Banged up Bears still take second at Citrus

INVERNESS - With their top grappler sidelined with a shoulder injury and three other guys out of the line-up, the Central High Bears still found their way to the championship match on Saturday.

Taking part in the Rob Hermann Hurricane Cup Duals Tournament at Citrus High, the Bears swept three matches in pool play before running into the host Hurricanes in the finals.

Central, missing regional qualifier Vince Ramirez (shoulder) along with Antonio Zayas (illness), John Schinkel, Matt Thompson and Antohomar Vega (all out for the holidays), walked away satisfied to have survived those voids taking second place.

"I'm happy with that," Central Head Coach Roy Reyes said. "We're far from full strength because of illness, injuries and holidays. But pretty much everybody is in the same boat.

"...You've got to have bodies filling those weight classes at dual meet tournaments. That's the name of the game. I'm proud of my boys. They're working hard."

Forfeits abound

Indeed during pool play, Central (3-2) benefited from forfeits as much as it suffered from them.

Bradley Grace (160 pounds) actually started off 3-0 without ever having to face an opponent. Mike Miller won by forfeit twice at 171. Daniel May, who could not even finish practice during the week because of illness, got a break with two forfeit wins at 189.

The Bears had no wrestler at 103 yet lucked out with a double forfeit at that weight class in all but one match. Still they had to take a few forfeits at the middleweights as Reyes juggled his 11 available wrestlers.

That didn't stop Central from beating Crystal River (40-32), Gainesville (41-21) and South Lake (54-21) to win Pool B.

Finally facing a full squad in Pool A champ Citrus, the Bears earned only four wins, decisions by David Supple (112), Ken Supple (130), Shaun Cadoret (145) and a major decision by Nathan Brazeau (215) in a 54-13 defeat.

"We were able to compete with a very balanced Citrus team," Reyes said. "Unfortunately, we didn't have enough firepower at the end."

Cadoret outstanding

One grappler from each team toted home an Outstanding Wrestler trophy. Cadoret edged out Brazeau for Central's honors, both going 4-0.

At 145 Cadoret, a junior captain, was the only Bear to actually wrestle four matches. He decisioned Dustin Pannaccione of Crystal River, 5-3, Horace Freeman from Gainesville, 1-0, and Blake Jenkins of Citrus, 7-4.

He added a pin of Matt Duke from South Lake in 3:58, one of only three pins by Central on the day.

"I feel really good because I went undefeated but my nose was bleeding all day. I had to gut through it," said Cadoret, who wrestled with his nose taped up. "I plugged it up really good and sucked it up and wrestled hard."

"He got banged up early, he was bleeding like a faucet," Reyes said. "For him to overcome the fear of getting banged up again, being all taped up, to go 4-0 is a tribute to him being tough as nails."

Brazeau, at 215, notched major decision nods over Crystal River's Robert Brass (13-4) and Citrus' Jacob Liptrap (13-3), plus a 6-0 decision over Gainesville's Ryan Storms.

He officially won by forfeit against South Lake, as his opponent failed to make weight, though partook in an exhibition match.

Ken Supple collected two victories at 130, a forfeit against Crystal River and a 7-4 decision against Chris Toles from Citrus.

At 125, he took out Bill McShane of Gainesville in a technical fall, 21-6, and also won by forfeit against South Lake.

"I know I could have done better but overall I'm happy with how I performed today," said Supple, a junior. "I'd rather have wrestled those two (forfeited) matches.

"I feel like I should have pinned kids when I had the chance, too. I have to go back and practice hard and keep working.

"I'm proud of how our team did. We came in banged up. We didn't have a full line-up but we made the finals. I'm proud of that. Guys stepped up when they had to and won matches when we needed them to."