By MATMEN
#TurkeyNWrestling
November 24, 2022 — 6 a.m.
Lyman and Deltona have habitually gotten plenty of looks at the teams with whom they share a new combined home, 2A-District 8.
Having the shared geographic area of eastern greater Orlando, and seeing their district neighbors at least once, if not multiple times, in various dual and IBT competitions, will certainly prepare the Matmen representatives in the district for what’s to come.
On balance, I think Deltona might have the edge in head-to-head with their Lyman compatriots, but I’m not sure if either one will reach the FHSAA region round.
The Wolves are coming off a year in which they were district duals champions, in 1A-District 6, but they do have to replace four Class of 2022 starters, including two region-level qualifiers.
Deltona has nine projected key returners back, led by seniors and state qualifiers Kevin Kerns (5th at 1A-132 last year) and Nathan Hatch (285). Of its nine potentially back, six competed at the region level.
Lyman lost just two seniors in May from last year’s lineup, but one of those two was the Greyhounds’ top performer last year and the other was a multiple-year starter.
The Greyhounds will have as many as eight projected key returners back for next year, but only six were starters in the post-season, four of those six reached the region round, and two got to the second day at regions.
Still, although there are a few concerns about the Wolves & Greyhounds, both teams should be in the mix of teams battling for third place in the district.
I’d expect Winter Springs to reload and retake the district title, though I predict that East River makes the gap a bit narrower between the leaders, who were 1-2 in the district last year.
Edgewater is the team most likely to join Lyman & Deltona in the mix for third, although it’s got a smaller group. Horizon, Jones and Lake Buena Vista have slightly larger groups back, but all of them will be somewhat inexperienced, an advantage that should play in the Greyhounds’ and Wolves’ favor.
Projected finish: 1. Winter Springs. 2. East River. 3. Deltona. 4. Lyman. 5. Edgewater. 6. Horizon. 7. Jones. 8. Lake Buena Vista.
CAPSULES HERE: 2A-DISTRICT 8 CAPSULES
North Florida Matmen 