Girls basketball: State championship celebration scheduled for Tuesday

photo by Timothy R. Wolfrum

A pep rally has been scheduled for 1:40 p.m. Tuesday for Southeast's girls basketball team, which won the Class 5A state championship Saturday at The Lakeland Center.
The event will take place in the school's gymnasium and will include the members of the team cutting down the nets, a tradition of Southeast's past state basketball champions.
The pep rally is scheduled to last until 2:05 p.m.
Thursday will be Coach Maechtle Day in honor of longtime football coach and athletic director Paul Maechtle, who is retiring.  All former Southeast students and employees, as well as community members, will be directed to the Seminole Cafe, where Maechtle will be there to share memories and chat.
Maecthle was at Southeast for 40 years and won two state titles and nearly 300 games as the school's head football coach. He is a member of the Florida Athletic Coaches Association's Hall of Fame.

Prep girls basketball: Getting to know Fort Walton Beach Choctawhatchee

Standing between Southeast's fourth girls state basketball title are the Fort Walton Beach Choctawhatchee Indians, who the Seminoles meet 10:05 a.m. Saturday at The Lakeland Center in the Class 5A championship game.
The Seminoles defeated Land O'Lakes 49-24 on Friday in a state semifinal.
Here is some info on the Indians, who beat Rockledge 44-34 during Friday's other semifinal:

RECORD: 28-3
HEAD COACH: Don Brown
HOW THEY GOT HERE:District 1 champions; defeated Live Oak Suwanee (64-31), Tallahassee Rickards (59-57) and Palatka (50-42) in regional playoffs; defeated Rockledge (44-34) in state semifinal.
OF NOTE: The Indians lost the Class 6A state title game in overtime last year to Orlando Edgewater. Lost two seniors from that team including leading scorers Brittany Brown and Lauren Day; Sophomore Nadia Fingall (6-foot-3) entered the final four averaging 14.7 points and 6.2 rebounds per game, and had 23 points and 15 rebounds in semifinal against Rockledge; Senior Brittany Washington had eight assists against Rockledge and entered the game averaging over three per game; Indians are undefeated against Florida schools - their losses came to Faith Academy and LeFlore from Alabama, and Oakland from Tennessee.

Prep wrestling: Manatee County's two state finalists

Lakewood Ranch's Hunter Reed and Manatee's Jesse Fulk are finalists at the state meet in The Lakeland Center.
Reed, a106-pound freshman in Class 2A and pictured above hugging his father, Kraig, who is also a Mustangs assistant coach, is the first Ranch wrestler to make the finals. He scored an 11-3 major decision over Tampa Jesuit's Jarrett Roop in the semifinals and goes up against Brandon's Frankie Bruno in the finals.
Bruno, 50-0, is ranked No.1 in the state at 106 in Class 2A. He has two pins and a major decision in this tournament.
Reed, who took fourth during last week's Region 3 meet, is 48-6. Prior to Reed, the highest a Lakewood Ranch wrestler placed at state was third (Cory Monteforte, 2006).
A 160-pound junior in Class 3A, Fulk (59-3) scored a first-period pin against Copper City's Eric Perez in the semifinals. He will meet Kissimmee Osceola's Fox Baldwin, a three-time defending state champion who is ranked No.1 with a record of 48-0.
Baldwin has defeated Fulk twice this season, including during the finals of last week's Region 2 meet in Kissimmee.
The finals begin 5:30 p.m.

Prep wrestling: Local semifinal pairings

A day after becoming Palmetto's first state place-winner, senior Anthony Viscomi, pictured here with his father, Todd, will attempt to make more history by making the Class 2A state final at 126 pounds.

The third round of the state wrestling tournament's consolation bracket is in progress here at The Lakeland Center, though the locals went 0-for-2. Manatee's Caleb Rudisill (113) and Palmetto's Chase Washington (145) lost this morning, ending their seasons one match shy of placing in the top six and earning a medal.
Five area wrestlers are still alive in the championship semifinals, however, which begin at the conclusion of this consolation round. Winners advance to the finals, which begin 5:30 p.m. today.
Palmetto and Lakewood Ranch have never crowned a state champion or sent anyone into a final.
Manatee has won 16 individual championships. The last Hurricane to win a state title was Jacob Gregory, a Class 2A champ at 125 pounds in 2009.
All semifinalists are ensured of a state medal, awarded to the top six in each weight class.
Here are the area semifinal pairings.
Follow me on Twitter @JohnLembo1878 for updates at how the locals are faring at The Lakeland Center.

CLASS 3A

126 – Tyrek Hoyte (Manatee) vs. Evan McCall (Orange Park Fleming Island)

160 – Jesse Fulk (Manatee) vs. Eric Perez (Cooper City)

CLASS 2A

106 – Hunter Reed (Lakewood Ranch) vs. Jarrett Roop (Tampa Jesuit)

120 – Dylan Cameron (Lakewood Ranch) vs. Michael McDonald (Spring Hill Springstead)

126 – Anthony Viscomi (Palmetto) vs. Sa’derian Perry (Lakeland Lake Gibson)

Prep wrestling: Manatee County state semifinalists

Manatee's Jesse Fulk, pictured above, is one of of five Manatee County wrestlers who are state semifinalists in the state wrestling tournament, currently in the second round of wrestlebacks.
Here is a list of the semifinalists, all of whom are guaranteed a state medal, awarded to the top six in each weight class.
The semifinals begin Saturday following the third round of consolations.

CLASS 3A
Tyrek Hoyte, Manatee, 126 pounds
Jesse Fulk, Manatee, 160
CLASS 2A
Hunter Reed, Lakewood Ranch, 106
Dylan Cameron, Lakewood Ranch, 120
Anthony Viscomi, Palmetto, 126

Prep wrestling: Local first-round results

Manatee's 113-pounder, Caleb Rudisill, cruised to a first-round victory this morning at The Lakeland Center.

Here are the local results from the first round of today's state tournament at The Lakeland Center. Up next is two round of wrestlebacks and the championship quarterfinals.

At The Lakeland Center

FHSAA State Wrestling Tournament

First round

CLASS 3A

113 pounds  - Caleb Rudisill (Manatee) tech. fall over Andrew Miller (Wellington), 15-0

126 – Tyrek Hoyte (Manatee) dec. Kyle Williams (Boca Raton), 9-2

145 – Damian Penichet (Miami Christopher Columbus) pin Alex Ginn (Manatee), :41

152 – Mario Atesaino (Cypress Creek) dec. Dakoda Dossey (Manatee), 6-5

160 – Jesse Fulk (Manatee) pin Robert LaPeter (Seminole Ridge), 1:04

CLASS 2A

106 – Hunter Reed (Lakewood Ranch) dec. Austin Wynn (St. John’s Creekside), 9-4

120 – Dylan Cameron (Lakewood Ranch) maj. dec. Kyle Kirkham (Jensen Beach), 15-2

126 – Anthony Viscomi (Palmetto) dec. Marcus Mosley (Tampa King), 9-5

145 – Blake Doerr (Gulf Breeze) dec. Chase Washington (Palmetto), 7-2

132 – Wilmer Almendarez (Hialeah Gardens Mater Academy) tech. fall over Tim Dwyer (Lakewood Ranch), 18-3

138 – Jared Dipsiner (Lakewood Ranch) pin Chase Blake (Gulf Breeze), 1:24

170 – Clayton Dennis (Palm Beach Matanzas) pin Ty McLeod (Lakewood Ranch), 5:48

195 – Robert McLachlan (Palmetto) dec. Corey Humphrey (Spring Hill Springstead), 5-1

220 – Robert Enmon (Brandon) pin James Banks (Palmetto), 1:32

CLASS 1A

113  - Jake Brindley (Orlando Lake Highland Prep) pin Anthony Slack (Bayshore), 1:30

132  - Jonathon Astacio (Somerset Academy) dec. Joey Fazio (Southeast), 7-0

160 – Trace Woxberg (Rockledge) pin Nick Norton (Bayshore), :57; Brennan Ertl (Brooksville Hernando) dec. Ricky Almodovar (Southeast), 8-3.

182 – Nathan Tyre (Wakulla) dec. Petro Marin (Bayshore), 7-3

285 – Kane Takacs (Southeast) pin Ronald Smith (American Heritage Delray), 2:58

Prep wrestling: First-round pairings and records

Southeast's Kane Takacs, right, takes a 42-1 record in Friday's Class 1A state wrestling tournament.

Here are the records and first-round pairings for the 20 area wrestlers who qualified to the state tournament. Wrestling begins 10 a.m. Friday at The Lakeland Center and runs through Saturday.

CLASS 3A

MANATEE

Caleb Rudisill, so., 113 pounds

RECORD: 55-2

FIRST-ROUND OPPONENT: Andrew Mitchell, Wellington, 29-12

Tyrek Hoyte, so., 126

RECORD: 48-6

FIRST-ROUND OPPONENT: Kyle Williams, Boca Raton, 41-7

Alex Ginn, 145

RECORD: 33-17

FIRST ROUND OPPONENT: Damian Penichet, Miami Christopher Columbus, 46-3

Dakoda Dossey, sr., 152

RECORD: 56-4

FIRST-ROUND OPPONENT: Mario Atesaino, Cypress Creek, 47-6

Jesse Fulk, jr., 160

RECORD: 56-3

FIRST-ROUND OPPONENT: Robert LaPeter, Seminole Ridge, 39-6

CLASS 2A

LAKEWOOD RANCH

Hunter Reed, fr., 106

RECORD: 45-6

FIRST-ROUND OPPONENT: Austin Wynn, St. John’s Creekside, 32-7

Dylan Cameron, so., 120

RECORD: 38-9

FIRST-ROUND OPPONENT: Kyle Kirkham, Jensen Beach, 36-22

Tim Dwyer, so., 132

RECORD: 34-12

FIRST-ROUND OPPONENT: Wilmer Almendarez, Hialeah Gardens Mater Academy, 32-0

Jared Dipsiner, jr., 138

RECORD: 38-11

FIRST-ROUND OPPONENT: Chase Blake, Gulf Breeze, 34-5

Ty McLeod, sr., 170

RECORD: 12-4

FIRST-ROUND OPPONENT: Clayton Dennis, Palm Coast Matanzas, 38-9

PALMETTO

Anthony Viscomi, sr., 126

RECORD: 45-9

FIRST-ROUND OPPONENT: Marcus Mosley, Tampa King, 54-9

Chase Washington, jr., 145

RECORD: 41-10

FIRST-ROUND OPPONENT: Blake Doerr, Gulf Breeze, 46-5

Robert McLachlan, jr., 195

RECORD: 45-7

FIRST-ROUND OPPONENT: Corey Humphrey, Spring Hill Springstead, 37-7

James Banks, sr., 220

RECORD: 30-13

FIRST-ROUND OPPONENT: Robert Enmom, Brandon, 62-2

CLASS 1A

BAYSHORE

Anthony Slack, sr., 113

RECORD: 33-6

FIRST-ROUND OPPONENT: Jake Brindley, Orlando Lake Highland Prep, 48-2

Nick Norton, sr., 160

RECORD: 39-17

FIRST-ROUND OPPONENT: Trace Woxberg, Rockeldge, 40-2

Petro Marin, sr., 182

RECORD: 48-6

FIRST-ROUND OPPONENT: Nathan Tyre, Wakulla, N/A

SOUTHEAST

Joey Fazio, sr., 132

RECORD: 39-8

FIRST-ROUND OPPONENT: Jonathan Astacio, Somerset Academy, N/A

Ricky Almodovar, jr., 160

RECORD: 39-7

FIRST-ROUND OPPONENT: Brennan Ertl, Brooksville Hernando, 39-11

Kane Takacs, sr., 285

RECORD: 42-1

FIRST-ROUND OPPONENT: Ronald Smith, American Heritage Delray, N/A   

Prep wrestling: State qualifiers

Palmetto's Anthony Viscomi is headed back to the state wrestling tournament

Manatee County will have 20 representatives during the state wrestling tournament, which gets underway 10 a.m. Friday at The Lakeland Center and runs through Saturday. In order to qualify, wrestlers had to place in the top four of their weight class during last weekend's regional tournaments.
Here are the local qualifiers. Check out Prep Rally next week for first-round pairings.
The top six finishers in each weight class at state earn a medal.
(* - regional champion)

CLASS 3A
MANATEE - *Caleb Rudisill, 113 pounds; Tyrek Hoyte, 126; Alex Ginn, 145; *Dakoda Dossey, 152; Jesse Fulk, 160.
CLASS 2A
LAKEWOOD RANCH - Hunter Reed, 106; Dylan Cameron, 120; Tim Dwyer, 132; Jared Dipsiner, 138; Ty McLeod, 170.
PALMETTO - Anthony Viscomi, 126; Chase Washington, 145; Robert McLachlan, 195; James Banks, 220.
CLASS 1A
BAYSHORE - Anthony Slack, 113; Nick Norton, 160; Petro Marin, 182.
SOUTHEAST - Joey Fazio, 132; Rickly Almodovar, 160; *Kane Takacs, heavyweight.

Prep football: Manatee, Venice game is on

Manatee and Venice have made room for each other on the 2014 prep football schedule.
After the game appeared off when neither side could agree on a date, Hurricanes head coach Joe Kinnan said today the teams will meet Nov. 7, which is Week 11 on the schedule and a week before the start of the playoffs.
The game will be played in Venice as per the home-and-home contract the teams signed. Last year's game was at Manatee.
The Hurricanes have not lost to the Indians since the 2009 season, a stretch of seven games that includes three postseason meetings.
The teams are no longer in the same class or district.

Prep football: Latest college declarations

photo by Grant Jefferies

Wednesday is National Singing Day, and more football players from Manatee and Palmetto have made their college choices. All is subject to change, of course, and decisions are not final until a letter-of-intent is signed.
Here are the latest intentions:

MANATEE
Darian Dailey, Rutgers
Dylan Beauchamp, Newberry College
Greg Reaves, Albany
Raland Brewer, Hutchinson Community College
Daniel Doyle, preferred walk-on at Duke (will sign an institutional letter-of-intent)
PREVIOUS COMMITMENTS
Jake Stickler, Georgia Tech
Demarcus Christmas, Florida State
Michael Galati, USF
Kyle Mauk, The Citadel
Brodrick Yancy, Temple
Trevon Walters, Missouri
PALMETTO
Broddrick Waters, Bethune-Cookman
Deqwon Washington, US Merchant Marine Academy 
PREVIOUS COMMITMENTS
Josh Hicks, Rutgers