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Orlando Sentinel Article "Brandon pulls out of event" 12-29-06 |
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-------------------- Brandon pulls out of event -------------------- Oviedo-Brandon showdown called off Tania Ganguli Sentinel Staff Writer December 29, 2006 The most-anticipated high-school wrestling showdown of the season won't happen after all. Brandon High, the 17-time state champion and winner of a national-record 434 consecutive dual matches, has withdrawn from this weekend's Zac Jarzynka Memorial Ironman tournament, hosted by three-time defending Class 3A state champion Oviedo. Because of a disagreement about seeding, Brandon Coach Russ Cozart pulled his team from the tournament Wednesday evening. The tournament was scheduled to be the first meeting ever between what are now Florida's top two programs. Oviedo coaches and wrestlers say they want a shot at Brandon. Brandon coaches and wrestlers say they want a shot at Oviedo. But when they try, something always comes up. Brandon's withdrawal is just another disappointment for followers of wrestling who'd like to see this clash of titans. The dual-match streak would not have been on the line, but it would have been a good gauge to see how the programs stack up against each other. Some wrestling observers say it's a shame the seeding disagreement has robbed the athletes of a chance to compete. "I'm from the North, and our best teams wrestled each other every year in Pennsylvania," said Rick Tribit, an assistant coach at Osceola High. "They weren't worried about dual records or streaks or egos. They wanted the kids to get better by wrestling top-quality competition. "It hurts the kids, I think it hurts the state, and I think it hurts the sport." The tournament still will feature top teams from six states today and Saturday. Twenty-one Florida teams will compete in addition to teams from Georgia, Tennessee, Virginia, Alabama and Texas. The field includes four state champions -- Oviedo, Georgia 5A champion Parkview, Alabama 6A champion Hoover and Tennessee Division I champion Soddy-Daisy. The Eagles were under contract, but Tom Coffman, an Oviedo assistant coach, said Oviedo won't pursue any action against Brandon with the FHSAA. "It's fine. If they don't want to come, that'll just be a mark on their program," Coffman said. Cozart said he found out Dec. 12 that there would be no coaches meeting to determine the tournament's seeding. Instead, Oviedo will use a computer program to determine seeding for the two-day event. "At a national tournament, you can't show up the day of at 7 a.m. and be ready by 9 a.m.," Coffman said. "Typically, meetings are for local tournaments where it's all Florida teams, and it's easy to do that. If we tried to have four or five Florida coaches have a seeding meeting, what kind of message would that send to the out-of-state teams?" Cozart said he e-mailed Coffman a few weeks ago, saying he would not participate in the tournament if there were no seeding meeting, then officially pulled out Wednesday night. He said he typically has coaches seeding meetings at tournaments hosted by Brandon. "I was holding out hope that they would change their minds," Cozart said of Oviedo. This wasn't the first time the teams have tried to meet. Brandon hosts a dual tournament called the Jim Graves "Beat the Streak" tournament, where the Eagles extend an open invitation to any team that wants to wrestle. Two years ago, Cozart says he discussed the possibility of Oviedo entering the Graves tournament, but the tournament was full when Oviedo submitted its application. Scheduling a dual meet is not a simple matter, either. Cozart said Hillsborough County mandates the Eagles wrestle 12 teams within the county, leaving little room for non-county duals. "We have obligations," Cozart said of the possibility of facing Oviedo one-on-one. That has frustrated top state programs such as Oviedo. "I think not only Oviedo, but other schools outside the state have tried to get that dual against them," Oviedo Coach J.D. Robbins said. "It's the coach's job to protect the streak, and that's what he does." It has caused some in the wrestling community -- both in the state and outside it -- to question the validity of the streak, which dates to 1973. But St. Cloud Coach Vic Lorenzano said the results speak for themselves. "They've got the streak, they've got the titles, they've got kids wrestling collegiately, they've got All-Americans," Lorenzano said. "That streak's the real deal." It means a lot inside the program, too. "It's unspoken, but you don't want to be on the team that loses it," said Brandon sophomore Eric Grajales, the nation's No. 2-ranked 112-pound wrestler. How would Brandon, with 11 dual-meet shutouts over the past two years, stack up against Oviedo, which boasts five wrestlers who earned All-America honors at last summer's junior nationals in Fargo, N.D.? Brandon has Grajales, who is one of three unbeaten Eagles for a team that has placed first in every tournament in which it has competed over the past two seasons. Oviedo, unbeaten in dual matches this year with two tournament titles, is led by 160-pound senior Brandon Hatchett (14-2), who is ranked 19th in the nation. Oviedo 171-pound senior Jesse Robbins, the coach's son, was -- like Grajales -- a national champion at last summer's junior nationals. Oviedo has four other wrestlers who were All-Americans at Fargo: Hatchett, Dustin Meloche (285 pounds), Anthony Salerno (189) and Tyler Davis (145). "It'd be a little too close to call in a dual meet. I would think Brandon would have the upper hand," St. Cloud's Lorenzano said. The Eagles have all heard the talk and read the message boards that insinuate Brandon is afraid to wrestle Oviedo or programs of its caliber, but say they don't pay attention to it. "I don't think it'd be as close as people think," said Brandon's nationally ranked 160-pound senior, Tommy Timothy. "In the tournament, they'll get a lot of points before they see us. Head to head, we'd just beat them." Perhaps, if the wrestlers ever are given the chance. Tania Ganguli can be reached at tganguli@orlandosentinel.com. |
