Charles Small tops all-area wrestling team

Athlete of the Year

Wrestling

Manatee

To his credit: If you had told Charles Small before the start of his senior year that he would be a state champion, he admits he would have laughed in your face. Small did have an impressive junior year — finishing sixth in the 145-pound weight class at the Class 4A meet — but it would take an almost unprecedented climb to win the 4A title as a 160-pound senior. Instead, Small sprung the biggest upset of his career in the state semifinal and became Manatee’s 18th state champion. He’ll continue his career in Ohio, where he plans to wrestle for Division II Tiffin University next year. Not a bad rise for an athlete who only began wrestling as a freshman.

ALL-AREA TEAM

106: Travis Murway, senior, Palmetto; 113: Randy Torres, senior, Southeast; 120: Marshall Craig, senior, Manatee; 126: Alan Morano, freshman, Saint Stephen’s; 132: Hunter Reed, senior, Lakewood Ranch; 138: Chance Sharbono, senior, Braden River; 145: Alex Roldan, senior, Southeast; 152: Dom Bass, senior, Palmetto; 160: Jake Ross, junior, Saint Stephen’s; 170: Matt McAleer, senior, Palmetto; 182: Stephen Kelle, senior, Southeast; 195: Chase Sharp, junior, Lakewood Ranch; 220: Darrien Grant, senior, Southeast; 285: Brendan Bengtsson, junior, Braden River.

HONORABLE MENTION

Manatee: Daniel Cunningham, senior, 152; Brandon Dossey, sophomore, 182; Joshua Booker, junior, 220. Palmetto: Kevin Schneider, sophomore, 120; Andrew Duncan, junior, 195; Brian Ormsby, senior, 285. Southeast: Jonathan Locke, senior, 160; Chevaughn Rose, senior, 285. Saint Stephen’s: Jake Manning, sophomore, 106; Max Manning, junior, 132; Parker Lansberg, junior, 170.

This story was originally published April 14, 2017 at 6:54 PM with the headline "Charles Small tops all-area wrestling team."