- November 6, 2024
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The Bulldogs send four wrestlers, and the Pirates send three wrestlers to the state meet to be held Friday, Feb. 18 and Saturday, Feb. 19, at The Lakeland Center.
The Flagler Palm Coast and Matanzas wrestling teams had 22 wrestlers competing in their respective region meets over the weekend of Friday, Feb. 18 and Saturday, Feb. 19.
At the end of the two-day meets, seven wrestlers from area schools survived.
Both teams, however, did have several wrestlers see their seasons end just one match shy of heading to The Lakeland Center this weekend, where the Florida High School Athletic Association finals will take place.
Bulldogs send four
Flagler Palm Coast’s qualifiers:
—JZ Williams (135 pounds) took first place in the region meet.
—Nick Michael (140) took second.
—Johnny Barrett (189) took third.
—Nick Shaw (215) took fourth.
FPC coach Bobby Bossardet said it’s frustrating when a bunch of wrestlers are one match away from reaching the state finals meet, but get knocked out, adding “That’s the way the sport goes.”
But now, Bossardet said, the focus switches to the four wrestlers headed to Lakeland for the state finals.
“I honestly believe that each of the four have a shot at the finals and becoming a state champion,” Bossardet said. “They’ve worked hard and our focus needs to be on those four guys.”
The four wrestlers boast a combined 160-21 record, with Williams (42-2), Barrett (44-5) and Shaw (43-6) all surpassing the 40-win mark.
Pirates send three
Matanzas’ qualifiers:
—Alex White (103 pounds) took second place in the region meet.
—Zac Epps (130) took second.
—Garrett Dennis (160) took fourth.
Matanzas coach John White said all three of the wrestlers have a chance to play in the top six at the state meet, adding: “Once you get to states, anyone can win. My guys are healthy and ready to win. I expect big things from them this weekend.”
White is the team’s only repeat state qualifier and the only underclassmen to qualify.
Garret had a nice bounce-back win in the consolation semifinals to earn a place in the state meet, while Epps dominated the entire way to the regional finals before losing to the defending state champion.
The three wrestlers boast a combined 77-25 record, with White (31-9) and Epps (28-8) surpassing the 20-win mark.
