The Future is Now

Most prep coaches will subjectively use the word "potential" to describe a member of their team.
For the most part, mentors abhor utilizing the word on a student/athlete because potential as a recent coach said, "Means the kid has the ability: the physical and mental make-up. All the right tools are in place. But that particular kid has yet to reach the goal that is set out by the coaching staff."
Unfortunately, many student/athletes carry that "potential" moniker around their necks during their entire prep careers. It's like a Scarlet letter of never living up to a particular standard.
Up to last weekend, two F.W. Springstead varsity wrestlers wore that wreath of potential: sophomores Shawn Landgraff and Devean Huff.
Both, however, might have finally broken through the veneer of potential and begun to seize their place behind their first-ever gold medal efforts during the 19th annual Springstead Invitational.
 
Huff 101
 
The 5-foot-4, 130-pound Huff is a two-sport athlete.
Despite his tiny frame, Huff has already earned two letters in varsity football and is in the process of finishing his first varsity season on the mats.
His gridiron coaches applaud his grit and tenacity.
Forget his size, SHS coaches say. Huff is considered the consummate special team's wedge buster.
That's what having no fear is about.
Also, of the Eagles' top six running backs last fall, five will not return next year due to commencement exercises.
So Huff is the lone returnee next year with 322 rushing yards and three touchdowns.
On the mats, he didn't make any waves as a freshman in 2007-08 posting a nearly invisible 2-3 won-lost slate. Yet, his two wins were both pins.
This winter, he opened his first true varsity campaign with three straight pins.
And he raised eyebrows in his first major tournament at Ocala-Forest.
He trailed Tampa Bay Christian Academy's talented eighth-grader Travis Berridge, 15-2, before applying a seldom used "cement mixer"on the Hillsborough County grappler. The desperation move ultimately caught Berridge by complete surprise as he was stuck in 3:55.
The Springstead wrestlers couldn't believe their eyes. He literally snatched a win from the jaws of defeat behind an incredible move. That win enabled Huff to eventually reach the finals - where he lost.
Since that meet, he went 4-2 at Kiwanis and 5-1 at the Gulf Duals before leaving town during the holidays.
When he returned, he practiced like a maniac to get back into the starting line-up.
SHS Head Coach Eric Swensen was initially going to go with senior Chris Urso in last weekend's Springstead Inv. He wasn't sure that Huff's conditioning would be at the level he needed to compete.
Yet, during the seed meeting, Huff was seeded first.
So, ready or not, Swensen had to insert him into the line-up.
But boy, did he deliver.
Huff began the Springstead meet by pinning NCT's Mitch Lambert in 3:54. Next, he folded Dunnellon's Mike Wolfe via a major decision, 12-2.
In the crucial semifinals, he needed overtime to edge Gulf's Nick Calafiore, 10-8.
More importantly, in last Saturday night's finals, he blanked Tampa-Jesuit sophomore Anthony Cimino, 5-0.
The tourney win was not only Huff's first at home, but also the first in his prep career.
"It (win) tastes pretty good right now," shared the 17-year-old Huff. "I kinda got the monkey off my back. I had two weeks off before this tournament, so I really pushed myself in practice once I got back.
"Could I have wrestled a little better? Sure," shrugged Huff, who is 16-4 overall. "I could always use the conditioning. I think I was like everybody else on our team. We all wanted to win for the seniors. They deserved this today."
That tourney win stretched his win streak to a career-best nine in a row. He hasn't cracked the county's Top 10 list, but he's steadily improving.
 
Landgraff 101
 
Unlike Huff, Landgraff is first and foremost a wrestler.
Unlike Huff, Landgraff received a varsity letter last winter behind a fine first-year 19-13 won-lost slate.
The majority of his success in 2007-08 arrived early as he went 12-3 after 15 matches. His early successes included a 4-1 slate at Kiwanis -- where he finished third at 135 pounds and an outstanding 6-1 run at the Gulf Duals before he lost via injury default to Manatee's Jon Espinoza.
After that setback, Landgraff slumped to 7-10 in the second half of the season. His lone above .500 mark effort arrived at the famed Tony Ippolito Tournament at Brandon, where he went 3-2.
Unfortunately, as the majority of the teammates advanced to regionals and beyond, Landgraff was eliminated in the Class 2A, District 5 meet -- losing to a pair of seasoned seniors from Ridgewood (Allyn Williamson) and Land O'Lakes (Brian Scalise).
This winter, Landgraff began quietly with a 3-1 slate at Ocala-Forest good for fifth place. He lost his opening match and then ran the table.
At Durant, he finished an undistinguished 3-2.
At the Kiwanis Invitational, he finally earned a tournament final against 2008 state qualifier and Lakeland-Lake Gibson's talented Nick Rex.
Rex, however, pinned Landgraff in 2:34.
Landgraff bounced back with a 6-0 run at the Gulf Duals featuring a pair of forfeits.
In the Springstead Duals, he again ran into Rex, who posted a 10-1 major decision. Another 2008 state qualifier, Columbus' Daniel Dukes clubbed Landgraff, 21-8.
On the day, two-year Eagles starter went 1-3.
Yet in last week's Springstead Inv., Landgraff showed his resiliency. Landgraff was seeded first and finished 4-0 for the first time in an open-bracketed tourney.
In Saturday's final, he too finally got the monkey off his back of not ever collecting a gold medal by edging Auburndale's Chase Lane, 8-6.
What about winning for the first time, especially in front of his hometown fans?
"This isn't the top level I want," expressed the 16-year-old Landgraff. "I want to win tournaments like Durant and go to states. To me, it's all about winning states, not winning local meets."
With Saturday's win, Landgraff has already exceeded his win total during his freshman year.
So what was difference this time?
"I came in ready to brawl," he noted. "The coaches really had me ready to go. I hit my singles and did my thing. I thought the last guy was the toughest."
So have Huff and Landgraff turned the 'potential' corner?
"With no disrespect to any of our champions, I voted for Huff and Landgraff as my co-MVPs on Saturday," declared Coach Swensen, who was deeply impressed with both performances. "Both of these guys are tremendous athletes and work their tails off. Both of them, however, always seem to make that one critical mistake during the match.
"Give credit to Huff, during the entire weekend, he never made a mistake," Swensen said. "This was by far, his best ever tournament.
"And Landgraff is a Huff clone. When Shawn cuts out his mistakes you will see performances like he put on this weekend. It was great to see."
 
Sports Editor Tony Castro can be reached at (352) 544-5278 or online at acastro@hernandotoday.com.
 
By the Numbers: Shawn Landgraff
Year  W L Pins
2007-08 19 13 10
2008-09 22 7 12
TOTALS 41 20 22
 
By the Numbers: Devean Huff
Year  W L Pins
2007-08 2 3 2
2008-09 16 4 9
TOTALS 18 7 11