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Orlando Sentinel Season Outlook 11-22-07 |
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Season outlook Brant Parsons | Sentinel Staff Writer November 22, 2007 Five story lines 1. Can Oviedo win one for the thumb? The Lions enter the season as the favorites again despite graduating three state champions and six state placers. After scoring 165.5 points and winning Class 3A by 50 points last year, Oviedo will be led by last year's state runner-up, Jake Schalles, and Fargo All-Americans Dustin Meloche and Chase Gordon. The Lions figure to be challenged in Lakeland by Homestead South Dade and Kissimmee Osceola. 2. Is Osceola ready to take the next step? Coach Jim Bird and his staff have been putting together quite a program down in Kowboy Kountry. Last season, the Kowboys finished third in Class 3A, and they return five state qualifiers from a year ago, including state champion Alex Eggers. The Kowboys are still young, but they already are experienced and ready this year to compete for a team title. 3. Who will be the best team in Orange County? The Metro Conference tournament could be one of the tightest team races in the state. As many as five teams could lay claim to a chance to win it this year. Olympia and Dr. Phillips return stacked teams while Timber Creek and Edgewater return a strong, young nucleus that will get better as the season continues. Tournament-tough University could surprise a few teams in this year's postseason with four returning district champions. 4. Who are the favorites to win an individual state title? Osceola's Eggers is the only returning state champ, but Central Florida has quite a collection of wrestlers -- Andrew Sifakis (Lake Mary), Schalles (Oviedo), Brandon Tressler (University) and Dustin Heiser (Olympia) -- who came one victory from winning it all last season. Matt Gillespie (Deltona), Tom Gordon (St. Cloud), Joe Locksmith (Dr. Phillips), Meloche (Oviedo) and Gabriel Bird (Osceola) also should compete for the state's highest honor. 5. Which teams will have the biggest breakthroughs this season? Lake Mary seems poised to take over the second spot in Seminole County. With Sifakis being joined by state qualifiers Mike Nieves and Jordan Hanna, the Rams should continue to build off some great finishes last season. New Lyman head coach Wayne Greenaway inherited six region qualifiers for the up-and-coming Greyhounds. Fourth-year school Harmony finally will have a senior class and the Longhorns should benefit from the experience. County capsules ORANGE Teams to watch: Olympia, Dr. Phillips, Timber Creek, Edgewater, University Wrestlers to watch: Jorge Benzaquen, Dr. Phillips, Sr.; Joe Locksmith, Dr. Phillips, Soph.; Danny Pastrana, Edgewater, Sr.; Brandon Tressler, University, Sr.; Dustin Heiser, Olympia, Sr.; Dylan Ykimoff, Olympia, Jr.; Chris Cox, Olympia, Sr.; Donald Woodall, Evans, Jr., Kyle Kasper, Timber Creek, Sr.; Argenis Rodriguez, Timber Creek, Sr.; T.J, Sturgeon, University, Jr.; Alex Backer, University, Jr.; David Lynch, Bishop Moore, Sr. SEMINOLE Teams to watch: Oviedo, Lake Mary, Winter Springs Wrestlers to watch: Ryan Van Valkenburg, Lake Brantley, Sr.; Andrew Sifakis, Lake Mary, Sr.; Mike Nieves, Lake Mary, Sr.; Blake Mulligan, Lyman, Sr.; Ryan Leatherman, Oviedo, Soph.; Brett Leatherman, Oviedo, Sr.; Thrasher Porcher, Oviedo, Sr.; Chase Gordon, Oviedo, Soph.; John Christiansen, Oviedo, Sr.; Jake Schalles, Oviedo, Sr.; Dustin Meloche, Oviedo, Sr.; Erin O'Dell, Oviedo, Soph.; Matt Nereim, Winter Springs, Soph.; Morgan Beveridge, Winter Springs, Sr. OSCEOLA Teams to watch: Kissimmee Osceola, St. Cloud, Harmony Wrestlers to watch: Bruce Wisniewski, Celebration, Sr.; Steve Rodriguez, Harmony, Sr.; Chris Valdez, Harmony, Soph.; Alex Eggers, Osceola, Jr.; Tim Eggers, Osceola, Sr.; Niko Brown, Osceola, Sr.; Gabriel Bird, Osceola, Soph.; Pete Baldwin, Osceola, Fr.; Tom Oswald, St. Cloud, Sr.; Joe Gibson, St. Cloud, Sr.; Frank Cousins, St. Cloud, Soph.; Omar Harris, St. Cloud, Jr. VOLUSIA Teams to watch: Deltona, DeLand Wrestlers to watch: Dany Guzman, DeLand, Jr.; Matt Gillespie, Deltona, Sr.; Jackson Likens, Deltona, Sr.; Mitch Taulbee, Taylor; Jay Pressley, Port Orange Atlantic; Chris Ferrito, Seabreeze, Jr. Five key dates Dec. 7-8 -- Kowboy Kup Duals, Osceola High School Buzz: Three teams in the preseason Super 6 will compete in this dual-meet tournament. This will be an early test for Osceola, St. Cloud and Olympia. Dec. 14-15 -- Bill Scott Invitational, Lyman High School Buzz: One of the best traditions in wrestling and one of the best-run tournaments in the area. This is a can't-miss tournament every December. Dec. 28-29 -- Zac Jarzynka Memorial, Oviedo High School Buzz: One of the best tournaments in the country. Nine states will be represented with 22 teams that placed in the top 12 in their state last season. Jan. 11-12 -- Ron Peters Tournament of Champions, Lake Mary High School Buzz: Some of the best teams in Central Florida will be tuning up for the postseason. This tournament gives every team a chance to see where it is at. Jan. 25-26 -- Metro Conference Tournament, Olympia High School Buzz: The best in Orange County meet in what has become one of the most exciting tournaments in the area. This one has gone down to the final match before, and it could happen again this season. |
