Dominant Highlanders reaching for new heights
|
Lake Highland Prep’s wrestling team is always trying to raise the bar.
The six-time state champions lost just seven individual matches total in last season’s state tournament, finishing with state champions in seven of the 14 weight classes and breaking their own FHSAA finals record with 333 points.
Three champions graduated, but the Highlanders aren’t skipping a beat and have a strong group of wrestlers to replace them as the team embarks on what might be the toughest high school wrestling schedule in the country. Lake Highland faces four national-caliber tournaments in the first six weeks.
“If you’re not chasing greatness, then the process is less than what it could be,” coach Mike Palazzo said of the ambitious schedule. “The core of the grind is right now and to get these guys ready for the next level, they need to be challenged every week.”
Lake Highland returned state champions Danny Nini, Nic Bouzakis, Kai Bele and Logan Andrew.
State placers Jake Wohltman, Bailey Flanagan, Noah Castillo and Cameron Monzadeh are also back and will be joined by newcomers Chris Rivera and Justin Rivera, twins from Fort Myers who have three state titles between the two of them.
“These guys want to be superstars — they want to break records,” Palazzo said. “They know they’re part of something special and they want to carry that torch forward.”
Three-peat: Nationally ranked Malyke Hines enters the season looking for his third consecutive state title for Kissimmee Osceola.
The Lehigh-bound senior is joined on the Kowboys by brother Jaekus Hines, a state finalist a season ago, and state placer Nolin Eaddy.
District battle to watch: Last season Hagerty finally broke through and won a district title, beating out Winter Springs to win the 3A, District 3 tournament crown. The Bears also won a district title, beating Hagerty in the state duals series, which was launched last season to give Florida two state wrestling tournaments.
The two Seminole Athletic Conference rivals are poised to battle it out again in both the duals and individual bracket tournament state competition.
State placers Ryan Rowland, Dylan Kohn, Ethan Woods and Logan Perkins return for the Huskies.
Winter Springs returns 11 regional qualifiers from a year ago, including state placers Matt Phillips, Bobby Williams and Jessiah Contreras.
Other storylines to watch: Freedom has won five straight 3A, District 4 titles, and with eight regional qualifiers returning, the Patriots are in prime position to make it six in a row. Timber Creek will push Freedom the most but the Wolves are younger and less experienced.
Apopka has dominated 3A-2 the past half-decade, winning four titles in five seasons. The Blue Darters, with a new head coach for the second straight season, will face stiff competition from West Orange, which returns six region qualifiers and would like to repeat the title it won in 2015.
Harmony is the top area team in 2A and, despite graduating two state placers from a year ago, the Longhorns are the team to beat in District 6 with one of the deeper rosters in Central Florida.
This weekend: Lake Highland begins its season at the prestigious Ironman at Walsh Jesuit High School in Akron, Ohio.
Locally, Osceola hosts one of the most intriguing in-state events this weekend with the Danny Byron Invite. The meet, which also doubles as the OBC Tournament on Friday, features a tough mix of local and out-of-state competition over the two days.
Master’s Academy is hosting a two-day tournament, the Battle for the Blacktop,. And on Saturday, we’ll get the first looks at Hagerty and Winter Springs and many other Central Florida players at the Clash of the Titans at Orange City University.
You can find wrestling coverage for the entire state of Florida at OrlandoSentinel.com/wrestling.