Lake Highland claims wrestling crown
Lake Highland Prep’s nationallyranked wrestling team dominated the 26th annual Ron Peters Tournament of Champions on Saturday at Lake Mary High School.
The Highlanders won 12 of the 14 individual championship matches and piled up 411 team points, which was 185.5 points more than runner-up Hagerty.
Lake Highland, ranked seventh nationally by FloWrestling, had five wins by falls among its 12 finals victors.
“I think overall, across-the-board, we did pretty well,” said ninth-year Lake Highland coach Mike Palazzo. “We’re going up to Pennsylvania next week to wrestle the number one team in the country and we need to fix some things.”
Palazzo was referring at least in part to the 170-pound weight class where his senior, Max Cosmides, lost a 4-1 decision against Hagerty senior Justin Segarra.
LHP sophomore Kai Bele, winner of the 145 weight class, was named the tournament’s outstanding lightweight wrestler. He defeated Hagerty’s Devin Kohn in a 6-3 finals decision.
Teammate Ben Goldin, at 220, was the tournament’s outstanding heavyweight wrestler.
Southwest Miami finished third with 195 points. Winter Springs was fourth at 192 and has the other individual champion who was not in a Lake Highland uniform. Bears junior Jessiah Contreras defeated Deland’s Raymond Haverty 3-1 in overtime to capture the 195-pound weight class.
The Bears have won 10 straight district titles and Hagerty has been chasing them while building a program.
Lake Highland eighth-grader Nic Bouzakis remains undefeated in his wrestling career, which began in the sixth grade, by taking down Highlanders B team wrestler William Kennedy in the 113 final.
When asked for his secret to being undefeated so far, Bouzakis said, “It’s about having fun. I love what I do.”
Winter Park’s Girls Soccer Showcase was built for players likeTimber Creek’s Elena Falzone and Winter Park’s Kendyl Stalker.
Falzone, moving from goalkeeper to midfielder, made the most of Timber Creek missing four starters by scoring two goals Saturday in a 4-1 victory against Orange City University. The Wolves (12-1-1) later won 4-1 against McKeel Academy of Lakeland.
Several teams had similar stories to Falzone’s because several starters joined their club teams at the at the Elite Clubs National League Under 15 and Under 18-19 national tournament in Sanford.
Stalker, a freshman callup off the junior-varsity, played well in the midfield to help Winter Park go 3-0 in the showcase and some colleges noticed.
“She got caught by a couple recruiters,” said Wildcats coach Jimmy Angeles said. “I’m proud of her.”
One of the scouts early Saturday mentioned that he was looking already at this year’s juniors and sophomores, beginning to build their prospect lists.
“We got a lot of girls playing time, which is great,” Timber Creek coach Cameron Stevens said. “I know they get exposure in club, but here they get to play some different positions.”
Winter Park beat Harmony 1-0 early Saturday on a Catherine Guerci goal in the 53rd minute.
For Harmony coach Scott Marlega, the showcase was about the Longhorns (13-1-2) getting confidence against stronger teams. Getting the players in front of 28 college scouts was also a plus. Division I universities such as Florida Atlantic, Florida Gulf Coast and USF; Division II colleges including Rollins; and other levels were represented.
“It’s very unusual to get a good group of 12 high schools together, and you have college coaches come out and see the players play,” Marlega said. “We have a lot of girls who play at smaller clubs who don’t get the chance to be seen. To get a chance to play in front of the colleges and play some of the best teams in the state, it’s an incredible tournament.”
Winter Park also beat Daytona Beach Seabreeze 4-1. The Wildcats extracted a bit of revenge against Seabreeze for a 2-1 loss in last year’s showcase.
However, both teams were depleted with ECNL players out. Seabreeze also had starters Gia Laoun and Taylor Nirschel out with knee injuries.
Alexis Lee put Winter Park on the board in the second minute, then burned Seabreeze with several through balls. Heather Herndon scored off one in the ninth minute, then the Wildcats tightened up the midfield. McKenna Singhoffen and Aliyah Ramos also scored. Alauna Neely scored off a penalty kick for Seabreeze.
He was happier to give the players a showcase for the scouts, a sentiment echoed by most of the coaches.
Lake Nona also went 3-0 in the showcase, capping the event with a 3-1 victory over Orange City University.
Lake Highland finished 2-0-1 after tying Timber Creek 1-1 on Friday and beating Freedom 2-0 on Saturday.