GAINESVILLE, FL — The first wrestling day of 2021 saw nine north Florida teams congregate at Buchholz on Saturday for the one-day Bobcat Roundrobin.
No team scores were kept in the event.
Clay had nine wrestlers earn top-four finishes, with weight-class wins at 170 and 220, one runnerup, two thirds and four fourths.
Yulee had the next-most top-four individual finishes, with six in all (one runnerup, one third and 4 fourths). Host Buchholz had one champion at 160 and five top-four finishes (two runners-up, one third and one fourth).
Columbia had a pair of seconds and two thirds, while University Christian won two individual titles (106 & 120) and Union Cty had one third and one fourth. Belleview picked up one fourth-place finish.
Brackets for each of the weight classes can be found HERE.
We aren’t entirely sure about the 3A-District 2 dual tournament situation, but that should wrap up for Buchholz and West Port this week. Yulee will next host the 1A-District 3 duals tournament on Wednesday, while Clay, Union Cty and University Christian are scheduled for 1A-District 4 duals tournament wrestling on Thursday. Belleview will be at Matanzas for the 2A-District 4 duals tournament on January 9, while Columbia and Gainesville will be at the Joe Bees Memorial Battle of the Border, also at Yulee, on the 9th.
THE NOTES
Championship matches —
106: Jayce Paridon (University Christian) p. Brett Millard (Columbia), 1:20.
113: Fredericks (Camden) md. Poston (Camden), 15-2.
120: Egan Gustilo (University Christian) d. Gunner Ivey (Clay), 6-2.
126: Dahlgren (Camden) fft over Santos (Camden).
132: McNichols (Harmony) d. Weaver (Camden), 5-2.
138: Clark (Camden) fft over Doyle (Camden).
145: Hopper (Camden) p. Timothy Brown (Buchholz), 5:52.
152: Griffin (Camden) d. Thomas Greene (Columbia), 6-4.
160: Kason Nichols (Buchholz) d. Aston Ricks (Yulee), 2-1.
170: Cale Hoskinson (Clay) d. Joseph Rice (Columbia), 9-2.
182: Smith (Harmony) p. Harrington (Harmony), 1:17.
195: Dozier (Camden) d. Jason Martin (Buchholz), 6-4, SV.
220: Garrett Tyre (Clay) p. Toro (Harmony), 4:50.
285: Yancey (Camden) d. Davis (Harmony), 8-7, TB-1.
ACES OF THE DAY
Buchholz: The hosts had one champion in eighth-ranked (matmenTEN at 160) sophomore Kason Nichols. Nichols won Pool B behind a fall over West Port and decisions over Union (8-1) and Clay (2-1). Nichols won by third-period fall over Camden in the championship semis, and then edged a fellow Ace, 2-1, for the weight-class victory.
Clay: Junior Garrett Tyre (#3 matmenTEN at 220) won Pool B with pins over Yulee and Columbia, a first-period tech fall over West Port and a 3-0 shutout over Camden, then falled his Harmony finals opponent in the third period to claim one of two Blue Devil titles on the day.
University Christian: Eighth-grader Jayce Paridon (#2 matmenTEN at 106) was the only wrestler in the tournament with five falls (all of them coming in the first period, combined time 6:41) over Yulee, Belleview, Buchholz and Union wrestlers in Pool A and then again in the championship against Columbia.
Columbia: Junior Thomas Greene (#8 matmenTEN at 152) was Columbia’s one runnerup, taking Pool D with a 2-0 record and pins over University Christian and Buchholz. Greene then had a 14-4 major over Yulee in the championship semis before falling by two points in the final round.
Yulee: Senior Aston Ricks (#6 matmenTEN at 160) was the Hornets’ lone finalist, winning Pool A with a 3-0 record. Ricks had falls over Belleview, South Lake and Gainesville, with a 16-5 major over Clay in the championship semis before falling by a point in the title match.
Union Cty: Sophomore Christian Simmons (106) was the Tigers’ top placer, taking third after a 3-1 Pool A effort that saw him second only to Paridon. Simmons had falls over Buchholz, Yulee and Belleview wrestlers in pool, and a fall over Camden in the third-place match.
Belleview: Senior Riley Sorensen (195) was the top finisher for the Diamondbacks, with a 3-2 tournament and Pool D victory to place fourth in the weight class. Sorensen had pins over a teammate and over Columbia, with a decision over a second teammate to go 3-0 in pool.
Gainesville: Senior Will Marshall (160) was one of two Hurricanes to place sixth in their weight class, and won three matches in the process, with pins over South Lake, Belleview and Camden wrestlers.
West Port: Junior Kieran Ball (138) was one of the Wildcats’ two wrestlers on the day to place sixth, with a 2-3 record. Ball had falls over Buchholz and Columbia wrestlers in placing sixth.
North Florida Matmen 