Washington team dashes county hopes

East Lake finishes second to its out-of-state opponent at the Jerry Mita Invitational.

By DOUG KATES
Published December 11, 2005

PINELLAS PARK - East Lake did almost everything it wanted at the annual Jerry Mita Wrestling Invitational, but it took a team 2,918 miles from home to spoil the Eagles' team title hopes.

Clarkston, from Washington state, captured the Pinellas Park tournament title with 274.5 points. East Lake was second with 206.5.

"It was pretty tough to swallow," said Eagles coach Damian VanSickle, who admitted he was disappointed watching a team from the West Coast hold up the championship team trophy.

VanSickle said his team achieved its primary goal of defeating Dunedin and Land O'Lakes, which placed first and second, respectively, last year.

Clarkston landed six in the finals and placed 12 overall. Matt Babino (112) and Jason Fairley (140) were the only individuals to earn titles, but the margin of victory was still almost 70 points.

"We had a good tournament," Clarkston coach Dan Randles said. "They wrestled very well to get into the finals."

VanSickle said the outcome should have been closer.

"If we had wrestled to our potential we could have pushed them a lot harder," he said.

East Lake finished with four in the finals. Wyeth Whitehurst (135) and Chris Akins (215) earned titles.

Randles said his team takes one trip each year, including past journeys to Alaska and Nevada. Randles read about the Pinellas Park tournament on the Internet and called for a reservation. Tournament director Dave Mauger said he was a little surprised to get the phone call, but never hesitated to accept the competition.

Land O'Lakes took third with 204 points. Champions were Brian Rushing (130) and Justin Gremillion (152).

Northeast was fourth with 176 points and had the most individual champions: Josh Aarons (125), A.J. Yingling (145) and Dylan Mundella (275). Yingling was named most outstanding wrestler for the tournament. He finished with three pins and one major decision.

Matt Walker brought home the 119-pound championship for the host school. He won his title with a 9-0 major decision and did not allow a point the entire tournament. He had two first-period pins and a 6-0 decision to reach the finals.

"It's great," said Walker, who benefited from a loud home crowd. "It's the best feeling in the world."

Other champions were Adam Conner (103) and Adam Gibson (189) of Largo, and Martin Gille (160) and Norberto Marquez (171) of Osceola. Marquez trailed Aaron Blevins of Land O'Lakes 9-6 after the second period, but forced a 12-all tie after three periods. Marquez won on a takedown in overtime.

[Last modified December 11, 2005, 02:15:36]