Eight's not enough

The road to F.W. Springstead's first-ever state title began on a bumpy note during Saturday's fourth annual, eight-team Deltona Duals Tournament.

SHS entered the meet in uncharacteristic fashion shorthanded with only 12 grapplers. Since the football players who wrestle competed in Friday's 4A-II playoff game at Gainesville - they were not available.

As a result, SHS' veteran Head Coach Eric Swensen's crew forfeited two weight divisions - in essence giving away 12 points to every team they faced.

Also, two-time regional finalist, junior Sean "Buddha" Redman did not make the trip. A day after Thanksgiving, the two-time Eagle starter was seven pounds over weight, so he did not make the trip to the Wolves' Den.

In Redman's place, SHS started Tyler Long, who had never competed at the varsity level. He was joined by talented freshman Jordan Rivera, was also making his varsity debut.

The unknown factor included sophomore Scott "Tennessee" Carnes, who went 3-2 as a freshman fill-in, who was also in the starting lineup.

Despite the new faces, SHS did return 10 lettermen to a tournament where they captured 61-of-66 (92 percent) bouts the year before.

This time, SHS went 5-0 and repeated as tournament champions - its 27th title in Swensen's seventh season - garnering wins in 53-of-60 contested bouts (88 percent).

Overall, the Eagles rallied from three deficits, but none bigger than the last match against the No. 11 ranked Panthers of Orange Park-Ridgeview.

"The idea behind today was to go through and tighten up some things before we get to Durant," insisted Coach Swensen. "We had some brand new guys out and they made some mistakes; that's to be expected. So, that's OK."

What about the Toms' match?

"If any good comes out of it, it's how we responded to adversity," said Swensen. "The call should serve as a wakeup call to all our guys. If that happens in a state quarterfinal, it would be devastating. In the long run I see the call helping us greatly."

Biggest positive?

"Besides the new guys, Jordan (Rivera), Tyler (Long), Scott (Carnes) coming up with big wins," remarked Swensen. "I was very impressed with our older guys. Our seniors plus Cody (Ross) and John (Dreggors) really picked it up.

"I'm proud of the whole team but guys like Gump (Thomas Gupton) and Sammy (Colon) came up with huge pins," added Swensen. "That really helped seal the deal in the finals against Ridgeview."

Eagles rule

From the Blue Pool, SHS captured in its initial three matches before cross-bracketing with the Silver Pool.

The Eagles opened the tourney trailing Kissimmee-Liberty after four matches, 12-9, before rallying to win 8-of-10 bouts to win going away, 55-19.

Next, SHS steam rolled the short-handed New Smyrna Beach Barracudas, who only had five available grapplers, 69-0.

Down 12-0 (via two forfeits) to the host and youthful Deltona Wolves, SHS reeled off 12 wins in a row for 70-12 verdict.

Against the first-year Orange City-University, the Eagles captured 11-of-12 matches to lead 66-3 before the Titans captured the final two matches via forfeits to close out a 66-15 decision.

The highlight of the tourney occurred in the rematch of last year's Deltona Duals against Ridgeview.

Last winter, SHS caged the Panthers, 55-15.

This time the Panthers came into the match unbeaten at 4-0.

SHS opened the dual at 285 pounds behind junior John Dreggors. Dreggors, a two-time state qualifier, notched his fourth pin of the tourney 69 seconds over sophomore Brandon Leopard.

Next, two-time state champion Richie Bliss, who lost in this event last year, finished 5-0 with a forfeit. The Panthers were expecting to weigh in three grapplers at 103, but two failed to make weight.

Panther senior Johnny Frambo bumped up from 103 to 112 pounds to hand Rivera his first-ever varsity loss via an 8-2 decision. Before that setback Rivera looked sharp with four pins in four matches.

Panther state qualifier Jamarious Jackson, who defeated Bliss last year, forged a 17-2 technical fall on Eagle sophomore Stephen Pavao at 119, 17-2.

Then came the most controversial match of the day at 130 pounds.

Springstead senior and defending state champion Virgil Toms entered the match 4-0 with two pins. Counting the 10-match winning streak from last winter, Toms entered the circle 14-0 in last 14 matches.

Toms led senior and 2009 state qualifier, Max Cavander, 2-0 early in the first period, before he lifted Ridgeview wrestler near the edge of the mat. In the proceeding scramble, after Cavander went up, he came down on his shoulder and then his head hit the mat.

As a safety precaution, the mat official immediately halted the match. Cavander was not knocked out nor was there any blood as a result of the scramble.

As Cavander laid sprawled on the mat momentarily, Ridgeview Head Coach Chris McNealy immediately signaled to the match official that the match was over.

Though Cavander got up and reentered the circle ready to wrestle, a trainer told the mat official Cavander should not compete.

Instead of completing the match, the mat official said "his hands were tied" and awarded a win via injury default to Cavander.

The impact of the call was huge. The controversial call appeared to give the Panthers a shot in the arm and a realistic opportunity for the Panthers to derail the defending Class 2A state runners-up.

Why? Because the Panthers knew they actually led 32-12 counting the two forfeits they would cash in during the final two matches at 189 and 215.

Though SHS trailed 20-12, the reverse occurred. The controversial call seemed to ignite the remainder of the Eagle grapplers.

The comeback

Eagle captain and defending state champion, Nick Soto, set the pace with a pin in 2:21 over junior Stephen LaRue. The pin was Soto's third of the day as he finished 5-0.

Soto's victory was his 50th in a row - or since getting stuck by Tyler Liberatore while vying for third place in the 2009 State Finals in Lakeland.

Two-time state placer and Springstead junior Cody Ross followed Soto's lead by folding junior Jacob Hartley in 32 seconds for his fourth pin of the day.

Like Dreggors and Soto, Ross finished 5-0 and stretched his current win skein dating back to last season to 21 in a row.

With SHS ahead 24-20, Carnes came through with a clutch 4-2 decision over junior Alex Epstein at 145. Carnes and Epstein were tied 2-all, until Epstein slipped on a throw and rewarding Carnes (5-0) with a two-point takedown with less than 30 seconds remaining.

"After what happened with Virgil, I was so mad," explained the 16-year-old Carnes. "I was determined to win my match and do whatever I needed to do to win it."

Overall?

"I thought we did real well," replied Carnes. "The big thing was the guys who came here came ready to wrestle. Even though it was a terrible call against Virgil we pulled together as a team."

Up 27-20, junior Sammy "The Bull" Colon (5-0) pinned senior Dylan Collard at 152 pounds in 1:43.

Leading 33-20 came another pivotal match.

Panther senior Givanny Occasio, a two-time state placer, was pitted against two-time state qualifier and 2010 state placer Shawn Landgraff.

Landgraff (5-0) helped silence the Panther fans by leading 4-1 after two minutes before closing out a clutch 7-4 decision.

"I knew he finished fifth last year," said the 18-year-old Landgraff, who finished third in the same weight class (152). "I thought it would be tough. I kinda thought it would be closer."

Why the success?

"I wrestle every day in practice with Gup (Gupton), he's much bigger than I am which helps me a lot," said Landgraff. "Today was a pretty big win because it showed we could still win even though we had some holes in the lineup. It really showed we can step up."

Though SHS led 36-20, if Panther sophomore Michael Minchew could either notch a tech. fall or better against junior Thomas Gupton at 171, Ridgeview could still pull the match out.

Gupton, who was eliminated in regions after two matches, never trailed. Leading 9-0 after two periods, Gupton produced his second pin of the tourney in 5:07 to seal Springstead's comeback, 42-20.

"Going 5-0 was great," explained the 16-year-old Gupton. "I work out with Shawn (Landgraff) every day. He makes it tough in practice. I work just for this (winning)."

What was his take on Toms' match?

"The call was stupid and unfair," he said. "What makes it hard to understand is he (Cavander) wanted to wrestle...But regardless of the call, we all made up for it."

SHS' heroics made the last two forfeits at 189 and 215 to the Panthers' Josh Fox and Michael Misner academic, 42-32.

"Springstead came ranked No. 1, we came in ranked 11th, we were charging hard," explained the Panthers' eighth-year skipper McNealy. "Another thing that hurt was two guys not making weight (at 103)."

Overall?

"We're all about sportsmanship," added Coach McNealy, without going into detail. "I told the kids 'If you can't take the loss, you can't take the win.' There was some talk after the Cavander match, but they're (Springstead) better than that. Sportsmanship is what I'm about."

"Tonight was a big win," remarked the 17-year-old Toms. "No matter what happened we have a lot of strong wrestlers. It was a good win despite all the adversity we faced today."

And the call?

"It was a good experience for me," said the soft-spoken Toms. "It was something new. I've never had that call pulled on me. I don't care about my record, it's something to learn from."

Deltona Head Coach Keith Wallace described the tourney.

"As far as the Toms' match, I can see both sides of it, and that's all I'd prefer to say on that," Wallace said.

"Overall? The tourney went pretty well, even with the A/C not working, the stands not coming out on one side and teams missing guys due to Thanksgiving," said Wallace. "I wish Pine Ridge and New Smyrna would have had a few more wrestlers, but I'm happy it's over.

"Basically, this tournament has become a no frills event," he added. "It's one to get your five matches in, get in and get out. Hopefully, we can keep our core group of guys and be a little more competitive next year."

Wrestling:
Springstead @ Deltona Duals Tourney Results
Round 1:
Deltona 33, New Symrna Beach 24
University 63, Pine Ridge 15
Ridgeview 62, St. Cloud 12

Springstead 55, Liberty 19
103 - Richie Bliss (SPG) pin Matt Cabrera, 2:51.
112 - Jordan Rivera (SPG) pin Rob Torres, 1:04.
119 - Stephen Pavao (SPG) won by forfeit.
125 - Tutu Evangho (LIB) major dec. Tyler Long, 8-0.
130 - Virgil Toms (SPG) major dec. Corey Grey, 9-1.
135 - Nick Soto (SPG) pin Manny Figueroa, 3:04.
140 - Cody Ross (SPG) pin Angel Perez, 0:10.
145 - Scott Carnes (SPG) won by forfeit.
152 - Josh Garcia (LIB) dec. Sam Colon, 7-5.
160 - Shawn Landgraff (SPG) won by forfeit.
171 - Thomas Gupton (SPG) dec. Fred Ruiz, 5-4.
189 - Eric Fernandez (LIB) won by forfeit.
215 - Luis Ruiz (LIB) won by forfeit.
285 - John Dreggors (SPG) pin Vlad Pena, 1:00.
Records - Springstead (1-0 overall).

Round 2:
Liberty 60, Deltona 15
St. Cloud 60, Pine Ridge 12
Ridgeview 71, University 12

Springstead 69, New Smyrna Beach 0
103 - Richie Bliss (SPG) won by forfeit.
112 - Jordan Rivera (SPG) pin Jayson Maldonado, 0:34.
119 - Stephen Pavao (SPG) won by forfeit.
125 - Tyler Long (SPG) pin Cameron Webber, 2:29.
130 - Virgil Toms (SPG) won by forfeit.
135 - Nick Soto (SPG)won by forfeit.
140 - Cody Ross (SPG) pin Rodney Smith, 0:40.
145 - Scott Carnes (SPG) won by forfeit.
152 - Sam Colon (SPG) dec. John Nunziata, 4-3 (3OT).
160 - Shawn Landgraff (SPG) pin Zach McCormick, 0:18.
171 - Thomas Gupton (SPG) won by forfeit.
189 - Double forfeit.
215 - Double forfeit.
285 - John Dreggors (SPG) won by forfeit.
Records - Springstead (2-0 overall).

Round 3:
Liberty 58, New Smyrna Beach 6
Univesity 54, St. Cloud 29
Ridgeview 78, Pine Ridge 0

Springstead 70, Deltona 12
103 - Richie Bliss (SPG) won by forfeit.
112 - Jordan Rivera (SPG) pin Damien Rodriguez, 0:44.
119 - Stephen Pavao (SPG) won by forfeit.
125 - Tyler Long (SPG) pin Jonathan Foshee, 0:54.
130 - Virgil Toms (SPG) pin Alex Gauayo, 1:07.
135 - Nick Soto (SPG) major dec. Zack Gazda, 11-3.
140 - Cody Ross (SPG) won by forfeit.
145 - Scott Carnes (SPG) pin Sam Normandy, 0:39.
152 - Sam Colon (SPG) pin Cedric Louissant, 1:17.
160 - Shawn Landgraff (SPG) pin Ed Villanueva, 0:36.
171 - Thomas Gupton (SPG) won by forfeit.
189 - Tyler Andreasson (DEL) won by forfeit.
215 - Mark Curet (DEL) won by forfeit.
285 - John Dreggors (SPG) pin Brandon Griffin, 0:08.
Records - Springstead (3-0 overall).

Round 4:
Deltona 54, Pine Ridge 28
Ridgeview 49, Liberty 24
St. Cloud 51, New Smyrna Beach 16

Springstead 66, University 15
103 - Richie Bliss (SPG) pin Hector Blanco, 0:42.
112 - Jordan Rivera (SPG) pin Derek Brassells, 0:42.
119 - Nick Weaver (UNI) dec. Stephen Pavao, 6-0.
125 - Tyler Long (SPG) pin Greg Punch, 0:35.
130 - Virgil Toms (SPG) pin Tanner Murawski, 0:24.
135 - Nick Soto (SPG) pin Richard Magnelli, 0:34.
140 - Cody Ross (SPG) pin Logan Hamilton, 0:33.
145 - Scott Carnes (SPG) pin David Evans, 1:28.
152 - Sam Colon (SPG) pin Cody Scott, 1:36.
160 - Shawn Landgraff (SPG) pin Steven Chojnowski, 0:25.
171 - Thomas Gupton (SPG) pin Connor Flanders, 1:42.
189 - Willie McGann (UNI) won by forfeit.
215 - Cirrez Miller (UNI) won by forfeit.
285 - John Dreggors (SPG) pin Jacob McGee, 1:06.
Records - Springstead (4-0 overall).

Round 5:
7th Place:
Pine Ridge 24, New Smyrna Beach 18
5th Place:
St. Cloud 58, Deltona 24
3rd Place:
University 40, Liberty 32

Championship
Springstead 42, Orange Park-Ridgeview 32
103 - Richie Bliss (SPG) pin won by forfeit.
112 - Johnny Frambo (RV) dec. Jordan Rivera, 8-2.
119 - Jamarious Jackson (RV) tech. fall Stephen Pavao, 17-2.
125 - Isiah McNealy (RV) pin Tyler Long, 1:06.
130 - Max Cavander (RV) won by injury default over Virgil Toms.
135 - Nick Soto (SPG) pin Stephen LaRue, 2:21.
140 - Cody Ross (SPG) pin Jacob Hartley, 0:32.
145 - Scott Carnes (SPG) dec. Alec Epstein, 4-2.
152 - Sam Colon (SPG) pin Dylan Collard, 1:43.
160 - Shawn Landgraff (SPG) dec. Givanny Occasio, 7-4.
171 - Thomas Gupton (SPG) pin Michael Minchew, 5:07.
189 - Josh Fox (RV) won by forfeit.
215 - Michael Meisner (RV) won by forfeit.
285 - John Dreggors (SPG) pin Brandon Leonard, 1:09.
Records - Springstead (5-0 overall).

Final Team Standings
PL. Team W L
1. Spring Hill-Springstead 5 0
2. Orange Park-Ridgeview 4 1
3. Orange City-University 3 2
3. St. Cloud 3 2
5. Kissimmee-Liberty 2 3
5. Deltona 2 3
7. Pine Ridge 1 4
8. New Smyrna Beach 0 5
TOTALS 20 20

Springstead Individual Results
WGT NAME W L PINS
103 Bliss, Steve 5 0 2
112 Rivera, Jordan 4 1 4
119 Pavao, Stephen 3 2 0
125 Long, Tyler 3 2 3
130 Toms, Virgil 4 1 2
135 Soto, Nick 5 0 3
140 Ross, Cody 5 0 4
145 Carnes, Scott 5 0 2
152 Colon, Sam 4 1 3
160 Landgraff, Shawn 5 0 3
171 Gupton, Thomas 5 0 2
285 Dreggors, John 5 0 4
TOTALS 53 7 32