Sports: After years of waiting, Cougars get their shot

Preps

After years of waiting, Cougars get their shot

Dave Fryer's team can't wait to go head-to-head with Brandon.

By BOB PUTNAM, Times Staff Writer

ST. PETERSBURG -- Last spring, Countryside coach Dave Frayer scanned the Internet and saw something his eyes, at first, did not believe.

Brandon had posted on Floridakids.net an open invitation to a tournament that would put its 29-year-old national record of 360 consecutive dual-meet wins on the line.

For Frayer, it was a site of uncontained joy.

After 23 seasons of trying to strike a deal to wrestle Brandon in a dual meet, Frayer finally got what he wanted and was the first to RSVP.

"I jumped right on it," Frayer said.

The Jim Graves "Challenge the Streak" tournament starts today at Brandon High.

Brandon and Countryside, ranked No. 1 and No. 2 in Class 2A by Floridakids.net, are the top two seeds in the tournament. In order to make their much dreamed-about matchup a reality, the two will have to advance to the finals Saturday night at 7:30.

"I don't know if we can compete with them, but it feels good to have a chance," Frayer said. "It's something that was long overdue."

To understand what has made Frayer so consumed with the notion of wrestling Brandon, you must understand him.

Since taking over at Countryside in 1980, Frayer wanted to build his program by wrestling the best and hoped to catapult his team into the national spotlight with Brandon as its chief rival.

The matchup, though, never materialized.

Since 1988-89, the Eagles have been bound by county scheduling restrictions and have wrestled dual meets only against Hillsborough County schools.

Instead, the two teams have met at region and state tournaments and their rivalry remained theoretical. Until now.

"I had some teams that could have beaten them," said Frayer, who won state titles in 1987 and 1990. "But we'll never know. I'm just glad that it's finally here."

In the past six months, Brandon has treated Countryside as a special foe. Eagles coach Russ Cozart has even traveled to meets to scout the Cougars.

"Countryside is the best-kept secret in Florida," Cozart said. "The Cougars have seven wrestlers capable of beating anyone in the state, including us."

That might be enough for Countryside to pull off the win. But the Cougars are not at full strength. Defending state champion Steve Spicuzza has been sick and state place-winner Mike Flood will likely miss the tournament with a knee injury.

"It's not the way we want to enter this meet," Frayer said. "We'll do what we can."

Still, despite fielding a depleted lineup, the Cougars are practically doing cartwheels at the opportunity to take on the Eagles.

"I can't even put into words what it's going to be like to wrestle Brandon," said Countryside senior Matt Turtzo, who beat Cozart's son, Rocky, in the finals of the state tournament last season. "We've wrestled them before at state, but this is the real thing, a dual meet.

"Every guy who's ever been in this program at Countryside, their eyes just light up when we tell them we're getting our shot at Brandon. It's what generations of wrestlers here have been dreaming of being able to do."