Eagles shred Rotary Invitational

Though the pages of the nearest calendar indicate mid-January - two weeks removed from the start of the state series - F.W. Springstead's mat program put on a performance this weekend worthy of its No. 1 ranking in Class 2A.

At the conclusion of the two-day, 31-team, 25th annual Flagler Rotary Invitational at Palm Coast High School, the Eagles nearly swept the post-meet awards ceremony late Saturday night in Flagler County.

In perhaps their best tournament showing to date, SHS achieved what no team has ever accomplished in Flagler County - namely capturing the well-run Rotary Inv. for a third straight winter.

This time behind a meet-best 10 placers, the Spring Hill squad totaled 251.5 points to win the meet by 53.5 points over last year's fifth-place team in 2A, Fort Myers-Riverdale, with 198.0 points.

In a dominating effort, the Mariner Boulevard crew captured 6-of-7 finals bouts to win going away behind a stout 44-13 composite individual record (77 percent), featuring 20 pins.

In punctuating the win, Springstead senior and captain Nick Soto, who went 5-0 with three pins at 135 pounds, was voted by the tourney coaches as the meet's Outstanding Wrestler. In doing so, Soto became the first Eagle grappler to ever win Flagler's OSW award across a generation of wrestling.

The tourney also feted Tim Locksmith of Kissimmee-Osceola at 125 for the Most Falls for lightweight (103-140 pounds) divisions while Springstead junior John Dreggors at 285 pinned three opponents in four attempts for the heavyweight (145-285) divisions.

The Eagles' performance left Springstead Head Coach Eric Swensen speechless. Actually, by the tourney's end the seventh-year skipper was hoarse and could be barely heard in whispers.

"It was a great weekend for us," described Coach Swensen on his team's fifth team crown this winter and 31st team title since he arrived on campus. "What I liked most was everybody was on the same page. This kind of performance is what we've been waiting for the whole year. It's a good sign before we go to Ippolito."

Without hesitation, Coach Swensen called the win his team's most significant this winter.

"From the first whistle we dominated," said Swensen. "This was our best tournament by far. We won six of the seven finals matches. We started off aggressive and finished aggressive. I'm real proud of the boys.

"This was no little tournament. It was a good field. Our goal was to win it for a third time," he added. "We're senior-heavy; you have to have those types of victories. We had to do what needed to get done."

Who stood out?

"Overall, we did outstanding. But Nick (Soto) deserved OSW," summed up Swensen. "He had a state runner-up and several state qualifiers in his bracket. He just dominated - like he has all year.

"And Richie (Bliss) beating Lucas in the rubber match was terrific. That's the Bliss we all know can wrestle," Swensen said. "And Virgil (Toms) and Shawn (Landgraff) were so dominant; it's hard not to mention them."

SHS: Ten placers

Earning gold medals for the Eagles included Bliss at 103 pounds, senior Virgil Toms at 130, senior Nick Soto at 135, junior Cody Ross at 140, senior Shawn Landgraff at 152 and junior John Dreggors at 285.

Junior Sean "Buddha" Redman went 3-1 and earned a silver medal at 125 losing to Locksmith in the tourney finals, 6-1.

Freshman Jordan Rivera finished 4-1 to place third at 112; while junior Thomas Gupton went 4-2 at 160 to place fifth and senior Sammy Colon went 5-3 at 145 to place sixth.

Bliss wins rubber match

Bliss went 4-0 with three pins to win his sixth tournament in seven attempts this winter. The four-year varsity letterman left with a career 12-0 mark and three gold medals at Flagler featuring nine pins.

Unlike the Oviedo finals, where Bliss literally trailed from the opening whistle against Tampa Bay Christian Academy eighth-grader Dillon Lucas before getting pinned in 5:27, this time Bliss returned ready for the rubber match. Bliss had stuck Lucas in the Kiwanis Inv. finals before watching his 63-match streak evaporate at Oviedo.

This time, Bliss built a 4-0 first-period lead that led to an eventual 9-4 decision.

"At Jarzynka (Oviedo) I was doing bad stuff. I wasn't feeling well and I gave up at the end," recalled Bliss, who improved to 33-1 this winter with 24 pins and 134-10 lifetime. "This time, I was ready. I wanted this real bad. Last time, the kid beat me at Jarzynka. Now, I've beaten him twice. He ain't beating me again."

How much did the victory mean?

"After last week and this week's wins, my confidence is back up," said Bliss. "And people can stop talking their stuff. Every win is big for me. I realize everyone comes hard trying to beat a state champ."

Toms: En fuego

Toms continued to sizzle going 4-0 with a pin to extend his current winning streak to 25 in a row highlighted by a decisive 7-1 decision over Riverdale's Jonathon Heffner. Heffner placed third at states last winter at 119.

"I'd never wrestled him before, but he's a quality kid," said the 18-year-old Toms, who finished third at Flagler last winter. "I went out there just working my regular stuff and wanting to dominate."

The title win keeps Toms on pace for a titanic clash next weekend against Brandon junior Rossi Bruno. Bruno handed Toms his last loss, albeit in overtime, 2-1.

"Next week is definitely in my head," admitted Toms. "It's a big match. I really want to win. It'll be on my mind till it's over."

And the team's performance?

"We did really well," Toms replied. "There's still room for improvement. We want to peak by the time we reach states."

Soto: Rolling, rolling

Like Toms, Soto continues to roll along with a collision course next week at Ippolito.

Over the weekend, Soto stuck his first three opponents, Chiles' Coty Cantrell (1:06), St. Cloud's Zach Ferric (0:42) and Kissimmee-Osceola's Miguel Crespo (0:22), before mauling previously unbeaten JZ Williams of Flagler Palm Coast via an 18-3 technical fall.

In the finals, Soto never trailed in mangling Palm Bay's Tegeon Worges via an 11-2 major decision. Worges went 2-2 in last year's state tourney at 125.

Like Bliss, Soto left Flagler with a 12-0 mark, five pins and three gold medals.

"I felt I wrestled really well," understated the 18-year-old Soto. "I felt like I corrected some of the mistakes I've made earlier in the season."

Like Toms, Soto can't wait for next week's Ippolito finals and a possible rematch against Tyler Liberatore.

"Me and Virgil are pretty hungry for next week," admitted Soto, who enters Ippolito 36-1 this winter and 126-11 lifetime. "We're gonna see who got better."

And the team?

"It meant a lot to everybody to come up here and win it," said the defending state champion. "This is a start toward the state series. If we continue to wrestle like this we'll win states."

Ross: Battered, bruised

Looking at Ross moments after his finals match with last season's third-place finisher at states, Riverdale's Alex Paraschuk, the casual observer would have thought the defending Eagle state champion had just went a round with Mike Tyson.

Appearing battered and bruised, Ross needed three overtimes to edge Paraschuk, 5-4. If that wasn't enough, Ross edged 135-pound state fourth-placer Ryan Newsome of Lynn Haven-Mosley in a tense semifinal in four overtimes, 4-3.

Newsome was his own worst enemy as he was cautioned three times for false starts. His final false start with 15 seconds left in the fourth OT cost him a critical penalty point and the match against Ross.

Ross, who went 4-0 with one pin, climbed to 34-1 overall this season and 127-11 lifetime. Before departing Flagler 13-1 lifetime with his second gold medal (he earned silver in 2010), he described his last two bouts.

"The Mosley kid was tough, but Alex (Paraschuk) is a real dangerous guy. He wanted me bad," said Ross, who pinned Paraschuk in the third round of the Cougar Inv. in 5:38 in 2009. "Alex brings a lot more offense than most guys. Both overtime matches were big. I started slowly and then kinda picked up momentum.

"Wins like this make a statement. Any time you beat state placers it's a big deal," said Ross. "After that last match I feel great, but my body feels like I've been hit by a freight train."

Landgraff rules (again)

Since losing to Wally Fragaro of Brandon at 160 in the finals of the Cougar Inv., Landgraff has reeled off 27 straight wins. He registered his fifth straight tournament win behind a 4-0 run featuring three pins at Flagler.

Landgraff left Flagler with a career 13-2 mark and three medals, including back-to-back gold medallions.

In Saturday's finals he smothered second-seeded Levi Duvall of Orange Park via a 10-0 major decision.

"I thought I wrestled well," described Landgraff who'll enter next week's Ippolito Tourney 34-1 and 138-34 lifetime. "I really wanted to pin everybody. But sometimes the refs won't call it."

And the team?

"We knew there would be a little more competition this weekend, but the team definitely stepped up," said Landgraff. "It was pretty nice coming up here and doing something as a team that other people haven't done."

Dreggors: Gold galore

Dreggors, who pinned his first three opponents at Flagler in a combined 2:05, decisioned Winter Springs' Scott Accomando, 3-0, to earn his first gold medal at Flagler.

Dreggors, who has won six tournaments, was disappointed that Accomando did not come out and challenge him.

"He had his running shoes on not his wrestling shoes," said the 16-year-old Dreggors, who climbed to 33-1 with a county-high 29 pins. "The guy just ran from me for six minutes.

"This tournament was not a high priority," added Dreggors. "I'm mainly focused on states. We've all got to keep working hard toward states."

Springstead @ Bunnell-Flagler Palm Coast 25th annual Rotary Club Invitational

Springstead at Flagler Individual Results
WGT NAME W L PINS PL
103 Bliss, Richie 4 0 3 1st
112 Rivera, Jordan 4 1 1 3rd
119 Pavao, Stephen 2 2 0 -
125 Redman, Sean 3 1 2 2nd
130 Toms, Virgil 4 0 1 1st
135 Soto, Nick 5 0 3 1st
140 Ross, Cody 4 0 1 1st
145 Colon, Sammy 5 3 2 6th
152 Landgraff, Shawn 4 0 3 1st
160 Gupton, Thomas 4 2 0 5th
171 DeSimone, Dominic 0 2 0 -
215 McCloskey, Jon 1 2 1 -
285 Dreggors, John 4 0 3 1st
TOTALS 44 13 20

2011 Final Flagler Team Standings:
PL TEAM POINTS
1. Spring Hill-Springstead 251.5
2. Fort Myers-Riverdale 198.0
3. Kissimmee-Osceola 140.5
4. Melbourne-Palm Bay 133.5
5. Winter Springs 133.0
6. Green Cove Springs-Clay 132.0
7. Bunnell-Flagler Palm Coast 122.0
8. Deland 99.5
9. Jensen Beach 99.0
10. Celebration 97.5
11. Niceville 97.0
12. Tallahassee-Chiles 58.0
12. Lynn Haven-Mosley 58.0
14. Orange Park 53.0
15. Palm Coast-Matanzas 52.0
16. Orlando-Olympia 51.0
17. JAX-Bolles School 50.0
18. Oviedo-Hagerty 43.5
19. Orange City-University 37.0
20. St. Augustine-Nease 35.0
21. Crescent Beach-Pedro Menendez 31.0
22. Sarasota 29.0
23. Tampa Bay Christian 28.5
24. St. Cloud 28.0
25 Daytona Beach-Seabreeze 25.0
26. JAX-Bartram Trail 23.0
26. Deltona 23.0
28. Palatka 19.0
29. Ocala-Trinity Catholic 18.0
30. Orange Park-Fleming Island 0.00
30. New Smyrna Beach 0.00

2011 Flagler Rotary Finals:
103 - Bliss (SPG) dec. Lucas (TBC), 9-4.
112 - Langford (RIVD) major dec. Balgo (PB), 11-1.
119 - Browning (JB) major dec. Douglas (CELE), 18-5.
125 - T. Locksmith (KO) dec. Redman (SPG), 6-1.
130 - Toms (SPG) major dec. Heffner (RIVD), 11-2.
135 - Soto (SPG) vs. Worges (PB)
140 - Ross (SPG) dec. Paraschuk (RIVD), 5-4 (3OT).
145 - Baldwin (KO) dec. Lopez (RIVD), 12-8.
152 - Landgraff (SPG) major dec. Duvall (OPK), 10-0.
160 - Soileau (CLY) dec. Perry (HAG), 15-9.
171 - Dodd (RIVD) pin Gach (WSPG), 2:15.
189 - O'Niell (WSPG) dec. Bell (NEA), 9-5.
215 - Herron (PB) dec. Burleson (NICE), 10-8.
285 - Dreggors (SPG) dec. Accomando (WSPG), 3-0.

2011 Flagler Rotary Consolation Finals:
103 - J. Browning (DEL) dec. White (MATA), 8-1.
112 - Rivera (SPG) dec. McGinley (STC), 6-1.
119 - Dan forth (CHIL) major dec. Qaites (CLY), 12-0.
125 - Barton (PB) dec. Lohsen (DEL), 8-6 (OT).
130 - Baumann (DEL) Fleming (JB), 4-2.
135 - Hess (JB) pin Williams (FPC), 2:58.
140 - Newsome (MOS) dec. Wojcik (CLY), 3-2.
145 - Jones (NICE) dec. Kahle (MOS), 2-1 (OT).
152 - Martin (KO) Raddar (CIL), 6-1.
160 - Sanchez (RIVD) dec. Meyer (NICE), 10-8 (OT).
171 - Pagan (KO) pin Temple (CELE), 2:12.
189 - Barrett (FPC) pin Castillo (RIVD), 1:21.
215 - Petro (WTSP) dec. Shaw (FPC), 3-1.
285 - Green (FPC) pin Norena (CELE), 1:09.

Past Rotary Team Champions:
YEAR CHAMPION
1987 Bishop Kenny
1988 Flagler Palm Coast
1989 Flagler Palm Coast
1990 Bolles
1991 Flagler Palm Coast
1992 Flagler Palm Coast
1993 Bolles
1994 Flagler Palm Coast
1995 St. Benedicts
1996 Flagler Palm Coast
1997 Bolles
1998 Brandon
1999 Flagler Palm Coast
2000 Clay
2001 University Christian
2002 University Christian
2003 St. Benedicts
2004 Venice
2005 Venice
2006 St. Benedicts
2007 Flagler Palm Coast
2008 Niceville
2009 Springstead
2010 Springstead
2011 Springstead

Past Rotary Outstanding Wrestlers:
YEAR NAME SCHOOL
1987 Wayne Williams Flagler Palm Coast
1988 Guy Gatti Merritt Island
1989 John Willaims Bradford
1990 Chris Bono Bolles
1991 Chris Bono Bolles
1992 Wes Spencer Flagler Palm Coast
1993 Miciah Weatherly Bolles
1994 A]phonso Clark Flagler Palm Coast
1995 David Alrndeda St. Benedicts
1996 Rob Fries Flagler Palm Coast
1997 Jamey Stowell Bishop Kenny
1998 Jason Lambrecht Brandon
1999 John Solomon Tampa Jesuit
2000 Andy Blicker Suwannee
2001 Bryan DeStefano Suffern, NY
2002 Zac Tomlinson Flagler Palm Coast
2003 Levi Duyn Venice
2004 Willie Weber Flagler Palm Coast
2005 Tommy Colyard Satelite
2006 Jordan Gaudette St. Cloud
2007 Stephen DeAugustino Flagler Palm Coast
2008 Deron Carter Flagler Palm Coast
2009 Jacob Harmer Gainesville
2010 Pete Baldwin Osceola
2011 Nick Soto Springstead