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Hernando Today

Eight Is Enough

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By TONY CASTRO SPORTS EDITOR

Hernando Today

Published: January 18, 2008

SPRING HILL – For the first time in six seasons, Springstead High's famed mat program achieved what it set out to do -- earn a repeat title in its own backyard.
The Eagles had not captured back-to-back Springstead Invitational team crowns since the 2001-02 campaigns under Hall of Fame Head Coach Bob Levija.
This time, under fourth-year Head Coach Eric Swensen, the Spring Hill squad achieved its ultimate objective in the two-day, 21-team tourney that concluded late Saturday night.
From the opening whistle, Springstead grapplers never trailed besting fellow Class 2A, District 5 foe, New Port Richey-River Ridge, 216.5-145 points.
The team triumph was Springstead's 11th across the 18-year history of the meet.
As expected, two-time champion, Class 1A, District 5's Brooksville-Hernando finished third overall with 131 points while Brooksville-Central finished 12th (63 points) and Brooksville-Nature Coast Technical placed 16th (53 points).

Eagles rule

In the process, Swensen's troops garnered triumphs in over 75 percent of their bouts, 40-of-53, collecting 21 pins while eight team members placed in the top four of the 14 respective weight divisions.
Unlike last winter's 11th-hour comeback to grab the team crown, Springstead's win was assured before Saturday night's finals when the Eagles had seven grapplers, out of their 13-member squad, achieve the finals.
SHS, which went 6-for-6 in last year's finals, captured five gold medals this time.
Springstead's gold medalists included juniors Dustin Soto at 103 pounds and Thad Klenovich at 152, and seniors Schuyler Swanton at 112, Skylar Huff at 119 and CJ Cook at 125.
The quintet each went 4-0.
Seniors Steven Bliss at 130 and Carlos Ramirez at heavyweight each dropped their finals matches finishing 3-1 overall, settling for silver medals.
Also, senior Cesar Acosta went 4-1 with two pins at 189 to place third overall.

Soto: named OSW

The top-seeded Soto grabbed his first gold medal since the rugged Durant Tourney behind three pins and a decision in the finals.
Soto needed only 61 seconds to open the tourney with a pin over Crystal River's David Vreeland.
Next, he folded NCT freshman Tyler Forand in 1:41 before disposing of Gulf's Jared Carpenter in the semifinals in 1:28.
His 16th pin of the season placed him in the finals against Armwood's third-seeded James Gray.
Gray led 3-2 after two minutes before Soto gradually took control posting a clutch 15-12 decision to improve to 26-6 overall.
Soto's win put an exclamation point on how far he's come. In his two previous varsity seasons, Soto was a combined 26-8.
In the post-meet awards ceremony, Soto must have impressed the area coaches as he received one of the two Outstanding Wrestlers Awards.
Not bad for grappler who went 3-2 at Brandon the week before.
"I had a horrible tournament at Brandon," explained the 17-year-old Soto. "My mindset was last week is over, this week is different. I took my (making) weight a lot more serious. I knew I would be better."
Was Gray the biggest obstacle?
"He (Gray) was my hardest guy," commented Soto. "He's one of the best guys I've wrestled this year. I had to beat a kid, who I thought was better than me."
Swanton: back-to-back-to-back gold
If only Swanton could wrestle each of his matches at home.
Swanton, the team's defending Class 2A State Champion and two-time state placer, is beginning to put all the pieces together.
Swanton, in his fourth season with the Eagles, collected two pins, and a technical fall before etching a clutch come-from-behind overtime finals win for his third Springstead Invitational gold medal.
Swanton, who has been hindered by a pre-season clavicle injury, opened his title defense by squishing Chamberlain's Roger Phillips in 33 seconds.
Next, he folded Land O'Lakes' Justin McKay in 3:17 before mangling Mitchell's Anthony Ayers, 15-0.
In the finals, he faced long-time rival, Ridgewood senior Dean Stupar. Earlier this year, Swanton downed Stupar in New Port Richey, 9-2.
Stupar led once, 3-2, after two periods before Swanton tied matters at 5-all to conclude regulation.
In overtime, Swanton secured a takedown to complete a thrilling comeback nod, 7-5.
The win was Swanton's 10th in a row as he improved to 19-2 overall this season and 108-9 lifetime.
More importantly, Swanton climbed to 12-0 overall with eight pins and three gold medals in his own backyard -- the Springstead Invitational.
"Winning here is special," remarked the 17-year-old Swanton. "Being a senior I would have liked to go out with a bigger bang. This was awesome winning at home. There's nothing better. It was fun to win in front of all of our family and friends. This was great."
Is he satisfied with the latest title?
"I'm not satisfied," replied Swanton. "Physically, I feel like I'm almost there. You can always work harder in the room. Since Oviedo, we've all begun to pick up the pace in the room."

Huff: back-to-back

Huff, who did not place in his first two Springstead Invitationals, earned his second gold medal here Saturday night. Across the last two years at the SHS Inv., he improved to 8-0.
Huff, a four-year varsity letterman, began his title quest by thumping NCT's Scott Cronin via a technical fall, 17-2. He did the same to Tampa-Jesuit's A.J. Lassiter, 15-0.
In the semifinals, he twisted two-time Crystal River state qualifier John Koney via a major decision, 9-1.
In the finals he tangled with long-time rival, River Ridge's Tyler Fleming.
Huff, who bested Fleming in the Kiwanis Inv., 14-7, again earned a decision, 7-2.
The win over Fleming upped Huff's overall mark this winter to a county-best 32-6 overall.
How special was the repeat?
"It was awesome," replied Huff, who climbed to 114-33 lifetime, "Winning back-to-back is sweet. It's nice to have everybody supporting you. It was a great experience."
What was the key?
"Coach (Swensen) always stresses getting the first takedown," he recalled. "Normally, you get the first takedown, you get pumped up and win. Once I got it (takedown), I just wanted to keep the momentum flowing."
Is Huff satisfied with the win?
"In this sport, you're never satisfied," Huff insisted. "Until February."
Cook: simmering
For the fourth straight year, Cook placed in his own backyard.
Cook went 4-0 for the second straight winter to improve to 14-3 across four Springstead Invitationals.
Most impressively, Cook reeled off four pins for his initial gold medal this winter in an open tournament.
Cook, who sports a blonde Beatles haircut, opened his defense of his crown by sticking Gulf's Josh Isom in 1:27. He followed by planting Armwood's Jackie McDaniel in 3:30 before flattening Central's Ken Supple in 3:53.
The three-time state qualifier needed only 62 seconds to pin River Ridge's Dennis Saunders and conclude his tourney run.
Cook's 10th straight win this winter helped him tie Huff for the county lead in victories at 32-6.
More importantly, Cook climbed to 140-35 lifetime with 72 pins.
What did this win mean?
"It's always good to win in front of the home crowd," smiled the 18-year-old Cook. "Winning gold tastes good. It's always good to repeat. It's my last year here but I thought we all did well. We had five champs."
Is he where he wants to be?
"I'm trying to be consistent," replied Cook. "We all want to get better."

Klenovich: continues ascent

As a freshman, Klenovich went 1-2 at the Springstead Inv. He improved to 3-2 last winter at home but again didn't place.
This past weekend, the three-year letterman quietly went about his business and bested a two-time state qualifier in the finals en route to his second individual gold medal this winter.
Klenovich opened the meet with a pin in 3:31 over Hillsborough's Ethan Smith.
Next, Klenovich earned his seventh pin of the season over Newsome's Elliot Silverstein in 2:55.
In the semifinals, he led 5-0 after two minutes against Hernando senior Tim Ball before posting a 10-2 major decision.
In the finals, he clashed against two-time state qualifier, Hudson senior Tony Germano.
Germano led 2-0 after two minutes. Germano came in as the weight division's No. 1 seed.
The No. 2 seeded Klenovich went ahead 3-2 before Germano tied matters in the third period, 3-all.
But with 19 seconds left in a raucous gymnasium, Klenovich earned a two-point takedown to solve Germano, 5-3.
The win enabled Klenovich to climb to a career-best 29-6 slate this winter which helped erase the sting of going 2-3 the week before at the Brandon Graves Tournament.
"This week, I was more relaxed wrestling at home in a local tournament," admitted the 16-year-old soft-spoken Klenovich. "The last guy (Germano) was the toughest guy I had.
"I kept telling myself to keep shooting singles and doubles," he recalled. "I feel good for the seniors. It's cool winning for the seniors."

2008 Springstead Invitational Team Standings:
PL Team CLASS PTS
1. Spring Hill-Springstead (SPG) 2A-5 216.5
2. New Port Richey-River Ridge (RR) 2A-5 145.0
3. Brooksville-Hernando (HER) 1A-5 131.0
4. Tampa-Chamberlain (CHAM) 2A-8 103.5
5. NPR-Mitchell (MIT) 3A-6 98.0
6. Dade City-Pasco (PAS) 1A-6 90.5
7. Hudson (HUD) 1A-6 90.0
8. Tampa-Jesuit (TJ) 1A-9 87.5
9. New Port Richey-Gulf (GF) 1A-6 86.5
10. Seffner-Armwood (ARM) 2A-7 83.0
11. Crystal River (CR) 1A-5 77.0
12. Brooksville-Central (CEN) 2A-5 63.0
13. Lithia-Newsome (NEW) 2A-7 59.5
14. NPR-Ridgewood (RW) 2A-5 58.0
15. Dunnellon (DUN) 1A-5 54.0
16. Brooksville-Nature Coast (NCT) 1A-5 53.0
17. Zephyrhills (ZEP) 1A-6 39.0
18. Wesley Chapel (WC) 2A-5 25.0
19. The Villages (VILL) 1A-5 22.0
20. Land O'Lakes (LOL) 2A-5 20.0
21. Tampa-Hillsborough (HILL) 2A-8 12.0

Past Springstead High Tournament Champions
Date Name Champion Pts.
2008 Springstead Springstead 216.5
2007 Brijbag Invitational Springstead 197.0
2006 Brijbag Invitational Tampa-Jesuit222.5
2005 MasadaHealthcare Chamberlain 175.5
2004 MasadaHealthcare Hernando 202
2003 MasadaHealthcare Hernando 209
2002 Dr. Batista Springstead 193
2001 Dr. Batista Springstead 253.5
2000 Oak Hill Hospital Springstead 196
1999 Nations Bank Springstead 209
1998 Barnett Bank Springstead 232
1997 Barnett Bank Springstead 212.5
1996 Barnett Bank Tampa-Jesuit170.5
1995 Barnett Bank Springstead 170.5
1994 Barnett Bank Pasco 157.5
1993 Barnett Bank Springstead 181.5
1992 Springstead Inv. Palatka 156.5
1991 Springstead Inv. Springstead 145

2008 Springstead Invitational Finals
103 - Soto (SPG) dec. Gray (ARM), 15-12.
112 - Swanton (SPG) dec. Stupar (RW), 7-5.
119 - Huff (SPG) dec. Fleming (RR), 7-2.
125 - Cook (SPG) pin Saunders (RR), 1:02.
130 - Holding (GF) dec. Bliss (SPG), 6-2.
135 - Williamson (RW) pin Kunkle (ZEP), 1:32.
140 - Graham (HER) tech. fall Colanna (NEW), 26-11.
145 - Richardson (DUN) dec. Pannacione (CR), 11-9.
152 - Klenovich (SPG) dec. Germano (HUD), 5-3.
160 - Collera (CHAM) dec. Vannata (RR), 9-4.
171 - Brown (HUD) dec. Lorentsen (MIT), 6-4.
189 - Perez (PAS) dec. Kavouklis (TJ), 4-0.
215 - Rotunda (HER) pin Stroud (PAS), 4:40.
285 - Tindell (HUD) dec. Ramirez (SPG), 3-2.

2008 Springtead Invitational Consolation Finals
103 - Jimenez (PAS) major dec. Carpenter (GF), 13-3
112 - Ayres (MIT) won by DQ over Jones (CR)
119 - Perez (ARM) v. Crespo (TJ), 6-0.
125 - Pritz (HER) dec. Gonzalez (TJ), 6-5
130 - Minley (ARM) dec. Greening (CHAM), 8-2.
135 - Pryzybsz (GF) major dec. Chisholm (CHAM), 10-0.
140 - Miller (CHAM) dec. Hitchcock (RR), 9-3.
145 - Wood (NEW) dec. Cadoret (CEN), 3-1.
152 - Reid (TJ) dec. Drawdy (CR), 3-2.
160 - Smith (HER) pin Townsend (TJ), 1:00.
171 - Davidson (HER) dec. White (ARM), 4-3.
189 - Acosta 9SPG) major dec. Gandy (DUN), 17-6.
215 - Brazeau (CEN) pin Brandon Nuby (NCT, 2:35.
275 - Doman (MIT) pin Colello (RR), 3:06.

2008 Springstead Invitational Awards
Outstanding Wrestler Lightweights - Dustin Soto (SPG)
Outstanding Wrestler Heavyweights - Rey Perez (PAS)

- Compiled by TONY CASTRO

Springstead at Springstead Individual Results
Wgt Name Won Lost Pins PL
103 Soto, Dustin 4 0 3 1st
112 Swanton, Schuyler 4 0 2 1st
119 Huff, Skylar 4 0 0 1st
125 Cook, C.J. 4 0 4 1st
130 Bliss, Steven 3 1 0 2nd
135 Landgraff, Shawn 1 2 0 -
140 Hughes, Sean 1 2 1 -
145 Ellerbee, Tommy 2 2 1 -
152 Klenovich, Thad 4 0 2 1st
171 Wern, Scott 3 2 1 -
189 Acosta, Cesar 4 1 2 3rd
215 Cox, Ken 3 2 2 -
285 Ramirez, Carlos 3 1 3 2nd
TOTALS 40 13 21 -

Hernando at Springstead Individual Results
Wgt Name Won Lost Pins PL
112 Weston, Spencer 0 2 0 -
125 Pritz, Daniel 5 1 1 3rd
130 Bishop, Chris 2 2 1 -
135 Morrill, Max 2 2 0 -
140 Graham, Jesse 4 0 1 1st
145 Day, Kenny 0 2 0 -
152 Ball, Tim 2 2 2 -
160 Smith, George 4 1 3 3rd
171 Davidson, James 5 1 4 3rd
215 Rotunda, Taylor 4 0 3 1st
285 Hostetter, Casey 1 2 1 -
TOTALS 29 15 16 -

Nature Coast at Springstead Individual Results
Wgt Name Won Lost Pins PL
103 Forand, Tyler 2 2 1 -
112 Simonson, David 0 2 0 -
119 Cronin, Scott 2 2 1 -
125 Nuby, Brenton 0 2 0 -
135 Lambert, Matt 3 2 1 -
140 Baker, CJ 1 2 0 -
152 Huang, Jimmy 0 2 0
160 Langley, Britt 1 2 1 -
189 Greene, Rockkhem 3 2 3 -
215 Nuby, Brandon 2 2 1 4th
285 Baker, JJ 3 2 3 -
TOTALS 17 22 11 -

Central at Springstead Individual Results
Wgt. Name Won Lost Pins PL
103 Vega, Antohomar 0 2 0 -
112 Supple, David 2 2 2 -
119 Snell, Wayne 3 2 1 -
125 Supple, Ken 2 2 1 -
130 Zayas, Antonio 0 2 0 -
135 Sieber, Robbie 1 2 1 -
140 Toro, Shadi 0 2 0 -
145 Cadoret, Shaun 2 2 1 4th
152 Adams, Tom 0 2 0 -
160 Miller, Mike 0 2 0 -
171 Thompson, Matt 1 2 0 -
189 May, Daniel 2 2 1 -
215 Brazeau, Nathan 4 1 2 3rd
285 Scott, Mike 0 2 0 -
TOTALS 17 27 9

Sports Editor Tony Castro can be reached at (352) 544-5278 or online at acastro@hernandotoday.com

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