- January 17, 2025
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FPC's Ronden Ricks (right) throws Tocoi Creek's John Antonucci in the 150-pound match. Photo by Brent Woronoff
Carson Baert wrestles Buchholz's Stefan Behrmann in the final match of the night. Baet's 17-2 technical fall gave the Bulldogs a 35-33 victory in the regional semifinal dual. Photo by Brent Woronoff
Lenny Fries pinned Tocoi Creek's Alessandro Rodriguez Bazan at 126 pounds. Photo by Brent Woronoff
FPC's Melique Joseph (right) won a 9-1 major decision over Buchholz's Braedon McGuigan at 215 pounds. Photo by Brent Woronoff
Trey Twilley (left) pinned Tocoi Creek's Finnley Uhler at 132 pounds. Photo by Brent Woronoff
FPC's Austin Cochran (right) won his match against Tocoi Creek's Landon Caviness at 138 pounds. Photo by Brent Woronoff
Carson Baert won by technical fall against Buchholz's Stefan Behrmann at 157 pounds to clinch the regional semifinal dual for FPC. Photo by Brent Woronoff
FPC's Trey Twilley (right) pinned Tocoi Creek's Finnley Uhler at 132 pounds. Photo by Brent Woronoff
FPC's T.J. McLean in his first match on the night against Tocoi Creek's Aiden Hubbell. Photo by Brent Woronoff
FPC's Gabriel Moy (left) defeated Tocoi Creek's Riley Jewell by pin at 144 pounds. Photo by Brent Woronoff
FPC's Mikey Fries wrestles Buchholz's Dylan Leamon. Fries won by an 8-0 major decision at 165 pounds in the first match of the regional semifinal dual. Photo by Brent Woronoff
FPC's Kevin McLean pinned Tocoi Creek's Owen Martin at 113 pounds. Photo by Brent Woronoff
Ronden Ricks attempts a single-leg takedown against Tocoi Creek's John Antonucci. Photo by Brent Woronoff
Ronden Ricks takes the top position against Tocoi Creek's John Antonucci at 150 pounds. Photo by Brent Woronoff
FPC senior T.J. McLean (right) defeated Tocoi Creek's Aiden Huybbell by a 15-4 major decision at 120 pounds. Photo by Brent Woronoff
T.J. McLean (right) takes down Tocoi Creek's Aiden Hubbell. Photo by Brent Woronoff
Flagler Palm Coast senior wrestling captain Carson Baert was a freshman the last time the Bulldogs advanced to the state duals. Now he and the rest of the team are going back.
“We were a state final-four dual team my freshman year,” Baert said. “It’s nice to get back there to finish off my senior year.”
FPC defeated Gainesville Buchholz 35-33 in the Region 1-3A semifinal on Thursday, Jan. 16, at the Bulldogs’ gym to advance to the regional final against Oviedo Hagerty on Jan. 24 at Osceola High School in Kissimmee. The winner will advance to the Class 3A duals final four on Jan. 25 at Osceola High.
Baert wrestled the final match of the night with FPC trailing Buchholz 33-30. He need to win by a major decision over the Bobcats’ Stefan Behrmann in the 157-pound match for FPC to win the dual. He did one point better by winning by technical fall (17-2).
These are my guys. This is my family. I'm team captain. I’m out there to do what I need to do.
— CARSON BAERT, FPC wrestler
“They told me what I needed to do,” Baert said. “When it all relies on you, all that pressure is there, you got to do what you got to do. These are my guys. This is my family. I'm team captain. I’m out there to do what I need to do. Sometimes it doesn't go my way and sometimes it does. If they needed a pin I would have done everything I could for the pin.”
With two matches to go, Buchholz led 33-26. FPC needed major decisions in both matches to advance. FPC’s Ronden Ricks defeated Buchholz’s Laine Slayton (a state qualifier last season) in the 150-pound match by a 16-2 major decision to set up the final match.
“Ronden's win was huge for us,” FPC coach David Bossardet said. “I think if you ask anybody outside of FPC, it was considered an upset. But we don’t consider it an upset. Ronden went out and did what he’s capable of doing.”
The Bulldogs hosted four teams on the night. In the regional quarterfinals, Buchholz, the District 2 runner-up, defeated Creekside, the District 1 champ, 42-20; and District 2 champ FPC defeated District 1 runner-up Tocoi Creek 59-15 to set up the regional semifinal.
The Bulldogs defeated the Bobcats 49-18 in the district tournament last month. But in anticipating a rematch, both teams juggled their lineups.
“We knew it was going to be a lot closer,” Bossardet said. “I knew they’d make some adjustments in their lineup. Coach (T.J.) Gillin made the difference in this dual meet. I told him Monday (Jan. 13), ‘I want you to decide who we send out at what weights.’ And I trust him. So we moved some guys around, and if we didn’t, we don't win that dual meet.”
One of the switches was Ricks moving up to 150 from the 144-pound slot where he wrestled on Dec. 18 at district.
“Ronden Ricks wrestled exceptionally,” Bossardet said. “We needed the last two and Ronden and Carson got the job done.”
FPC’s Mikey Fries (165), Doyvonne Leadon (175), Melique Joseph (215), Kevin McLean (113), T.J. McLean (120) and Trey Twilley (126) also won their matches in the Buchholz dual.
The referee picks out of a hat to decide what weight class would lead the dual meet. In the region semifinal, they started with the 165-pound match, which would not have been the Bulldogs’ choice, Bossardet said.
“Our lightweight guys are pretty dang tough to beat,” he said. “I would have liked to get that momentum rolling, but we won the first two matches and then we let some matches slip there and we had to battle back. So that's the name of the game. It was an intense dual. Buchholz is a great team. They came ready to wrestle.”
