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Coach Vinnie Lowe's team will get a boost when 140-pounder Keith Coghlan steps on the mat for today's rematch with Gulf.
By GREG AUMAN, Times Staff Writer
© St. Petersburg Times, published January 15, 2003
The final standings showed Ridgewood seventh out of nine teams in the Sunshine Athletic Conference dual-meet tournament Saturday, but Rams coach Vinnie Lowe isn't going to complain about being sent into a tough four-team pool.
"I can't blame anyone but myself for that; I drew them," Lowe said Tuesday. "It was a random draw, but when we crossed over, everybody from our pool won their match against the other pool's teams in the finals."
So when Ridgewood beat Pasco in the final round, it clinched seventh place for the Rams, after losing two close matches in its pool. The Rams fell by three points to Land O'Lakes and four to first-place Gulf.
"I'm not offering any excuses, and Zephyrhills beat us pretty good," said Lowe, whose team was without a key wrestler at 140 pounds in Keith Coghlan, who has missed the past month with an inflamed bursa sac in his knee.
Ridgewood, which lost a dual meet to Gulf by a single point early in the season, gets another shot at the Buccaneers in an in-school meet today.
Coghlan will also make his return to the lineup, which could be the difference the Rams need.
"It's close enough that it's just one team catching the break, one way or another," Lowe said. "Depending on what end of the lineup you start it, it looks one way or the other as it goes along."
Junior twins Matt (125) and Billy (135) Bullwinkel went undefeated in the conference tournament, and Lowe was pleased by a 3-1 showing by sophomore John Forte, who was able to get his weight under 275 and compete in the heavyweight ranks, his lone loss coming to defending state champion Shane Hand of Zephyrhills.
KNIGHTS IMPROVING: In the other pool, a young River Ridge team took fourth place after beating Wesley Chapel, Hudson and Pasco in dual meets.
First-year coach Carlo Parente had his share of setbacks. Returning wrestlers Anthony Daugherty and Tom Starala left the team in recent weeks, and heavyweight Steve Johnson didn't make weight Saturday.
Leading the Knights have been a pair of transfers from Mitchell, 160-pounder Seth Perry and 135-pounder Nate Pozzi. Both went undefeated in the conference tournament.
Parente is now left with four wrestlers who competed for River Ridge last year, but that hasn't taken away any of his enthusiasm in the progress he's seen from his first-year wrestlers.
"I'm looking forward to this week," said Parente, whose team will be one of six from Pasco County (with Gulf, Hudson, Mitchell, Wesley Chapel and Zephyrhills) competing in the Doc Batista Invitational at Springstead.
"Every week, I'm seeing improvement in these guys, and we have a team of guys now who all want to work hard."