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Highlands Today

Youth, Experience Converge On The Mats

Chris Hoffman/Highlands Today

Avon Park's Charles Hubbard left and James Bland have a quick laugh during Thursday's practice at APHS.

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By CHRIS HOFFMAN

Highlands Today

Published: November 15, 2008

SEBRING - Many athletes in Highlands County are about to make the transition from football pads to the wrestling match.

Today is the first opportunity for new faces and cagy veterans alike to get a preview of what lies ahead this season at the Blue Streak Preseason Classic at Sebring High School.

Numerous wrestlers made steady improvements in 2007, with Avon Park's James Bland (Highlands Today All-Heartland Co-Wrestler of the Year) and Kermosi Hatten representing the Red Devils at the state finals, while many other athletes are on the cusp of putting it all together.

This year also brings a new head coach, Josh Miller, to the Sebring wrestling team, and along with his arrival comes the hope of some stability in the program that's been lacking in recent years.

Red Devils Ready For Battle

Avon Park finally has a good blend of experience and youth that should make them one of the top teams in Class 1A-District 8 this season.

Returning are state medalists Bland and Hatten, along with seniors Isuel Guzman, heavyweight Jace Grimmett and sophomore Charles Hubbard, who add a plethora of leadership for the younger wrestlers to feast on.

Red Devil head coach Ed Brown, along with head coach Lee Elder, feels he's got a solid batch of kids, but the problem is in the numbers - participants and weight.

"We're still having a problem filling all the weight classes, which is an ongoing struggle for us here at Avon Park," Brown said. "The biggest problem is that we have a lot of our top wrestlers within six pounds of each other, which makes it hard to slot kids into a weight class."

Bland, who wrestled at the 160-pound weight class last year, leads the way for the Red Devils in their quest for a state champion, as the senior co-captain has dealt with the controversial ending in the semifinals of the Class 1A state finals last season.

The AP senior made his second straight state finals appearance and finished third in the state, ending the season with a 44-1 record with 27 pins.

Bland's only loss was in the semifinal match to the eventual state champion Luke McCurrin of Jacksonville Boles.

In the match, Bland made an aggressive takedown move, but the referee stopped the action for the safety of both wrestlers, which cost Bland up to five points. He'd go on to lose by five points (9-4) and settle for the bronze.

"I think about that match every night," Bland said. "I remember the anger I felt after losing, and I want to erase that from my memory with a state championship this season."

Hatten, another team co-captain, finished fifth at state last season and will look to improve on his 43-6 record, where he pinned 21 opponents at 171 pounds.

Brown believes when Hatten is firing on all cylinders, he has the talent to become a state champion.

"Kermosi is going to be fighting it out with James Bland to see who wrestles at 160 pounds this season," Brown said. "Kermosi has all the tools to be a state champion, but he has to put the mental and the physical side of the sport together on a consistent basis.

"It's all up to him. I can give them all the tools they need to succeed on the mat, but I can't step into the circle for them."

Senior co-captain Guzman went 30-16 with 19 kills last season at 189 pounds and has come into camp from football in great shape and is looking to make some noise at the 215-pound class this season.

"This is my last year," Guzman said. "This is when I put all the hard work and desire together, because there isn't a next year for me.

"This is it."

Guzman has taken a real leadership role, as he schools the younger kids on practice procedure and technique, making him an almost third coach on the team.

"It's important for the younger kids to have teammates they can come to with issues," Guzman said. "They don't always feel comfortable going to our coaches so they know they can come to me and I can take the concern to the coaches.

"It's a real honor for me."

Grimmett is nursing some nagging knee injuries from football, but is forgoing surgery until after wrestling season.

Grimmett went 39-8 and was a regional qualifier in the heavyweight class in his first full season on the mat for the Red Devils.

"That knee injury will surely limit some of the things that Jace is able to do," Brown said. "But that just means that he'll have to wrestler smarter and not harder because of those limitations."

Hubbard showed a lot of promise as a freshman, finishing with a 24-16 record at 145 pounds, but Brown knows that there is a lot more talent that's waiting to be tapped in the sophomore.

"Charles was just a raw talent last year and he's come into this season very determined," Brown said. "He still has some things he needs to work on but I wouldn't be shocked to see him go far this year."

Freshman Tyler Russell is one of the newcomers that's been turning heads in practice.

Russell was pitted against a second-year veteran recently during a wrestle off at practice and jumped out to a 10-2 lead before running out of gas, which impressed Brown tremendously.

"Tyler has great potential for us this year," Brown said. "He has the quickness and balance that you look for in a wrestler and now we just need to work on technique."

Heading into today's preseason meet, Brown is hopeful his team will begin to take shape and the team weaknesses will show themselves, so the coaching staff can attend to them early in the season.

"The preseason meet is a great time for the new kids to get acclimated to what's in store for them during the season," Brown said. "It's also a good time for the veterans to get their heads back on the mat and start thinking about wrestling.

"I'm also hoping we can walk away with a few victories."

Miller Reshaping Blue Streaks

With nine freshman and three sophomores in the lineup, Miller is guiding the Blue Streaks through a much-needed youth movement while he looks to restore the past glory to Sebring wrestling.

"I remember when I was a wrestler at Sebring," Miller said. "We won districts every year and teams were afraid to face us.

"Somehow that aura has been lost and I want to do my part to bring that back."

Miller, a 2004 graduate, was a district and regional champion, while taking fourth place at state in his senior season for the Blue Streaks.

Last season, the Blue Streaks had trouble fielding a full squad, which led to numerous unwanted forfeits that turned this team sport into an individual one.

This season, Miller has used word of mouth and solid recruiting skills to fill nearly every weight class with kids who have the desire to be a part of something special.

"I want kids who want to be here," Miller said. "A lot of kids aren't exposed to wrestling early on so you have to go out and introduce them to it by inviting them to a practice. We've had several kids come to see what its like and are now a part of the team."

Senior captain Dustin Drummond is the unqualified leader of the Blue Streaks and will look to improve on his 34-8 record at 119 pounds this year will a possible invitation to state.

"Dustin has all the ability to make it to state and right now he's just working really hard to make that a reality," Miller said. "He's moving up to the 127 pound weight class where he can use his strength and speed to his advantage."

Evan Hunter is another senior that should prosper under Miller's tutelage, as the first year coach believes that Hunter is ready to turn the corner.

"Evan has a lot of athletic ability and should be tough to beat at 145 pounds this year," said the SHS coach.

Junior Michael Polatty and Shane Liske are two wrestlers that Miller has high hopes for and with hard work should be a force come tournament time.

But as today's preseason meet draws near, Miller is only focused on rebuilding the culture of winning that was around for decades at Sebring and bring a sense of unity to the Blue Streaks.

"We're really growing as a team," Miller said. "We have a lot of new faces and I'll know more about our team after this preseason meet, but I like how things are shaping and look forward to seeing where we finish when the dust settles at the end of the year."

The Preseason Classic begins with a 9 a.m. weigh-in, with matches beginning at 10 a.m.

See Monday's Highlands Today for complete coverage of the meet, including photos and reaction.

SEBRING PRESEASON WRESTLING CLASSIC

at Sebring High School

TODAY at 10 a.m.

Chris Hoffman can be reached at 863-386-5827 or choffman@highlandstoday.com

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