- November 22, 2024
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Kole Hannant fist bumps opposing coaches after winning his first-round match at state. Photo by Michele Meyers
Freshman Timothy McLean won one match in the 106-pound weight class. Photo by Michele Meyers
Kole Hannant wrestles Daniel Echevvera of Centennial in the first round. Photo by Michele Meyers
FPC's John Hald, left, wrestles Jean Valoria of Palmetto Ridge in the first round. Photo by Michele Meyers
FPC freshman Carson Baert, right, in a first-round match. Photo by Michele Meyers
FPC's Timothy McLean. Photo by Michele Meyers
FPC juniior John Hald, left. Photo by Michele Meyers
Marcelo Gonzalez, here in a regional match, placed sixth at 182 pounds at state. File photo
Garrick Schwartz, left, in a regional match, placed seventh at 195 pounds at state. File photo
Blane DeFord, right, in a regional match, placed fourth at state for the third year in a row. File photo
Blane DeFord, right, in a regional match, placed fourth at state. File photo
Flagler Palm Coast wrestlers who win a medal at the state championships receive a special honor. Their pictures are hung up in the team’s wrestling room.
Senior Blane DeFord has two pictures in the room. Now he’ll have a third.
DeFord placed fourth for the third year in a row at the Class 3A championships March 3-5 at Silver Spurs Arena in Kissimmee.
“That’s pretty special to do that, (place at state three years in a row). Not many people have three pictures up in that room.”
ZACH SANFORD, FPC wrestling coach
“That’s pretty special to do that,” FPC coach Zach Sanford said. “Not many people have three pictures up in that room.”
DeFord, wrestling at 170 pounds, won four of six matches at the tournament. He lost to eventual champ Dominic Rodriguez of Riverview in the quarterfinals and won three in a row in the consolation bracket to advance to the consolation final. He lost that third-place match by a 5-4 decision to Riley Orr of Fort Pierce Central.
“Blane wrestled tough. Riley just came out on top on some scrambles,” Sanford said. “Riley has been gunning for Blane all year. Blane beat him in the consolation semifinals last year.”
Three other FPC wrestlers won medals as the Bulldogs finished in a tie for 11th place in the team standings.
Junior Kole Hannant (120 pounds) and senior Marcelo Gonzalez (182) each placed sixth. Senior Garrick Schwartz, the Bulldogs’ only regional champ this year, placed seventh at 195 pounds.
“Garrick found way to get on the podium,” Sanford said. “He got vengeance on his first loss of the season against Nathan Peoples of George Jenkins (with a 2-1 decision). It was pretty cool to see him go out on a win.”
Next year, FPC will have to replace a strong group of seniors that came in the same year Sanford arrived.
“They will be a tough group to replace,” Sanford said. “They’re very special to me. They helped me build the culture that’s in the wrestling room right now. I can’t express how special that group is to me.”
Most of the seniors had never wrestled before they got to high school, he said.
“I dragged them onto the mat, out of class, and said, ‘Hey you’re wrestling,’” Sanford joked.
The Bulldogs also have five state qualifiers returning next season, including Hannant, John Hald, Timothy McLean, Carson Baert and Ana Vilar, who wrestled in the girls tournament.
