Redman's road: From rags to riches

LAKELAND --

Not all athletic careers are dotted with glitz and glamour; almost the opposite.

For every Cody Ross in the wrestling room, there are literally hundreds of others who incessantly toil in the shadows.

Springstead senior Sean "Buddha" Redman may never be considered Ross' equal.

There's a bit of separation when Ross captures four district championships, two regional titles and reaches four straight state finals — and wins the last three in a row.

In between, Ross competed in more matches (200) and pocketed more wins (186) than any other Hernando County grappler in nearly four decades of competition.

Yet, on Saturday night at the Jenkins Arena at The Lakeland Center, there was common ground — Redman joined Ross and his best friend John Dreggors, in the winner's circle.

In the process, Redman, Ross and Dreggors garnered Hernando County's 38th, 39th and 40th state titles.

Amazingly, SHS has accumulated a county-best 25 individual state gold medallions — including 13 crowns across the past three winters.

Dreggors, who missed the season's first three tournaments due to a relative passing away, capped a magical 29-0 campaign at 285 pounds.

Though Dreggors solved previously unbeaten Olympic Heights senior Mike Kosoy (47-1 overall) via a 4-2 decision in overtime, it was not considered an upset.

Neither was Ross' final match — a pinfall in 1:47 — over Fort Myers-Riverdale senior Miguel Rivera.

Ross' final pin — his personal-best 28th of the season — was his 97th overall and left him second on the all-time Hernando County list to former teammate Richie Bliss (101).

According to Springstead coaches Eric Swensen and Sal Basile, though Dreggors and Ross each captured gold, the night belonged to Redman.

* * * * *

In wrestling circles, especially early in his prep career, Redman was looked at as the little train that couldn't.

For two seasons, the 5-foot-6 Redman compiled 69 wins in 103 bouts. He was a district runner-up as a freshman and placed third as a sophomore.

Unfortunately for Eagles fans, in back-to-back regional appearances in 2009-10 Redman agonizingly fell in the final wrestleback round — each time coming within one point of reaching states.

Another red flag was hoisted as Redman never captured one individually bracketed tournament.

As a junior, Redman continued to work diligently in the room but struggled to make weight. He missed a couple of tournaments due to weight difficulties.

Buddha's third varsity season, however, resulted in two IBT victories. He garnered gold at Kiwanis and followed with his first district championship at Springstead.

Afterward, Redman earned his first-ever trip to states with a solid third-place finish in the "Region of Doom" at Avon Park's South Florida Community College.

In his initial visit to states, Redman dropped his first match in overtime to Palm Bay senior Dylan Barton, 4-2. That loss set the tone, as he quietly exited following a 1-2 stay.

This year, unlike in the past, Redman had no weight issues. He bumped up to 145 pounds from 125 and stayed there.

According to the Eagles coaching staff, that was a huge burden lifted from his plate.

Next, all the banging he had done against the likes of state champions Virgil Toms, Nick Soto and Cody Ross in practice began to pay dividends on Saturday nights.

Redman competed in nine IBTs this winter and placed in all nine.

Perhaps just as impressively, he reached the finals in seven meets and won six times, highlighted by victories in his last three tourneys.

At one point, Redman pieced together a career-best 16-match winning streak, highlighted by 12 pins, until Jensen Beach's talented senior Mike Hess halted Redman's run in the fourth overtime of the Flagler Invitational finals, 2-1.

The following week at the rugged Tony Ippolito Memorial Tournament at Brandon, Redman walked in as the top seed. He pinned his first three opponents before he let his guard down against Bradenton-Manatee senior Brett Barber. Barber earned a two-point reversal in the final 10 seconds to stun Redman, 4-3.

That setback was significant. Redman wouldn't lose again — completing his final 14 matches with 14 wins.

In the regional finals at St. Cloud, Redman solved his longtime nemesis, junior Chase Krutzy of Lake Gibson, 3-0, to earn his first regional title and, most importantly, a favorable draw at states.

At Lakeland, Redman completed a 4-0 tour by fittingly solving Hess in a rematch in the state finals, 5-2.

The Eagles record book will indicate Redman concluded his senior year with a personal-best 43-4 campaign. He'll graduate ranked seventh all-time at SHS in wins (143), third in matches (189) and fourth lifetime in pins (94).

* * * * *

As Redman stood atop the podium in Polk County, his teammates and coaches complimented his sterling efforts.

Sophomore Jordan Rivera, a two-time Eagles state placer, singled out Redman.

"Of all our guys, including Cody (Ross), Buddha was the hardest-working guy in our room," Rivera said. "I'm so happy he won; he deserves this."

"Sean's been my practice partner for most of the season," pointed out Ross. "In our room, the coaches stayed on him the most. They'd yell a lot and then yell some more, but Sean never caved. Hands down, he was the hardest worker in the room.

"I love him as a teammate and a friend," Ross said. "Of all our guys, I was so glad to see him win."

"I'm proud of all the champs, but tonight was a storybook ending for Buddha," Swensen said. "Here's a kid who started coming to our little kids wrestling club from the beginning, and we've watched him grow.

"He's a guy who started literally from the bottom and worked his way up," recalled Swensen. "It didn't matter how we pushed him, Buddha continued to work. Coach Sal (Basile) had a special relationship with Sean. It was a tremendous bond."

"It was great to see the team win," added Coach Basile. "But it was awesome to see Redman win.

"He's total proof that hard work can get you to the top of the podium," Basile added. "Redman was not the most gifted athlete or wrestler. I'll admit I rode him hard, maybe harder than a lot of the others. He responded by being durable and hard-nosed this season. I thought down the stretch he dominated people. It was great to see."

Winning "felt amazing," Redman said with a smile. "All the hard work I've put in has all paid off. I came here with one goal — winning states — and I sure didn't want to lose to Hess. After the first takedown, I broke him."

Could Saturday night have ended any better?

"This is huge," Redman said. "When you win at states and you're a part of a team that wins back-to-back state championships, it's something I know I'll remember for the rest of my life."

By the Numbers: Springstead Sean Redman (2008-12)

- Compiled by TONY CASTRO