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© St. Petersburg Times, published January 22, 2003
NEW PORT RICHEY -- Iowa, here they come.
Gulf coach Travis DeWalt has taken plenty of ribbing from Westmar College teammate Troy Spradlin about Florida wrestlers. So when Spradlin faxed an invitation to his own high school's Battle Creek Ida Grove dual-meet tourney this weekend in Iowa, DeWalt took it seriously.
"He was always teasing me about Florida wrestlers," DeWalt said. "And I had a decent enough squad where I told him, "Look, we can give you guys a run.' "
The Bucs raised money through boosters, fundraisers and their own holiday invitational. DeWalt said he will take 14 starters -- heavyweight Cameron Neptune is out with an injured rotator cuff -- with him when the team leaves at 4 a.m. Thursday.
DeWalt hopes this trip, deep into the heart of wrestling country, will reap as many benefits as this summer's overseas trip.
Said DeWalt: "It's no different than taking eight of my starters to Russia."
ONE OF THOSE WEEKS: River Ridge first-year coach Carlo Parente said his team is doing the best it can to endure its off-the-mat struggles.
The most recent blow was the loss of 189-pounder Heiko Mier to disciplinary action. Meanwhile, Parente isn't sure if two unnamed starters, at 125 and 160, will be back because of concerns about their academic eligibility.
This on top of the decisions of Tom Starala (145) and Anthony Daugherty (152) to quit the team, which all but eliminates the Royal Knights from dual-meet competition.
But the coach can see the bright side of what has been a difficult few weeks.
"We've been through a lot this season for me being a first-year coach," Parente said. "But the good thing is we're young, and everyone who wants to be out there is out there working hard.
LAST STOP: Land O'Lakes' Dana Kearney and Jessica Worthington, Pasco County's state-champion girls wrestlers, had their last tuneup this weekend.
The seniors both won their weight classes in a tournament in Vero Beach. Kearney went 2-0 in the 122-pound class with two pins, while Worthington went 3-0 at 130 with two pins and a major decision. Freshman Vanessa Tyson also had two pin en route to winning the 134-pound title.
It was Land O'Lakes' second girls tourney of the season. Worthington and lightweight Elizabeth Lewis won their weight classes in December at a tournament at Ocala Forest, while Kearney and Tyson took third.
Now, they'll be competing with the boys team until Feb. 8, when the state meet will be held at Gateway. Kearney is a two-time state champion, while Worthington has a state title and a runner-up medal.