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Pirate, Bulldog remain in hunt for championships

LAKELAND -- Eighteen North Suncoast wrestlers survived to reach the final day, but only two are one win from a state title.

Pasco's Nate Engel and Zephyrhills' Shane Hand advanced to the finals Friday night, while four others had their title hopes end in the semifinals.

"The adrenaline got me going," said Hand, a junior 275-pounder who was leading Taylor's Anthony Sheridan 6-0 when he pinned him 47 seconds into the second period. "I don't know if he was too pumped up or what, but I've been pumped up since I got here.

"I'm going back to the hotel, get a shower and a change, go to Outback and go to bed."

Joining him in today's finals is Engel, a senior 112-pounder who ground out a 2-1 victory against Fort Pierce Westwood's Brandon Russakis. Engel (43-2) gives Pasco a state finalist for the third consecutive year and helped the Pirates stand 10th in Class A.

"All that running, those monster miles, the extra drilling, it's starting to pay off," said Engel, who will face Miami Belen Jesuit sophomore Jason Machado (49-0). Springstead senior Matt Booker will not be wrestling tonight. The defending state champion, undefeated in 35 matches entering the day, was pinned by Palm Bay's Jeff Cotto with 33 seconds left in his second-round 145-pound match. Springstead, third in Class 2A last year, was tied for 32nd after Friday's rounds.

Hand (50-1) had faced Sheridan last week, trailing by five points before rallying to take the lead and pin him in the regional final. This time, he made quick work of Sheridan for his third pin in as many state matches, crediting his success to his coach's review of pin combinations in practice this week.

"He handled the Suwanee kid (28-2 Thomas Faller) a lot better than I thought it was going to be, and he wrestled the big kid (Sheridan) a lot better the second time around," said coach Kevin Epifanio, whose team ranked 11th in the Class A standings.

Hand will meet Cardinal Gibbons' Leon Harrington (38-2), who also has three pins in two days in Lakeland.

Four area wrestlers lost in the semifinals but enter today's consolations with a guaranteed top-six finish.

Hudson's Luke Jubran (119 pounds) and Hernando's Billy Woods (130) were pinned by Samuel and Ezekiel Hazewinkel, brothers from Pensacola Christian. Pasco's Devon Bryant (140) lost a 16-12 decision to Bradford's Chris Adams, and Lecanto's Billy Simmons (189) lost 9-1 to Key West's Justin Duck.

A dozen others are still in the consolation bracket, needing one win this morning to medal: Wesley Chapel's Kevin Boyd (103), Zephyrhills' Nick Spine (119), Springstead's Booker and David Kachiroubas (125), Lecanto's Mike Duca (125) and Terence Hollis (160), Hernando's Billy Combs (135), Central's Sergio Matos (145), Pasco's Juan Trevino (152), Land O'Lakes' Chris Bowen (160) and Matt Embry (215), and River Ridge's John Gilmore (189).

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