A strong weekend at state is highlighted by the performances of four returning wrestlers.
By JOHN SCHWARB
Published March 2, 2004
BROOKSVILLE - Any way you look at it, Hernando had an outstanding weekend at the state wrestling meet in Lakeland.
Four of six Leopards placed in the top four, a success rate any team would be proud of.
But try looking at it this way: four of four wrestlers expected to return next season placed.
"It's definitely something to build on," Hernando coach Matt Smith said.
Starting with Addison Chipoletti, the junior who added his second state championship at 171 pounds Saturday, the Leopards return a quartet who could compete for titles. Sophomore David Pritz finished second at 160, and freshman Brandyn Kuhn (112) and Windham Rotunda (heavyweight) finished fourth.
"We definitely have room for improvement. We're going to try to get them started in the weight room soon," Smith said.
There's a scary thought for opponents, most of whom struggled enough this year against Hernando. There's already one Chipoletti, and there could be more with his kind of credentials by the end of next season.
Take Kuhn, for starters. A freshman with the mat experience of an upperclassman thanks to years of wrestling before high school, Kuhn finished fourth in Lakeland as the only freshman in his 16-man bracket. His two losses, the first to the eventual state runner-up and the second a close 6-4 defeat to Gulf's Joey Pospisil, were to seniors.
"He had a great tournament," Smith said. "He eliminated some of the mistakes he was making (earlier in the season). He had a really good match (against Pospisil) and could have been third."
The same could be said for two-time state qualifier Rotunda, who had an unlucky draw in the heavyweight bracket. His second match of the tournament was a loss by pin to Samuel Ritter of Jacksonville Episcopal, a senior who went into the tournament unbeaten (31-0) and ended up facing Rotunda again in the consolation final. Rotunda lasted twice as long in the rematch but again lost via pin.
Before that Rotunda had one successful rematch in beating Jorge Rico of Clewiston, a senior who had beaten him at a tournament in Immokalee.
Rotunda will have one more year to reach a state final, and Pritz will have two to duplicate his weekend feat. Pritz, who did not qualify for Hernando's postseason roster last season after an injury-plagued winter, finished second in his first state meet. Only Green Cove Springs' William Kendrick, another senior with a perfect record, stood between Pritz and a title.
"We were starting to wear him down at the end," Smith said of Kendrick. "David wrestled him tough ... but he's got a few years on him, being a senior."
Next year, Pritz and the other top Leopards will return with even more experience. Pity everyone else.
- John Schwarb can be reached at 800 333-7505, ext. 1407. Send e-mail to schwarb@sptimes.com
