AP Wrestlers Open Season With Win

LAKELAND - The freshmen on the Avon Park wrestling team are wasting no time making a positive impact.

Jack Bland, Greg Gentry and Erik Arocho - all ninth-graders - won their matches to lead the Red Devils to a 41-24 win over McKeel Academy in a non-district dual on Thursday night.

The impressive showing by the underclassmen and the opening-season win was a pleasant surprise for Avon Park coach Ed Brown.

"I was impressed with the freshmen, and it was a welcome surprise," he said. "We got the win, but we also had a number of guys realize that they have a long way to go as far as conditioning."

Bland, who competed in the 145-pound weight class, won the most exciting match of the evening, 12-10, while Gentry won the 112-pound class and Arocho finished first in the 103-pond division.

"For our first match of the season, we're very pleased with the performance of the wrestlers," said Avon Park coach Lee Elder. "We saw a lot of positive things that we can build on in an attempt to get better."

John Chittum posted a victory in the 125-pound class, junior Kumosi Hatton won the 171-pound division and Isuel Guzman won the 215-pound bracket for the Red Devils.

"There were a lot of close matches and the lower weight classes came through for us," Brown said. "We have a long way to go, but this win definitely gives us some confidence."

Avon Park is back in action with an away meet at Winter Haven on Wednesday.