Hey guys!
The work continues. We are bringing back, for its sixth year, #TheSeason. We didn’t do these first year, but have ever since. It’s something nobody else does. We compile all season records and write a wrapup for each team.
We are a third of the way into Round 7 of random selections from the 11 districts (three of those districts will be completed this round). Our fourth team this round and seventh team from 2A-District 3, the 72nd team overall, is Ponte Vedra.
PONTE VEDRA
You can see everything I have on the Sharks in 2019-20 here –> PONTE VEDRA
Win/loss record: 12-15 in dual meets reported to Matmen. Please review the attached document for a summary of the Sharks’ performance in IBT events. All individual records are as compiled by Matmen.
Season in a nutshell: Ponte Vedra kicked off the season by traveling to district rival Terry Parker’s two-day IBT, the Arlington Optimist Invitational, on December 6-7, taking first out of 12 teams in the tournament. Ponte Vedra’s girls team also staged a dual against Terry Parker’s girls during that same tournament. After a midweek dual loss on the 11th, the Sharks made the trip to region rival Chiles for the two-day Capital City Classic IBT on the 13th-14th, placing 20th out of 28 teams in that event. Ponte Vedra sent a sizable contingent down I-95 to Matanzas’ one-day Lady Pirate Classic on the 21st; the Sharks competed along with 26 other teams that had entries in the event. No team scores were kept there. After the holidays, Ponte Vedra began competition with s trip to nearby Creekside for the St Johns County Championships, a one-day roundorobin on January 4 where no team scores were kept. The Sharks would then go back to Terry Parker on the 7th for the 2A-District 3 dual team tournament, going 2-2 in duals on the night and placing third in the event. They had 11 days off from formal competition before going back to Tallahassee on the 18th, this time to Lincoln’s one-day Trojan Invitational, which this year was duals in format. The Sharks were 2-3 on the day and placed fourth in the eight-team event. Next up was a midweek duals tournament at region rival Orange Park’s one-day event on the 22nd, where Ponte Vedra was 1-4 on the night in a competition where the Sharks introduced several new wrestlers to the varsity. That weekend, on the 24th-25th, the Sharks went back to Terry Parker for the Parker Duals, compiling a 6-3 weekend record (in which they won their last five after a 1-3 start). After a midweek dual loss on the 30th, Ponte Vedra went to Flagler Palm Coast’s two-day Flagler Rotary IBT on the 31st and February 1, placing 26th out of 33 teams in that tournament. PVHS then took another midweek dual loss again on the 5th and competed in an IBT on the weekend, this time going to Clay’s two-day Rotary on the 7th-8th, where it finished T-27th out of 33 teams. Most of the Sharks wrapped up the regular season with a midweek dual win on the 13th; the Lady Sharks’ contingent went to Dr Phillips for girls’ state, placing T-51st out of 117 teams. Ponte Vedra finished third at the District 3 traditional tournament, then placed T-13th at Chiles for Region 1, with three state qualifiers. At Silver Spurs Arena in Kissimmee, the Sharks were T-59th out of 77 teams in the 2A state field. Ponte Vedra graduated five key seniors, including two of its three state qualifiers, from the 2019-20 team, but can call upon as many as 19 key post-season or significant regular-season starters; the Sharks had a couple more in the returning group that saw double-digit start numbers as well.
Key returners (15+ matches this past season) for 2020-21 (with year in school as they’ll be next year): Gia Lemon (senior, 12-16 at 100/106, 0-2 at girls’ state); Aiden Taylor (sophomore, 6-15 at 106, district 4th, 0-2 at regions); Julian Villegas (junior, 13-18 at 113, district 4th, 0-2 at regions); James Richie (senior, 6-10 at 113/120, did not compete in post-season traditionals); Olivia Richie (sophomore, 8-9 at 113/122, 1-2 at girls’ state); Michael Stephens (junior, 12-16 at 120, district champ, 0-2 at regions); Josie Sagasser (sophomore, 5-6 at 134, 3-2 at girls’ state); Andrew Hissam (sophomore, 6-16 at 132/138, did not compete in post-season traditionals); Luke Babin (senior, 5-19 at 145, 1 match from regions); John Whitley (senior, 10-16 at 145/152, did not compete in post-season traditionals); Cyrus Ferraro (senior, 4-15 at 152, 0-2 at districts); Joseph Skinner (senior, 12-12 at 152/160, did not compete in post-season traditionals); Rett Maritato (senior, 41-18 at 170, district 3rd, region 4th, 0-2 at states); Grace Lin (senior, 4-4 at 172, 1-2 at girls’ state); Zachary Underwood (senior, 5-12 at 182, 0-2 at districts); Luke Calamari (junior, 6-12 at 182, did not compete in post-season traditionals); Eric Ressler (sophomore, 7-17 at 195/220, did not compete in post-season traditionals); Xavier Agatep (sophomore, 3-12 at 220, 1 match from regions); Christopher Stewart (sophomore, 4-14 at 285, 1 match from regions).
Graduation losses (15+ matches this past season or post-season experience) from this year’s team: Stephen Kowitski (13-21 at 126, district 3rd, 1-2 at regions); Jackson Shewey (20-13 at 132, district runnerup, did not compete at regions); Alex De Almeida (31-8 at 138, district champ, region 3rd, 1-2 at states); Ethan Baur (21-7 at 160, district 3rd, region 3rd, 0-2 at states); Harlan Nikolov (17-14 at 195, district runnerup, 1-2 at regions).
2019-20 MVP: 2020 graduate Ethan Baur broke through to the state tournament this year after a consistently solid career that combined talent with work ethic and didn’t drop after a turnover in head coaches. Competing exclusively at 160 this year, Baur didn’t get a full start until January, with just one dual match in December. He was 3-1 at district duals, with his only loss by one point against the eventual state runnerup and a fellow MVP. That loss touched off a nine-match win streak, in which Baur was 5-0 at Trojan Duals, that was snapped only by a rematch with the eventual state runnerup. As the traditional tournament series began, Baur took an upset loss in his first match, but rallied back for two wins to take third. It was the same story at Region 1 at Chiles; after an opening-round loss, he rallied through the consi side of the bracket, powering past opponent after opponent to place third, with two Saturday sudden-victory wins in the blood and medal rounds, respectively, to make the show.
2020-21 captain: The team leader in wins by a good margin, rising senior Rett Maritato is the Sharks’ only returning state qualifier. Maritato competed almost exclusively at 170 and placed in both of his first three tournaments, with a win at Optimist and sixth at Capital City in December. He followed those up with a third — behind two Matmen MVPs — at County, and had three pins (with his only loss to another MVP) at district duals. Maritato was 4-1 at Trojan and 3-1 at Orange Park, with a very solid 8-1 weekend at Parker. Maritato struggled some at Flagler, but had a better tournament at Clay, going 3-2 (with both of his losses to just one wrestler). He had three bonus-point wins (only loss to another MVP) to advance third out of District 3 and then reached the Region 1 semis, eventually qualifying fourth with losses to two MVPs. It was a quick Friday at states, but the initial experience could be enough to put him into the mix to podium in 2021.
Zander Laurin Warrior: We had already done Ponte Vedra’s #TheSeason recap when Zander passed away last summer, so there has yet to be a first Sharks wrestler to receive the nomination. Until tonight. In consultation and conjunction with the head coach, I am naming 2020 graduate Alex De Almeida as the first Zander Laurin Warrior for Ponte Vedra. De Almeida had an MVP-level season in his own right in 2019-20 while competing at 138; after an early loss that followed an Optimist title, De Almeida won 17 matches in a row in a streak that began in early January and continued until the final day of that month, with a County title, six max-point wins at Parker Duals, and four pins at district duals. It took a multiple-time state champion to break up that streak. De Almeida was one-match short of placing at Clay, but two weeks later he was one of two Ponte Vedra district champs. After dropping his opening match at Chiles for region 1, he won five in a row on the back to wrestle all the way back to third place. At states, De Almeida scored the Sharks’ team points, with a major decision in the first round of consis. His work ethic since joining the team has been everything one would hope for in Ponte Vedra’s Warrior nominees, and for everything he’s done this season, Alex De Almeida is the Zander Laurin Warrior for Ponte Vedra.
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Season in a nutshell: FSDB began the season on December 4 with a trip to Orange Park’s Raider 8-Way, with a 2-3 record in duals on the night. Next up for the Dragons was a trip to Yulee for a midweek quad on the 11th, in which FSDB was 1-2 on the night. After the holiday break, Florida Deaf & Blind opened January with the 1A-District 5 dual team tournament on the 7th, a tournament in which the Dragons were 0-4 on the night. FSDB went back to competition the next night, falling in a midweek dual. It went back to Yulee on the 10th and 11th for the Joe Bees Memorial Battle of the Border, placing 14th out of 16 teams in the two-day IBT. From there, it was all midweek duals on the FSDB calendar. The Dragons swept to a pair of wins on the 22nd, then had nearly two weeks off until their next dual on February 5, which resulted in a dual loss. FSDB then had two tri-meets in the final week of the regular season, losing a pair of duals on the 11th and losing the one reported dual known to us on the 12th. The Dragons placed fifth out of six District 5 teams competing in the traditional tournament and finished 26th at the Region 2 tournament, with no state qualifiers. FSDB graduated one senior from this past year’s team; the Dragons can call upon as many as seven post-season or key regular-season starters in 2020-21, plus the possibility of a couple more that saw early time as starters in December.
Season in a nutshell: Raines spent most of its season as it traditionally does, in roundrobin or IBT events, and the first three weekends of December were little different. First up for the Vikings was a Tallahassee trip to Florida High for the Cam Brown Seminole Classic on December 6-7, where Raines finished seventh out of 12 teams. Raines would go back to Tallahassee, this time Chiles, for the Capital City Classic two-day IBT on the 13th and 14th, placing 13th out of 28 teams in that event. The Vikings closed out the month with a sixth-place finish in the 10-team Amanda St John Memorial, a one-day IBT at Villages on the 21st. After the holidays, Raines made of its two longer trips to south Florida, first going to Pembroke Pines for the Somerset Scuffle on the 3rd-4th of January. That event, with pooled competition on the first day and a seeded IBT on the second, saw the Vikings place ninth out of 17 teams. After midweek dual wins on the 8th and 15th, Raines next traveled west to Wewahitchka’s two-day Gator Brawl, a roundrobin event, and placed eighth out of 22 teams on the 17th and 18th. Travel remained the name of the game the following weekend, the 24th-25th, as the Vikings went to South Fort Myers’ two-day Wolfpack Duals, with a 5-5 weekend record, where they placed 22nd out of 30 teams. Raines then had their only in-town regular-season tournament of the season, going to Fletcher (OK, technically Neptune Beach) for the Gateway Conference two-day IBT, where the Vikings were third out of 15 teams on January 31-February 1. They next traveled to the Clay Rotary on the 7th-8th, placing 10th out of 33 teams. Most of the team wrapped up the regular season at Clay, with a contingent further heading to the girls’ state tournament at Dr Phillips, placing T-68th out of 117 teams with entries. Raines was third in the 1A-District 3 traditional tournament, and placed fifth at Region 1, sending five wrestlers to states. At Silver Spurs Arena, the Vikings were 13th out of 66 teams, with four podium finishes. While Raines graduated two of their state medalists, the Vikings can call upon as many as nine key post-season/regular season starters in 2020-21.
Season in a nutshell: Seabreeze began the 2019-20 season with a midweek dual victory on December 4, then went to district rival Matanzas’ one-day duals tournament on the 7th, where the Sandcrabs placed fifth with a 3-2 record for the day. Next was a trip to Tallahassee on the 13th-14th for the two-day Capital City Classic at Chiles, where Seabreeze placed 15th out of 28 teams in the field. The Sandcrabs stayed in IBT mode in the third weekend of the month, traveling to Lyman’s Bill Scott Memorial on the 20th-21st and finishing second out of 14 teams in that field. Seabreeze also had representation in the 27-team Lady Pirate Classic at Matanzas, a one-day roundrobin on the 21st, but no team scores were kept at that event. After the holidays, the Sandcrabs began competition with a trip to Fleming Island and the two-day Keystone Memorial on the 3rd-4th of January. Seabreeze was 5-0 in duals on the first day and placed fifth out of 20 teams in IBT competition on the second. Next was the highlight of the Sandcrabs’ year, as they won three duals to win the 2A-District 4 dual team tournament, their first such district win, on the 11th. After a midweek dual win on the 15th, the next day saw Seabreeze taking I-95 up north to Neptune Beach for Region 1 duals competition, reaching the semifinals. That weekend, the Sandcrabs went to Citrus’ Ed Kilpatrick IBT, winning the 19-team, one-day event on the 18th. Seabreeze then returned home to host the Ray Hollingsworth Duals on the 25th, sweeping the day with five dual victories. The Sandcrabs then wrapped up January with a two-day trip to Palm Coast for the Flagler Rotary on the 31st and February 1st, placing 14th out of 33 teams in that two-day IBT. After a midweek tri-meet sweep of dual wins on the 5th, Seabreeze then placed fourth out of nine teams at the Five Star Conference IBT on the 8th. For most of the Sandcrabs, that was the end of the regular season; Seabreeze’s girls’ state contingent went on to place T-64th out of 117 teams at Dr Phillips on the 14th and 15th. The Sandcrabs were third at the District 4 traditional tournament and placed 15th at Region 1 at Chiles, with two state qualifiers. At Silver Spurs Arena, those qualifiers placed T-34th out of 77 teams in the 2A state field. Seabreeze graduated four key seniors from this past year’s team, including both 2019-20 state qualifiers, but the Sandcrabs can call upon as many as 13 key post-season or regular-season starters in 2020-21.
Season in a nutshell: DeLand’s Lady Bulldogs began the campaign for the team, with a ninth-place finish out of 20 teams at district rival University (Orange City)’s Clash of Lady Titans on December 6. That same weekend, the DeLand boys went to Master’s Academy and its Battle of the Blacktop, where they were seventh out of 16 teams. DeLand brought the group together to conference rival Deltona’s one-day duals tournament on the 14th, and the combined group had their biggest moment of the regular season if not the season as a whole, running the table to go 5-0 and win the event. The Bulldogs then went to Villages for its one-day IBT, the Amanda St John Memorial, on the 21st, placing fifth out of 10 teams there. After the holidays, DeLand went to work right away, going to Lake Mary’s two-day Tournament of Champions IBT on the 3rd and 4th, placing 17th out of 32 teams. Next up was the 3A-District 2 dual team tournament, where the Bulldogs had a 1-2 record on the night. After a midweek dual on the 15th, DeLand went to Citrus’ one-day Ed Kilpatrick IBT on the 18th, where it finished 11th out of 19 teams in that event. A midweek dual loss against a region rival on the 22nd was next, with the Bulldogs then hosting their own one-day IBT on the 25th, placing seventh out of 17 teams. DeLand then had another Saturday IBT, this time on February 1st at Timber Creek’s Wolfpack Invitational, where the Bulldogs were 12th out of 17 teams. After a midweek dual on the 5th, DeLand took sixth out of nine teams at the Five Star Conference one-day IBT on the 8th. Most of the Bulldogs wrapped the regular season with a midweek dual on the 12th; the Lady Bulldogs sent two wrestlers to the girls’ state tournament at Dr Phillips, placing T-32nd out of 117 teams, with one medalist. DeLand was seventh at the District 2 traditional tournament, and placed T-23rd at Region 1, with no state qualifiers. The Bulldogs do graduate four seniors that played key roles in their four years with the program, but DeLand can call upon as many as 12 post-season/key regular-season starters in 2020-21.
Season in a nutshell: Bradford competed in duals only during the 2019-20 regular season. First up was a midweek dual loss on December 11. The Tornadoes competed in their only regular-season tournament at Gainesville’s Category 5 Duals on the 28th, winning two of five duals on the day. After the new year, Bradford drove in to Jacksonville to compete in the 1A-District 4 dual team tournament, losing both of the duals in which they competed. The Tornadoes were next in competition on the 22nd, splitting a midweek tri-meet that night, then wrapped up the regular season with midweek dual losses on the 24th and 29th. Bradford placed eighth at the 1A-District 4 traditional tournament and placed T-29th at Region 1. Of the three wrestlers that competed in the post-season for the Tornadoes (none had 15 matches), one of them graduated, but Bradford can call upon two returners with post-season experience, plus everyone else that had occasional starts in the Tornado lineup (including a 2019 district champ) is also eligible to return in 2020-21.
North Florida Matmen 