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PHOTO/METRO
It was an extremely busy week on the Osceola County Sports scene, as the state tournament continued in basketball and wrestling; while Celebration named a new football coach. Here is a look around the county:
Wrestling Regionals
Osceola and Harmony, the two best wrestling teams in the county, continued to find success on the mat. Osceola hosted the FHSAA Class 3A, Region 2 tournament and came away with another regional championship, out-distancing second place Riverdale, 200-181. Celebration was a distant 15th in the event with 28 points. It was a little payback for the Kowboys, who were eliminated in the quarterfinals of the State Dual Meet Championships in January by Riverdale.
Four Osceola wrestlers claimed individual titles including Anderson Heap (106), Cooper Haase (120), Jaekus Hines (138) and Nolin Eaddy (195). George Duncan was second at 132; while Gunner Holland (152) and Cody Carter also placed in the top four as Osceola advances seven wrestlers to the state championship meet this weekend at Osceola’s Heritage Park.
“I thought it pretty much went like I thought it would. Winning the regional was a great accomplishment after Riverdale handled us head-to-head in the state dual tournament last month,” Osceola Head Coach Jim Bird said. “Individually it looked Jaekus Hines (4-0, 4 pins) and Nolin Eaddy (4-0, 3 pins and a forfeit) looked like two seniors on a mission. I was pleased at the way Cody Carter wrestled to take third and qualify for states.”
The Kowboys hope to add to their county record of 26 individual state champions and also extending their streak of at least one state champion to 15 years.
In the Class 3A Region 3 meet in West Palm, St. Cloud had one champion in Carson Estrada who took first at 113. The Bulldogs will advance four others to states, thanks to fourth place finishes by Seth George (139), Wilfredo Martinez (160), and Spencer O’Neil (182); as well as a second place finish by Galen Drawey (170). St. Cloud (124) finished fourth in the team championship, which was won by Fort Pierce (222). Tohopekaliga sent five wrestlers to the regional but did not advance any wrestlers.
Competing in one of the toughest regionals in the state, Harmony (200.5) placed second to host Lake Gibson (211) in the FHSAA Class 2A Region 2 Championships. Longhorn grapplers claimed two titles as Aiden Poe (120) and Juan Gomez (195) won their classifications.
The big news for Harmony was eight other wrestlers also qualified for states, including second place finishes from Brent McNichols (126), Fletcher Small (138) and Marshall Smith (182). Other Longhorns advancing include Bryson Holl (106), John McNichols (132), Will Jacobson (170), Nelson Toro (220) and Darren Davis (285).
“To win two weight classes, make a run at the team championship and to advance 10 to the state meet out of a regional this stacked is a great accomplishment and testament to the hard work and tenacity this team has shown all year,” Head Coach Vic Lorenzano said. “Aiden Poe beating an opponent who had pinned him a month ago and Bryson Holl rallying back to beat a kid in the blood round that had 42 wins this season are just a few examples of the great effort we had this past weekend.”
Combined, 17 wrestlers from Gateway, Poinciana, and Liberty qualified for the same regional meet but only Poinciana’s Landon Trigueros will move on to states as he finished third at the 106 weight class.
NCAA Wrestling
The 23 county wrestlers above are the not the only Osceola athletes who will be looking for a championship. Malyke Hines, the older brother of Jaekus Hines and a former three-time state champion for the Kowboys, has qualified for this year’s NCAA Championships by winning the Eastern Intercollegiate Wrestling Championships in the 133-lb. weight class for Lehigh University.
Athletics-Poinciana HS Fishing Tournament
The Poinciana High School Athletic Booster Club is holding a fundraising Fishing Tournament on March 27th. Launch point is Camp Lester at 14400 Reese Drive in Lake Wales. Entry fee is $100 in advance and $120 day of the Event. Top five places will be paid, including $1500 for first place. There is also a separate Big Bass contest with a $20 entry fee. Tournament hours are safe light to 3 p.m. For more information or registration information, contact Tiffany.King@osceolaschools.net.
Football
Celebration has named a new football coach in former Lake Gibson defensive coordinator Rich Pringle. In making the announcement, Celebration Athletic Director Rick Tribit noted the school received and vetted more than 70 applications before selecting Pringle to take over the Storm program. As defensive coordinator of the Lake Gibson last year, Pringle helped the Braves to an 11-2 season that resulted in the team advancing to the Class 6A Region Final. His defenses posted six shutouts and allowed less than 12 points per game.
“We’re going to hit the ground running,” Pringle said at the announcement. “We have some good young talent and we’re going to build on it. It starts in the weight room and off-season workouts.”
In other football news, two Osceola Kowboys signed letters of intent to play college football. Lineman Cody Carter, a member of the Osceola News Gazette’s All-County team and a stalwart on the Kowboys offensive line for three years, will play college football for Albright College in Reading, Pennsylvania. Marlon Rivera, also an offensive lineman, will play for Webber International University in Lake Wales, Fla.
Boy’s Basketball
City of Life Christian Academy, the last remaining team from Osceola County in the FHSAA Boys Basketball State Championship saw their season come to an end when they lost to Orlando Christian Prep, 67-38, in the on Feb. 22 in the FHSAA Region 3 final. The Warriors season ends with an outstanding 25-4 record. Two of those losses came Orlando Christian Prep, which is the ranked second in the state in all classifications and ranked 23rd nationally with a 24-0 record.
