WRESTLING REGIONALS: Red Devils Take Second At Regionals

James Bland, Kemosi Hatten and Jace Grimmett each won regional titles on Saturday night and the Avon Park wrestling team missed out on a team regional championship by the closest of margins at the Class 1A-Region 2 meet at Matanzas High School.

Bland, a senior three-time district champ, won the regional title at 160 pounds, while Kemosi Hatten won at 171 pounds and Jace Grimmett won at heavyweight.

The Red Devils, in just their fourth year of existence, missed out on a regional title by a single point. They also qualified two other wrestlers for next week's state meet: Junior Alvin Moore took third at 152 and Charles Hubbard was third at 145.

After winning his first match of Saturday's consolation bracket, Sebring's Derek Drummond fell in his second match and was eliminated from the meet and state contention.

See Monday's Highlands Today for complete coverage of the regional tournament.

On Friday, Bland, a senior at 160 pounds, Hatten, a junior 171-pounder, and senior heavyweight Grimmett won their first two matches of the day and to reach the winner's bracket on Saturday, while three other Devils crashed the consolation bracket.

"It could've been a lot worse," said exhausted AP co-head coach Ed Brown, who brought 10 wrestlers to the meet. "Seven of 10 in it isn't bad, and it's good have thee still looking for gold."

Sebring senior Derek Drummond dominated his first match but lost what Blue Streak coach Josh Miller called "a nail-biter" in his second-round match.