Coaches cheer a first for Florida
Lake Highland Prep wrestling coach Mike Palazzo has accomplished plenty as both a wrestler and a mentor, but one triumph stands out more than all of the rest — the time his high school wrestling team qualified for the Illinois state tournament.
“It is still today the greatest moment in my life in regards to wrestling,” Palazzo said. “It was the only time I cried in high school because I was so happy for all of the guys on the team who had worked so hard and were rewarded.”
The first-ever Florida High School Athletic Association State Duals Tournament begins today at Osceola High School in Kissimmee and Palazzo’s top-ranked team will be one of 24 looking to win one of the first state duals titles in Florida history along with the host Kowboys and Winter Springs.
Since 1965 the FHSAA has held individual bracket tournaments, where wrestlers seek to advance to state against opponents within their weight class. Team standings in that state series, which still exists and starts with district tournaments next month, are based on points wrestlers earn with each bracket victory.
The duals format, like most other team sport playoffs, is a series of head-tohead matchups pitting one school against another.
“It's different but it's really good for the sport,” said Winter Springs coach Rocky Ciero, whose team meets Fleming Island in a Class 3A quarterfinal tonight at 7 p.m. “From a fan standpoint, there’s nothing better than a dual.”
The state duals championships were a long time in the making, with the FHSAA wrestling advisory committee pushing for years before it was finally approved. This weekend, the first duals state title teams will be crowned in three classes: 3A, 2A and 1A.
“A lot of coaches have worked really hard to make this happen,” said Osceola coach Jim Bird, who will juggle hosting duties and a 3A quarterfinal vs. Palm Harbor University at 7. “It's a special event and another great thing for the sport.”
Duals are the most fanfriendly aspect of the sport with all the action taking place on one mat. Teams score points based on how each individual match is won. A victory by pin is worth six points. A win by decision is worth worth three or four, depending on the margin of victory. After 14 bouts, ranging from a 106-pound weight class to heavyweights at 285 and under, the team with the most points wins.
“It's an experience that invites more parents, friends and supporters to be invested,” Palazzo said. “You can understand it more, you can keep track of it easier and by the end of a dual, a first-time watcher can figure out the scoring and wrap their brain around it.”
Nationally ranked Lake Highland is the favorite to take home the 1A title. The Highlanders open against Brooksville Hernando today in a 3 p.m. quarterfinal. Semifinals and championship matches will be held Saturday.
“We would like to do it in the grandest fashion we can,” Palazzo said of the goals he's placed on this weekend. “We want to be the champs, score the most points and concentrate on doing the best in every match we have.”
Clay, Fort Lauderdale Cardinal Gibbons and Somerset Academy of West Palm Beach are other teams to watch in 1A.
In 2A, the fireworks will start early today with the top two teams in the
classification rankings — Lakeland Lake Gibson and Spring Hill Springstead — meeting in the quarterfinals. Punta Gorda Charlotte, Fort Myers Riverdale and Jensen Beach will also be in the running.
Winter Springs’ foe, Fleming Island, is No. 2 in the 3A rankings behind favored South Dade.
“We are up for the challenge,” Ciero said. “It's a tall task, but it will be a different environment and a bigger event and anything can happen in those circumstances.”
Dual matches had become a regular-season rarity as teams flocked to individual bracket weekend events that offered multiple matches for each wrestler. But the duals playoffs brought back a strategic aspect of the sport.
“You're looking for matchups and you're looking for that one guy that can steal one that they [opponents] didn't know about,” Bird said. “That part can be lost in a big individual tournament.
“There is a lot of coaching involved this weekend and some moves will work ... and some won't.”