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Wrestling takes second in regionals
MOVING ON Senior Devin Kohn (left) wrestles his opponent in a semifinal match in the regional championships. The Campbell University commit won his weight class and will proceed to states. Sophomore Bo Perkins (top right) attempts to escape a hold in his semifinal match. He would later move on to finals and win his weight class. Junior Ryan Rowland (bottom right) attempts to flip his opponent in his semifinal match. Rowland also won his weight class and advanced to the state finals. photos by Michael Gibson
Wrestling finshes historic regular season, sends seven to states in March Michael Gibson
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Sports Editor
n Feb. 23, nine wrestlers competed in the class 3A, region 1 championships, a record number for the program. Of those nine wrestlers, senior Devin Kohn, sophomore Bo Perkins and junior Ryan Rowland all won their weight class and will be advancing to the state championships. Four others will advance: senior Justin Segarra, junior Ethan Woods, senior Matthew Kaplan and freshman Dylan Kohn. The state championships will be held March 2-3 in Kissimmee. For the semifinals, the team had several matches against wrestlers from Fletcher Island, another top program in the state. During one match Segarra held the lead with a minute left but he was then pinned and lost the match.
Segarra was able to later redeem himself by winning in the consolations and finals, he will also be advancing to the state championship. “After my semifinals match it was a good feeling to know I was going to the finals,” Segarra said. “I knew it was going to be a tough match so I just had to stay focused.” This regional championship was different than the previous ones, as the team had home gym advantage so more family and friends were able to attend then other schools. That support, paired with the hard work of all the wrestlers, led the team to a second place finish with a team score of 156.5. The team finished the regular season 9-2, including a first ever win at the Johnny Rouse invitational, but they lost in the quarterfinals of the first ever state dual-championships, but the true postseason, the individual championships, are still underway. The team came out victorious in their previous tournament, the Bill Scott Memorial, with five wrestlers winning their weight class. Among the winners were freshman Dylan Kohn, in the 120-pound weight class, and his brother,
Ducharme takes second Noah Kemper
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Segarra said. “It’s been tough getting around with new people but it’s been pretty good so far. I’m really looking forward to the end of the season.” The program’s expectations have grown throughout the years. Diaz and the rest of the coaching staff have continually set higher standards for their wrestlers to meet; much of which includes winning their weight class. The team has put 12 different wrestlers on the top of the podium throughout the season, a number that continues to grow as the program develops. “Now that we’ve gotten better our expectations have certainly grown,” Diaz said. “I’m expecting to get in tournaments and win.” The winning continued through the team’s most recent meet against Apopka. The team won 45-24 and 10 wrestlers won their weight class. In the last meet of the regular season, the team destroyed rival Oviedo, 55-18 to close the season 9-2. This has been the most successful season in program history from, winning the Johnny Rouse memorial for the first time, to sending seven wrestlers to states. The team will look to finish the season off strong and contend for a state championship.
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GIRLS BASKETBALL COMES UP JUST SHORT AGAINST NICEVILLE On Thursday Feb. 28 the girls basketball team faced off against Niceville in a district tournament game. The girls team trailed by six at the half and by only two at the start of the fourth. The team came up just short, however, with a last second miss, ending the season, 60-58. Small forward Megan Reilly led the team with 28 points. Varsity finished the season 8-17 and 1-4 in district. “They played well in a season of growth with a lot of freshmen playing major roles on varsity,” coach Joshua Johns said.
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Staff Reporter n Feb.2-3, the girls team competed in the FHSAA state meet. The team sent Cheyanne DuCharme, Kayra Tasci and Aryan Johnson to states. Each competitor was placed in a different weight class; DuCharme in the 110-pound weight class, Johnson in the 182-pound class, and Tasci in the 199-pound class. The competition was based off of two events, the bench press and the clean and jerk. Tasci bench pressed 145 pounds, Johnson benched 145 pounds, and DuCharme benched 140 pounds. After the bench press, the girls lifted the clean and jerk, which is a bar that is on the ground and each competitor lifts it up to their shoulders, catch it in a squat, then attempts to land in a jerk. DuCharme stood out by lifting 165 pounds, the highest in her weight class. “I prepared for this competition by focusing on one thing, and one thing only, that was to strive for my goal,” DuCharme said. Later when the scores were added up, competitors were given a rank for each event. If the girls are ranked in the top six, then they were awarded points for their team. Tasci ranked 15th, Johnson ranked 11th and DuCharme ranked second, so she earned five points for her team. The three lifters were part of a strong season
Devin Kohn, in the 145-pound weight class. “We’ve been wrestling together for years now, he started two years after I did,” Devin Kohn said. “We just started in high school together and it’s been good.” A big accomplishment for the team this season was their success against Winter Springs. In previous years, the team would often fall just short of Winter Springs and their success against them this season has been a testament of how much this program has grown. “We are getting better, we’ve caught up with them and passed them,” Diaz said. “We still have a lot of work to do but we are going in the right direction.” The team won the Johnny Rouse Invitational on Dec. 9, the first time in program history they won that meet. Segarra, who is in his first year in the program, led the way, recording five pins. Transferring schools and joining a new team is never easy but head coach Scotty Diaz and the rest of the wrestling team have been able to aid Segarra in his transition. “This season has meant a lot especially since it’s my senior year and I’m at a new school,”
BOYS BASKETBALL ENDS SEASON IN DISTRICTS AGAINST VIERA The boys basketball season ended in the district semifinals against Viera on Feb. 6. The game started out slow and as the first half ended, the team trailed 29-27. Viera slowly pulled away in the last two minutes and won the game 62-52. The team was led by senior Jace Coffie (26 points) and finished 12-13 and 2-4 in conference. “The team played well as the season went on, although it would have been nice to win more games for the seniors and stay more consistent,” coach Brett Hamilton said.
TWELVE ATHLETES SIGN COLLEGE LETTERS OF INTENT
CARRY THE WEIGHT Junior Cheyanne DuCharme practices clean and jerk before a meet. Ducharme finished second at states for the second year in a row in the 110 weight class. photo by Michael Gibson
where the team went 8-0 for the season, and 7-0 in their conference. “The team performed very well and we all exceeded the expectations for this season,” said head coach David Attaway.
On Thursday, Feb. 8, 12 students participated in NCAA signing day, accepting scholarships to play sports in college. The sports range from soccer to softball: Gabby Mathre - Santa Fe College, Ashley Worrell - Reindhardt University, Julia England Jacksonville State University, Morgan Morarend - University of West Florida, Maria Puccio-Ball - Flagler College, Devin Kohn - Campbell University, Jace Coffie - Thiel College, Jarret Prachel - Belmont Abbey College, Jackson Scott - Felician University, Dominic Madlang - University of Mount Olive, Connor Purcell - Mercer University.
BOYS SOCCER FINISHES SEASON IN FIRST ROUND On Sunday, Feb 11, the boys soccer team faced Olympia in the first round of the playoffs. Midfielder Muhammad Ali scored the first goal of the game, but the game was tied minutes later. After halftime, forward Jordan Snoap scored but Olympia scored also, sending the game into overtime. Olympia scored off a fast break eliminating the boys team from the playoffs. The team’s record was 18-4-1 and 11-2-1 in the conference, led by Snoap, who recorded 21 goals for the season. “Our team chemistry improved so much over the games we played and everyone’s effort was at maximum,” Snoap said.
2/26/2018 8:01:33 PM