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Brandon Club team rakes in top honors

BRANDON -- Area competitors made their mark at the USA Junior and Cadet National Championships in Fargo, N.D., the last week of July.

Although 85 competitors qualified for the tournament, only 10 All-America designations were earned and six of those went to members of the Brandon Wrestling Club.

The state assigned 14 coaches to work with the wrestlers, including Brandon coach Russ Cozart. All-America status is earned by placing in the top eight in any weight class.

Rocky Cozart was the big winner from Florida, capturing the national title in Greco-Roman to go along with a runner-up finish in freestyle. He competed in both events at 145 pounds.

David Craig also earned All-America honors in Greco-Roman and freestyle. Wrestling at 152 pounds, he placed third in the freestyle competition and fifth in Greco.

Khalid Andwele placed third at 119 and Tommy Hutchinson was eighth at 145 in Greco. Another area wrestler, Clearwater Countryside's Dominic DeNunzio, placed sixth at 130 in freestyle to also earn All-America honors.

"This is the toughest wrestling tournament in the United States for high school kids," Russ Cozart said. "There were over 4,200 kids in the tournament and sometimes there were as many as 150 competitors in some weight classes. I would say it is the largest youth tournament in the world and the kids from Florida did well."

SOUTHEAST WRESTLING CHAMPIONSHIPS: Eight Brandon Wrestling Club members were double-winners recently at the Southeast Regional Championships for youth age 9-14.

Daniel Bennett, Joe Cozart, Eric Grajales, Andwele, Sean Joyce, Kevin Norstem, Anthony Jorge and Clark Glass were gold medalists in both freestyle and Greco-Roman competition.

Bennett has been competing in the club for more than six years and has won more than five national titles.

"The regional tournament does not have team scores or our club would surely have been in the running," Bennett said. "I love wrestling. It is a hard sport that takes lots of work, but the guys in our club love it and it's fun."

Winning Greco-Roman championships were Nathan Gates, Rocky Cozart, Tommy and Eddie Hutchinson and Brandon Jorge. Freestyle-only winners were Brent Jorge and Sammy Seldat.

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