Prep wrestling | Palmetto, Manatee each finish third at own dual meet tournaments

Andrew Duncan could only count on one result during his second match of the day to push Palmetto into the gold pool of the Tiger Duals. PHS trailed Riverview by four points Saturday at Palmetto's William "Butch" Hughes Gymnasium. The Tigers needed either a pin or a technical to position themselves for a spot in the winners' pool.

Duncan battled through an even first round and had six minutes to pull off a pin -- a 15-point technical win would be too difficult. In the second, he first tried to slide by, but his grip slipped. Next, he tried a head throw. This time he got his opponent to the mat. The official counted off a pin. PHS secured the 39-37 win, a crucial victory on its way to a third-place finish in Palmetto.

"It helped us get into the winners' bracket," said Duncan, who wrestled at 195 pounds.

The Tigers went 3-2 during the tournament, also earning a 64-15 win against Sanford Seminole and a 37-31 win against Ruskin Lennard. Palmetto's two losses were a 51-24 defeat to champion Punta Gorda Charlotte and a 59-18 loss to runner-up North Port. Lennard and the Sharks finished fourth and third, respectively.

Southeast and Bayshore also competed at Palmetto High School, although neither qualified for the gold pool. The Bruins went winless Saturday and the Seminoles dropped four in a row after opening the day with a win.

Both of PHS' signature wins -- first against Riverview and then against the fourth-place Longhorns -- came down to the final match. After Duncan gave the Tigers a heart-pounding victory, their meeting with Lennard was still up for grabs when the 182-pounders stepped to the mat.

This time PHS was ahead by three. Alonzo Houston, however, needed a win. If the Longhorns earned a pin or tech, they'd win straight up. If they simply won the round, they'd force a draw and beat Palmetto on a tiebreaker. Again, the Tigers managed a win behind Houston to beat Lennard, 37-31.

"We really came into the tournament thinking we'd be happy with fifth or sixth," PHS head coach Bryan Wilkes said. "Then we beat Riverview."

It triggered Palmetto on its way to a win in its pool and a spot in the championship round, where they'd face the Bobcats and Charlotte.

After struggling against North Port in its fourth meet, the Tigers earned one more positive. Even though the Tarpons finished the day with a convincing 51-24 victory, PHS managed a pair of pins to end the day.

"The way I'm gonna look at it: We beat two teams and we lost to two very good teams," Wilkes said, "so we're right in the mix."

Hurricanes settle for third

Six matches into Manatee's meet with Brandon, the scoreboard revealed everything about why head coach Andrew Gugliemini can feel good about his Hurricanes. Against one of Florida's perennial powers, the Canes had yet to lose and held an 18-point lead.

The next few minutes were a reminder of why Manatee wound up settling for third at the Coach Kelly Memorial Hurricane Team Challenge in Bradenton. The Eagles scored a quick pin and another win, and then the points poured in for Brandon. The Hurricanes' roster was incomplete Saturday, and they were forced to forfeit three of the next five matches. An 18-point lead became a seven-point deficit with only three matches actually being contested. Eventually, it became a 42-24 win for the Eagles.

"Obviously, giving up 18 points before you start is very difficult," Gugliemini said. "The kids wrestled well."

The Canes opened the day with a 40-33 win against Sarasota and a 48-18 rout of Kissimmee Gateway at Manatee High School before the loss to Brandon. The Hurricanes added another 45-27 win against Naples Gulf Coast before dropping the runner-up meet to Palm Coast Flagler, 44-28, to end the tournament with a 6-2 record.

For six matches against the Eagles, though, the Canes showcased the heart of their lineup. The meet started at 145 pounds, where Charlie Small secured an impressive win. Then came 152, where Daniel Cunningham's late reversal gave Manatee a 6-0 lead.

At 160 pounds, Matt McAleer gave the Hurricanes another convincing win before Connor Morang gave the Canes their first pin at 170 pounds. With Manatee already ahead 15-0, Brandon Dawsey continued his impressive freshman season by scoring a reversal with 15 seconds remaining to win 2-1.

"You like that?" Gugliemini said. "Six straight wins? That's nice. That tells us that we think we can do it.

"We started at a good weight and it snowballs. One kid wins. Another kid wins. 'Hey, maybe I can win.'"

Dawsey went 7-1 across the tournament's two days and Morang finished 6-2. Even Caleb Rudisill, a state championship hopeful who struggled and lost to Brandon, managed a pin in fewer than 45 seconds later in the day.

"We're competing with some of the best teams in the state," Gugliemini said, "and that's what you're gonna see at the state tournament and that's what matters."

Elsewhere

SPIEGEL MEMORIAL INVITATIONAL TOURNAMENT -- Lakewood Ranch finished the Spiegel Memorial Invitational in Sebring on Saturday with two championships, five medalists, eight total top-five finishes and a third-place finish among the 33 teams represented at Sebring High School.

Hunter Reed, who competed at 120 pounds, completed an undefeated weekend with a pin in the championship to take one gold medal for the Mustangs. Dylan Cameron, at 132 pounds, was the other.

Chase Sharp was Ranch's next best performer, finishing second at 195 pounds. Logan Bounds and Nate Lancaster each finished third at 182 and 220 pounds, respectively.

Luis Tremblay-Vidal added a fourth-place finish at 170 pounds, and138-pounder Timmy Dwyer and 145-pounder Ryan Brown each finished fifth.

This story was originally published January 9, 2016 at 12:00 AM with the headline "Prep wrestling | Palmetto, Manatee each finish third at own dual meet tournaments ."