1-0 on a one-point escape after four minutes, Gupton tied the match with an escape 20 seconds into the final period, 1-1. The match ended tied in regulation.

But 27 seconds into overtime, Gupton secured a two-point takedown for a critical 3-1 decision.

The win extended Gump’s career-best win streak to 16 in a row since losing a heartbreaker – via criteria after the fourth overtime – to Camden County, Ga. senior Michael Johnson in the Durant finals in Tampa.

Since that setback, Gupton has reeled off four straight gold-medal performances.

The key along the way, according to Gump, has been his unique methodical, plodding style.

“I definitely wrestled my way all the way through,” said the 17-year-old Gupton. “Other guys can dislike my style. I’m happy ’cause it works for me. Right now, I think I’m wrestling really well.”

Team-wise Gupton added, “The team wrestled great. I’m so proud of all the guys and how well we did. Now, next week at Brandon we’ve got to turn it up some more. It’ll be a lot more difficult.”

Herrera: Stays hot, too

Like Gupton, Herrera was one of four Eagles to earn his initial gold medal at Flagler.

The second-seeded Herrera pinned his first two opponents in 2:55 and 4:55 before blanking the No. 3 seed Zach Ford of Flagler-Palm Coast in the semis, 6-0.

In the tourney finals against No. 4-seeded Kevon White of Wakulla, the first-year Herrera never trailed in posting a 9-5 decision.

The finals victory allowed Herrera to climb to 15-1. He stretched his current win skein to eight in a row since dropping his finals match at the St. Cloud Invitational to Cocoa Beach’s 2011 state placer Matt Watson via triple overtime, 6-3.

Despite his second straight gold medal, Herrera wasn’t completely satisfied with his performance.

“I think did OK,” shrugged the 15-year-old Herrera. “I didn’t take as many shots as I usually do. I was mostly defensive against my last guy. When coach told me to cut the guy (release him), I listened. I tried countering his shots. Looking back, I know I made two huge mistakes. I can’t afford to make those types of mistakes.”

On the team, “Having 12 placers is incredible,” remarked Herrera. “I realize I’m like everybody else – I’ve still got work to do. I’ve got to get better on my riding and I have to open up my offense more. Next week, I’ll be wrestling men. I can’t afford to make mistakes there.”

Russo: Second-ever gold medal

This season has been a coming-out party for Russo.

Since going 1-2 at Durant, Russo has turned his varsity fortunes around by placing in four straight events.

After placing fourth last week at Springstead, Russo blazed a 4-0 path en route to his first-ever gold medal at Flagler.

After a 2-0 effort on Friday, Russo clashed with last week’s Springstead Invitational champion and the top seed, Travis Hinsey of Wakulla. Hinsey nipped Russo last week, 7-6.

This time, the fourth-seeded Russo trailed 2-1 after four minutes but battled back to tie the match at the end of regulation, 3-3.

That’s the way it stood until the third overtime when Russo notched a one-point escape to topple the Hinsey in a huge upset, 4-3.

In the tourney finals, Russo enjoyed a four-point lead after four minutes before staving off the fast-closing and unseeded Steven Vonniederhausem of Palm Bay, 6-5. For Russo (21-6), it was his second-ever gold medal and first since the Kiwanis Invitational.

According to Russo, the reason for his success this season is in the details.

“I’ve finally figured out how to win some of the close matches I’ve been losing in the past,” said 17-year-old Russo. “I made a lot of little mistakes late in matches. I went into each day of practice tweaking the things that cost me matches.

“I’ll admit I came here hungry,” he said. “I understand it’s more about the team winning than anything else. Next week at Ippolito, I have to come out as hungry as I was here. I really enjoy winning; there’s nothing better.”

Pavao: Breaks through

Symbolic of the team’s overall performance was Pavao. Before Flagler, Pavao was probably the closest thing to being the forgotten teammate.

In his third varsity season, Pavao had reached one tournament final – last year’s 2A-7 Meet at Springstead where he lost to Central’s Robbie Monsegur, 10-3. Before Saturday night, Pavao had never captured an IBT tournament.

That inglorious streak was snapped at Flagler.

In two days, the unseeded Pavao defeated the No. 2 seed, Eastside’s R. Bennett, 14-4; the No. 3 seed, Winter Springs’ Teavin Stoney, 5-4; and tourney’s No. 4 seed, DeLand’s Kenny Adams, in the finals in overtime, 13-11.

“This (win) is amazing,” smiled the 16-year-old Pavao after completing a 4-0 run to improve to 15-5 overall. “This is different for me. I’m surrounded by a great team. My teammates seem to win every week. You don’t know how much this means to feel like I’m a part of this great team.

“Credit belongs to coaches, Swensen and Sal, they’ve never stopped pushing me,” noted Pavao. “This is my time. I’ve bought into what they’re saying.”

Springstead’s Flagler Individual Results
WGT NAME W L PINS PL
106 Landgraff, Matt 5 1 1 3rd
113 McDonald, Michael 3 1 3 2nd
120 Pavao, Stephen 4 0 0 1st
126 Rivera, Jordan 4 1 2 3rd
132 Herrera, Josh 4 0 2 1st
138 Russo, Joe 4 0 1 1st
145 Redman, Sean 4 1 3 2nd
152 Ross, Cody 5 0 3 1st
160 Smith, Jake 4 1 1 3rd
170 Ross, Conor 4 1 2 3rd
195 Gupton, Thomas 4 0 2 1st
220 Smith, Willie 2 2 2 –
285 Dreggors, John 5 0 4 1st
TOTALS 52 8 26

2012 Flagler Team Standings:
PL TEAM CLASS POINTS
1. Spring Hill-Springstead (SPG) 2A-7 307.5
2. Winter Springs (WS) 3A-2 184.0
3. Jensen Beach (JENB) 2A-14 168.0
4. Jacksonville-University Christian (UNIC) 1A-3 155.0
5. Deland (DEL) 3A-2 144.0
6. JAX-Bolles School (BOLL) 1A-4 142.0
7. Crawfordville-Wakulla (WAK) 1A-2 132.0
8. Melbourne-Palm Bay (PALM) 2A-13 107.5
9. Orange City-University (UNIV) 3A-2 100.5
9. Palm Coast-Matanzas (MAT) 2A-3 97.5
11. Sarasota (SARA) 3A-8 84.5
12. Tallahassee-Chiles (CHIL) 3A-1 72.5
12. Bunnell-Flagler Palm Coast (FPC) 3A-2 72.5
14. Orange Park-Ridgeview (RDV) 2A-3 60.0
15. Daytona Beach-Seabreeze (SEAB) 2A-13 44.0
15. Lynn Haven-Mosley (MOS) 2A-1 44.0
17. Tampa Bay Christian Academy (TBCA) 1A-9 34.5
18. Gainesville-Eastside (EAST) 2A-4 29.0
19. Belleview (BELL) 2A-4 28.0
20. Ocala-Forest (OF) 3A-2 27.0
21. Deltona (DELT) 2A-5 26.0
21. Niceville (NICE) 2A-1 26.0
23. Gainesville-Buchholz (BUCH) 3A-1 23.0
23. St. Augustine-Pedro Menendez (MEN) 1A-4 23.0
25. St. Augustine (SAUG) 2A-3 14.0
26. JAX-Providence (PROV) 1A-4 12.0
27. St. Johns-Bartram Trail (BART) 2A-3 11.0
28. Orange Park (OPRK) 2A-3 7.00
29. Palatka (PAL) 2A-4 3.00

2012 Flagler Rotary Finals
106 – Kyle Norstrem (TBCA) tech. fall. Hector Blanco (UNIV), 16-1
113 – Zach Malik (WAK) pin Michael McDonald (SPG), 1:25.
120 – Stephen Pavao (SPG) dec. Kenny Adams (DEL), 13-11 (OT).
126 – Jared Browning (JENB) dec. Jamarius Jackson (RDV), 6-5.
132 – Josh Herrera (SPG) dec. Kevon White (WAK), 9-5.
138 – Joe Russo (SPG) dec. Steven Vonniederhausern (PALM), 6-5.
145 – Mike Hess (JENB) dec. Sean Redman (SPG), 2-1 (4 OT).
152 – Cody Ross (SPG) dec. Ed O’Neill (WS), 5-3.
160 – Sean Roberts (DEL) pin Greg Sangregorio (CHIL), 1:10.
170 – Joe Davila (WS) tech. fall Kameron Calabro (DEL), 20-5.
182 – Joe Kennedy (PALM) dec. Jason Cowles (MAT), 8-5.
195 – Thomas Gupton (SPG) dec. Josh Fox (UNIC), 3-1 (OT).
220 – Cole Woofter (WAK) dec. Aaron Berynadott (PALM), 4-3 (OT).
285 – John Dreggors (SPG) dec. Max Tejada (BOLL), 6-2.

2012 Flagler Rotary Consolation Finals
106 – Matt Landgraff (SPG) dec. Jacob Browning (DEL), 7-5.
113 – Josh Calhoun (BOLL) dec. Johnny Morgan (WS), 6-0.
120 – Jared Neyer (UNIV) dec. Bill Morgan (WAK), 11-10.
126 – Jordan Rivera (SPG) dec. Joey Scarpinati (UNIC), 4-0.
132 – Zach Ford (FLAG) dec. Ian Wiswell (JENB), 3-2.
138 – Jordan DiPaul (RDV) dec. Patrick Cobb (WS), 9-7.
145 – Sean Dulom (SARA) pin Harry Glasser (BOLL), 0:59.
152 – Denzel Rego (JENB) dec. Robert Pye (BOLL), 9-4.,
160 – Jake Smith (SPG) dec. Hunter Stewart (PALM), 7-6.
170 – Conor Ross (SPG) dec. Tim Betros (BOLL), 7-3.
182 – Bryan Gonzalez (JENB) dec. Luke Kenny (UNIC), 8-3.
195 – Will Collier (BOLL) pin Josh Conroy (JENB), 1:33.
220 – Garrett Alexander (MEN) dec. Anthony Mendez (MAT), 7-0.
285 – Scott Accomando (WS) pin Alan Castillow (SARA), 4:54.

Past Rotary Team Champions

YEAR CHAMPION
1987 Bishop Kenny
1988 Flagler Palm Coast
1989 Flagler Palm Coast
1990 Bolles
1991 Flagler Palm Coast
1992 Flagler Palm Coast
1993 Bolles
1994 Flagler Palm Coast
1995 St. Benedicts
1996 Flagler Palm Coast
1997 Bolles
1998 Brandon
1999 Flagler Palm Coast
2000 Clay
2001 University Christian
2002 University Christian
2003 St. Benedicts
2004 Venice
2005 Venice
2006 St. Benedicts
2007 Flagler Palm Coast
2008 Niceville
2009 Springstead
2010 Springstead
2011 Springstead
2012 Springstead

Past Rotary Outstanding Wrestlers
YEAR NAME SCHOOL
1987 Wayne Williams Flagler Palm Coast
1988 Guy Gatti Merritt Island
1989 John Willaims Bradford
1990 Chris Bono Bolles
1991 Chris Bono Bolles
1992 Wes Spencer Flagler Palm Coast
1993 Miciah Weatherly Bolles
1994 A]phonso Clark Flagler Palm Coast
1995 David Alrndeda St. Benedicts
1996 Rob Fries Flagler Palm Coast
1997 Jamey Stowell Bishop Kenny
1998 Jason Lambrecht Brandon
1999 John Solomon Tampa Jesuit
2000 Andy Blicker Suwannee
2001 Bryan DeStefano Suffern, NY
2002 Zac Tomlinson Flagler Palm Coast
2003 Levi Duyn Venice
2004 Willie Weber Flagler Palm Coast
2005 Tommy Colyard Satelite
2006 Jordan Gaudette St. Cloud
2007 Stephen DeAugustino Flagler Palm Coast
2008 Deron Carter Flagler Palm Coast
2009 Jacob Harmer Gainesville
2010 Pete Baldwin Osceola
2011 Nick Soto Springstead
2012 Jared Browning Jensen Beach