Preps

Pasco: Wrestling Preview

By Mike Camunas, Times correspondent
Published November 14, 2007

Players to watch

Travis Tindall, Hudson, Sr., 275

Back-to-back state qualifier went 25-5 and finished fifth at state.

Reyes Perez, Pasco, Sr., 189

A back-to-back state qualifier who went 18-6 last season but fell in the second round of the finals.

Eric Stroud, Pasco, Sr., 215

Touted a beast by his coach, Stroud went 40-9 and is a back-to-back state qualifier who has been only as deep as the second round of the finals.

Justin McKay, Land O'Lakes, So., 112

As a freshman, missed state by a match but has outgrown the 103 weight class and has a legitimate shot of making state at 112.

Dean Stupar, Ridgewood, Sr., 112 or 119

Has had 20-plus wins in the past two seasons and after placing at state as a sophomore, fell a match short of doing so again as a junior.

Tyler Fleming, River Ridge, Sr., 119

Made it to all the way to regionals before falling to the Class 2A, 119-pound state champion, St. Cloud's Marcelo Castaneda. Has a shot at state for first time with Castaneda and others out of the way.

The breakdown

Class 2A, District 5

Teams: Central, Dunedin, Land O'Lakes, Ridgewood, River Ridge, South Lake, Springstead, Sunlake, Tarpon Springs, Wesley Chapel

Defending champ: Springstead

Runnerup: Dunedin

Outlook:Most county coaches agree: Springstead will take the district title. The Eagles, who are in the top 10 in the state, will be the team to beat and the others will be scraping for second place. Dunedin should make a good showing, while Land O'Lakes has a young team and should make a strong push against the Falcons, led by Justin McKay in the 112-pound class. But Ridgewood should not be counted out, as the Rams finished third in the district last season and are eyeing beating out Dunedin for second. River Ridge will try to move past sixth, leapfrogging Central just to get to Land O'Lakes and Ridgewood. Wesley Chapel, which finished last in the district last season, has a young team that will look to surprise a few. But with the addition of Sunlake, the Wildcats will have some help staying out of the cellar, as the first-year Seahawks have to overcome youth and inexperience.

Class A, District 6

Teams: Orlando Agape Christian, Orlando Bishop Moore, Gulf, Hudson, Orlando Jones, Orlando Lake Highland Prep, Pasco, Wiregrass Ranch, Zephyrhills

Defending champ: Gulf

Runnerup: Pasco

Outlook: This district should be a dogfight among the four traditional powerhouses - Gulf, Hudson, Pasco and Zephyrhills. The Cobras have a clear advantage in the heavier weights, but those guys could enter the season weary and banged up from football. The Pirates bring a young team but should have strong seasons from seniors and back-to-back state qualifiers Reyes Perez and Eric Stroud. The Bulldogs should have another impressive run from Nick Hynes. The Bucs lose Michael Calafiore, the only state title winner from the county, but should still be in the hunt to defend their title. Wiregrass Ranch, in its second year, may have improved a bit, but likely will be near the bottom of the pack.

Class 3A, District 6

Teams: Countryside, East Lake, Largo, Mitchell, Palm Harbor University, Pinellas Park, Sarasota Riverview, St. Petersburg, Sarasota

District champ: Countryside

Runnerup: Largo

Outlook: Mitchell is the lone Pasco County team in this class and district and last season the Mustangs didn't fare too well. Mitchell, which had no state qualifiers, finished seventh in this district. "It's a hard district with all these Pinellas schools," third-year coach John Stanjeski said. "They have large volumes of students and we're just at the lower end of that classification. Then it's difficult for us to travel to a dual meet, especially if it's an hour away in Pinellas Park." Stanjeski said his team is young and untested.

Mike Camunas, Times correspondent

[Last modified November 13, 2007, 22:32:58]