A journey from unheard of to unbeatable

By JOE SMITH
Published January 3, 2008

Brandon coach Russ Cozart celebrates his team's national record 293rd dual meet win in 1997. Today the streak is at 456.
	[Times file (1997)]

BRANDON - Before "The Streak," there were struggles. Before they were dominant, they were dormant.

The Brandon wrestling program has received national acclaim for its record 456 consecutive dual match victories - the longest for any sport, in any state, in high school history.

Those close to the program believe the Eagles will face their biggest test in nearly two decades Friday and Saturday at the Jim Graves "Beat the Streak" Tournament; with Brandon graduating half its starters from last season and three fierce contenders in Manatee, South Dade and Palmetto Ridge primed to climb "Mount Brandon," it has sparked Eagles coach Russ Cozart to admit, "We could get beat."

But to those former Brandon wrestlers who started the streak in 1973, they say what's often lost in the mystique of the streak is that it was started from scratch.

"Nobody ever thought it'd last this long," said Robert Holsonback, a St. Petersburg engineer who wrestled for Brandon from 1971-74. "We had some humble, humble beginnings."

For the first couple years, the team had no mats, no singlets. It practiced in tennis shoes and shorts on the stage of an auditorium, ripping the 4 by 6 mats off the gym wall before bracing for bumps and bruises. Holsonback said to save money, the team reused the same roll of athletic tape all season.

"We'd tape the mats together, but they'd slide," said Roger Jenkins, 53, a 158-pounder from 1969-72. "Guys would hit their knees, nose and elbows on the floor."

Jenkins had three coaches in the first three years. Assistant football coach Jim Graves took over the program in 1971 even though "I didn't know anything about the sport. I didn't have a clue."

They learned together. Practices consisted of Graves bringing in old filmstrips, describing fundamental moves like the half nelson. The Eagles struggled, going 3-10 in 1972, the only losing season in school history.

Few noticed. Today, a film crew is following Brandon all season for an ESPN documentary, and former wrestler Dave Ryndes is writing a book. But back then, the teams in the early 1970s had to sell themselves in creative ways.

"There were maybe 50 fans in the stands," Holsonback said. "The only people in the stands would be parents, and some girls to come watch Tony Ippolito because he was so athletic."

The turning point for the program came that following summer. Graves told his team it deserved to be winners. So he read three books on the sport - "I even read the rule book," he joked - then took the Eagles to several wrestling camps. The most memorable one, Holsonback said, was a free clinic offered at USF by Masao Hattori, who was third in the 1970 World Games.

"He lined us up by weight and wrestled each one, taking us down in no time flat," Holsonback said. "It was eye-opening."

The following year, the Eagles went 12-1, earning the nickname "Graves' grappling gorillas." A 4-foot toy gorilla named Mongle, dressed in Eagles gear, joined them on the bench.

The school and community started to buy in. Holsonback said Roger Shotz drummed up interest with a flier on which he mimeographed a picture of a wrestler; the flier was put on every door in the school during that 1972-73 season.

News traveled fast, with 1,500 packing the Eagles Nest for Brandon's dual with East Bay, a 30-20 Eagles win. They lost to Manatee (30-20) that season, but haven't since.

"I don't think anyone will beat Brandon for the next 30 years either," Alonso 171-pounder Jack Neuman said. "Usually kids start playing football at age 3. In Brandon, they wrestle. So when you face them, you go in there with nothing to lose. If you lose, you lose to a state champion."

Joe Smith can be reached at joesmith@sptimes.com or (813) 310-9024.

.FAST FACTS

"Beat the Streak" Tournament

When/where: Friday and Saturday, Brandon High

Admission: $6

Format: The dual team tournament pits 16 seeded teams (No. 1 wrestles No. 16, No. 2-No. 15); in each dual, the teams wrestle each weight class (103 to heavyweight) like a regular dual. The team with the most points moves on to quarterfinals, then semifinals, etc. These are different than individual-bracketed tournaments, where individual wrestlers are seeded by weight class, regardless of team.

Times: Wrestling begins 5 p.m. Friday; semifinals Saturday at noon, finals at 7

Top teams: Brandon, Palmetto Ridge, Manatee, Miami South Dade, Springstead, Durant, Venice, Jesuit, Plant City, Alonso, Wharton

Skinny: The Eagles put their national-record 456 consecutive dual match victories on the line against their stiffest competition in years.

[Last modified January 3, 2008, 01:15:38]