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Davis wins lone state wrestling title

Fleming Island, Clay second

Randy Lefko
Posted 3/5/17

KISSIMMEE - Fleming Island High senior Jason Davis roared through the 182 pound weight division for the entire season with one thing in mind for his final campaign: win a state title.

And, on …

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Davis wins lone state wrestling title

Fleming Island, Clay second


Posted

KISSIMMEE - Fleming Island High senior Jason Davis roared through the 182 pound weight division for the entire season with one thing in mind for his final campaign: win a state title.

And, on Saturday at the FHSAA state championship tournament, he did.

Davis, third the past two years at 195 pounds; once for Oakleaf High, then with Fleming Island High last year, wrestled to the first state wrestling title for Fleming Island High School with a methodical 3-1 win in his 182 pound division at the FHSAA Class 3A championship meet held Friday and Saturday at Kissimmee's Silver Spurs Arena. Davis' gold medal was only state champion for Clay County.

"He has worked as hard as anybody with one thing on his mind all year," said Fleming Island coach P.J. Cobbert. "He has been dominating all year and he just finished it."

With a district 1-3A title and a region 1-3A title already in his pocket, Davis won his four state matches by pin, a 5-1 decision, a 3-2 decision and a championship 3-1 decision over Jorge Loy of Forest Hill Community School, a 49-2 wrestler this year and a state qualifier at 160 last year.

Fleming Island finished second in Class 3A behind defending team champion South Dade High with 106.5 points with South Dade cruising to a 240.5 final total. Region foes Winter Springs finished at fifth with 98.0 points and Flagler Palm Coast finished at 10th with 48.5 points. Freedom High was 11th with 44 points, also a region 1-3A competitor.

Fl?eming Island finished with thirds from Briar Jackson at 106 and Paul Detwiler at 152 with Ryan Smenda at 182, third last year, taking a fifth place medal at 195, Brandyne Macket taking sixth at 220 and Jose Concepcion taking sixth at 285.

In Class 1A, Clay High, second again behind Lake Highland Prep's machine in Class 1A, got a return to the second place podium from Chris Merring at 120; Merring was second at 113 last year, and a runnerup medal to Keath Sawdo at 145 to booster their team points. Finishing with thirds were Lou Gagliardo at 106, Peyton Hughes at 126, Kaleb Collins at 195 for a second straight year and Kurt Jackson at 220.

Lake Highland Prep scored an astounding 298.5 team points with eight individual champions among nine finalists while Clay finished just ahead of Cardinal Gibbons with 129 points to Gibbons' 121. Somerset Academy was a distant fourth with 88.0 points.

In Class 2A, Orange Park High senior Nartorian Lee, at 170, avenged a non-medal rookie campaign last year with a runnerup finish this year to post the best finish for the Raiders since Corey Van Dorn's 182 title in 2012.

Also in 2A, Ridgeview High senior Marcus Reid finished third at 120 after falling 6-3 in his semifinal, but rebounding for a second third place medal in two years.