- November 23, 2024
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Michael DeAugustino became the latest FPC Bulldog to win two straight region championships. Photo by Jeff Dawsey
Stephen DeAugustino cheers on little brother, Michael, during the championship match. Photo by Jeff Dawsey
In the last 43 years, hundreds Flagler Palm Coast wrestlers have donned the green and white singlet. Several have won state championships as individuals and teams. But no Bulldog has won more matches than junior Michael DeAugustino.
At 5 years old, DeAugustino promised his older brother, Stephen, he was going to shatter his win total. Stephen would eventually set the Bulldog record at 151 career wins.
During the Bulldogs’ region tournament, Michael broke the record on his way to a second consecutive region championship on Saturday, Feb. 26, at FPC.
“If anyone had to break it, I’m glad it was him,” Stephen DeAugustino said. “As soon as I set the record, I knew I was just holding onto it for him. To see him achieve that was a big win for us all. I’m probably his biggest fan; I get more nervous watching him wrestle than I did, when I wrestled.”
Michael DeAugustino currently sits at 155 wins and hopes to expand his total this weekend and the entire next season.
“He’s been a dominant wrestler over the last three years,” coach Tom Bartolotta said. “Michael’s finished fourth and second in the state, and now he’s gunning for a state title. He’s very driven, and I think he’s going to get around 200-plus wins before it’s all said and done.”
When Michael began his wrestling career at FPC, he hanged 152 sticky notes in his locker room and
planned to highlight each win up to the record. Frustrated with his first loss as a freshman — and viewing the record as a faraway thought — Michael tore the notes down. Now, as the all-time wins leader, he says it came faster than he imagined.
“It’s cool to have the record, and I’m glad Stephen was here,” Michael DeAugustino said. “It shows that we (Bulldogs) work hard, and the program produces a bunch of good wrestlers. It means a lot also that I did it this early on, because now a freshman can come in and say, ‘I want to beat Michael’s record.’”
Having both sons sit atop the career win total list, Renee DeAugustino said, “I couldn’t be any more proud of both of them. They’re warriors. They have a lot of heart, and they’re true champions — on and off the mat.”
Wrestling Hall of Famer, FPC Athletics Director and their father, Stephen DeAugustino, who has coached both of them since toddler age, said, “It’s an honor to hold that place. I’m glad both of them could hold it for a while.”
The entire family made it clear that while breaking the win record was a goal Michael had set as a 5-year-old, he also expected to become a state champion. After coming up short last season, he will get his change on Friday and Saturday, Mar. 3 and 4, at Silver Spurs Arena.
