PACE — In what’s appearing to be the final duals tournament staged in the Panhandle for 2020-21, Gulf Breeze emerged on top Saturday at Pace’s six-team duals tournament.
The Dolphins (8-1 in duals for the season) took double-digit wins over Pace B (84-0), Choctaw (71-12), Ocean Springs (Mississippi) (75-6) and Niceville (54-30) before pushing past Pace’s A squad with four pins in a row from 152 through 182. That allowed Gulf Breeze some cushion in a 48-36 victory over the Patriots.
Pace (9-2) was 3-1, with wins over Ocean Springs (69-12), Niceville (44-30) and Choctaw (84-0). The Patriots’ A and B squads did not meet.
Niceville (12-6) was third, with wins over Choctaw (42-30) and Ocean Springs (48-30) to start the day. The Eagles finished with a 54-6 win over Pace B.
Choctaw’s lone dual win came in round 3, as the Indians (1-7) took down Pace B, 66-12, with a loss to Ocean Springs (59-24) along with those noted already noted above.
The Indians and Eagles will be on the mats next with a dual at Niceville on Friday. Choctaw and Gulf Breeze will be at Arnold’s IBT on Saturday, while Niceville is heading to Chiles for Timberwolf Duals that same day. Pace is off until the 2A-District 1 IBT on February 15 at Gulf Breeze, an event that kicks off the coverage area’s FHSAA stretch run.
Box scores for all 14 duals contested Saturday can be found HERE.
THE NOTES
Standings: 1. Gulf Breeze. 2. Pace A. 3. Niceville. 4. Ocean Springs (MS). 5. Choctaw. 6. Pace B. (2 wrestlers from Milton were assigned to Gulf Breeze team).
THE ACES OF THE DAY
Gulf Breeze: Sean Jones (160) was one of six unbeaten Dolphin wrestlers on Saturday, with four pins (Pace B, Ocean Springs, Niceville and Pace A). The fall in the Pace A dual gave Gulf Breeze a lead it would not relinquish.
Pace A: Atticus Waters (145) pinned his way through the day, with falls over wrestlers from Ocean Springs, Niceville, Choctaw and Gulf Breeze. Waters’ fall in the Gulf Breeze dual gave the hosts their only lead in that dual.
Niceville: Noah Tritz (126) was 5-0 with all contested victories, one of four Eagles to go 5-0 Saturday. Tritz had four pins (Choctaw, Ocean Springs, Gulf Breeze and Pace B), and took a 6-4 win against Pace A.
Choctaw: Devonte Knox (145) was 4-1 for the Indians, with four pins on the day. Knox had falls over Niceville, Gulf Breeze, Pace B and Ocean Springs.
Pace B: Darren Yale (160) had three victories over the course of the day, including two pins for the Bs over Choctaw and Ocean Springs.
North Florida Matmen 