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Fleming Island dominates to duals state berth

By Randy Lefko
Posted 1/23/19

WEST ORANGE - Fleming Island High wrestling is anticipating a second state duals showdown with 3A-rival and defending champion South Dade, but the path must upend region power Hagerty High School, …

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Fleming Island dominates to duals state berth


Posted

WEST ORANGE - Fleming Island High wrestling is anticipating a second state duals showdown with 3A-rival and defending champion South Dade, but the path must upend region power Hagerty High School, third behind Fleming Island in 2018, on Friday first at the state semifinals at Osceola High School. The championship match will be Sat, Jan. 26 also at Osceola High School.

Hagerty beat Winter Springs to advance to reverse last year’s results with Fleming Island crushing Winter Springs 67-3 in the 2018 region final before beating Palm Harbor in the state semifinal. South Dade won 39-25 for the state duals title.

“We just take care of business with whomever is in front of us,” said Fleming Island coach P.J. Cobbert, who for a second year in a row is on a collision course to face off with South Dade and coach Vic Balmeceda, who has an amazing 12 state championships on his resume. “That’s the target, but Hagerty comes first.”

Cobbert, who disposed of Windermere, a second year school in south Orlando, and Buchholz in Thursday’s region 1-3A semifinal and final, respectively, got a chance to see some younger wrestlers perform at a championship level.

“We wanted to see good positioning and technique,” said Cobbert. “I wanted to see takedowns, escapes and fundamental execution to a point, then we win the match. Windermere is a new school and has a great coach and we wanted to focus on good technique. Buchholz is always a tough opponent.”

Windermere coach Todd Hauser had previously spent 11 years at Apopka High with 22 state qualifiers and one state champion as of 2017. In 2018, Hauser got two wrestlers to state. Hauser also had won the Russ Mauger Mental Attitude Award for leader at the FHSAA Wrestling Finals.

“His kids will be solid athletes and have good technique and we can’t be lazy,” said Cobbert.

Against Windermere, Fleming Island bolted to a 57-0 lead before Windermere could score en route to a 69-3 Fleming Island win.

From there, Fleming Island advanced to the region final and beat a game Buchholz team with a handful of junior varsity wrestlers knocking out a 42-23 win.

“Buchholz wasn’t going away easy, but the young kids toughed it out for us,” said Cobbert. “Now, we play the matchup game with Hagerty (who beat Winter Springs).”

In the Buchholz final, Hunter Herrington won by forfeit with Ryan Holton pinning a second time, but Ryan Hobson losing a tough 2-0 overtime match.

Dalton Baysinger built an 8-1 lead at 132 before pinning with Tyler Williams throwing consecutive Easton tilts to a pin and 24-3 lead for Fleming Island. Hunter Williams got behind 2-0 before getting pinned to close the gap to 24-9 with Luke Chop and Tanner Hill both winning to push the score to 30-9.

At 170, Brady Hill got pinned with the score at 7-6 with Nick Janssen losing 8-7 as Buchholz crept to 30-18 before Anthony Breeden won a grinder 3-2 at 195. Lascano executed two underhook throws to force a submission by injury to push the score to 39-18 with Raul Gonzalez winning 12-3. Herrington got pinned in the final match for the 42-23 final.

Against Windermere, at 106 and 113, Cobbert got a 20-4 tech fall from Herrington and an 18-3 tech fall from Holton before defending state champion Briar Jackson set up a three pin surge with Isaac Padgett and Garrett Cole both pancaking. Brothers Tyler and Hunter Williams, at 138 and 145, both won with Tyler going 15-0 and Hunter winning 10-4. At 152, Luke Chop pinned before Tanner Hill won 19-6 at 160. Gavin Smith pinned in the first period at 170 with Nick Janssen taking a 16-0 tech fall. Robert Tyre suffered the lone loss, an 11-6 match, at 195, with starter Chad Nix on the sidelines with a bruised eye socket. Jeffrey Lascano popped an underhook throw and pin at 220 for the final win for Fleming Island with Raul Gonzalez getting a forfeit win at 285.

Hagerty, from the Orlando Sentinel’s 3A rankings, has 10 wrestlers ranked in the top 20 statewide with 106 pounder Ryan Rowland (fifth at 106 in 2018) number one. South Dade also has 10 with four number one seeds; at 126, at 132, at 160, and, at 170 with defending state champs at 132 (120 champ Bretli Reyna), 160 152 champ Brevin Balmeceda) and 170 (160 champ Todd Perry).

Fleming Island has 13 ranked in the top 20 with Jackson at number three in 120 and Luke Chop at 152, Tanner Hill at 160, Chad Nix at 195 and Tyler Williams at 138, all seeded fifth.