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'Streak' ends at 459

Defeat was sure to come, and finally, it did. But before that fateful day, Brandon High wrestlers built a dynasty of nearly 34 years.

By CATHERINE E. SHOICHET, Times Staff Writer
Published January 11, 2008

He told them about "the Streak" when they were toddlers: "We just don't get beat. We just do what it takes."

But that streak, the longest ever for any high school sport, ended Saturday - 459 matches and nearly 34 years after it began.

Hundreds of fans gave the Brandon Eagles and their coach, Russ Cozart, a standing ovation. Many of them were proud alumni of the program that started from scratch and grew into a dynasty.

Grajales, 44, stood among them.

"We felt helpless. There was nothing we could do," he said.

So he cheered for the coach who led him to the state championships more than 25 years ago, for his 18-year-old son who wrestled that day, for their team and their legacy.

"What's one loss?" he said. "It's really nothing."

- - -

But Dennis Kitko saw something on his former teammates' faces Saturday night: disbelief.

"It was surreal. I don't believe it really happened," he said. "I'm glad I was at least there to watch it."

In high school, Kitko helped keep "the Streak" alive from 1990-93. Now age 32 and the wrestling coach for Durant High School, he's pushing his new team to beat it.

Still, Saturday's loss was a shock. It bothered him more than he thought it would.

"You're all pumped up. You see all your buddies. Then you come to realize, yeah, it was a pretty neat thing we had, and we were all part of it until that night," he said.

Josh Lambrecht, 28, a former state champion for Brandon and a former college wrestling star, also watched from the stands.

Seeing South Dade snap "the Streak" was sad, he said, but watching how Brandon's coach - and the fans - reacted filled him with pride.

"It was really neat to see Cozart run across the mat and congratulate those coaches [from South Dade]," he said. "I just couldn't imagine how that was going to go down, whether he would be frustrated. I didn't know how the emotions were going to go."

- - -

Gerardo Gomez was 200 miles away when he learned about the loss. His son showed him an article about it on ESPN's Web site.

The 54-year-old alum was one of Brandon's first wrestlers, in the days before "the Streak," when the team practiced in tennis shoes and shorts on an auditorium stage.

"People say anything about wrestling or Brandon, and we're proud," he said. "This is just a milestone in history. ... Now they'll have to see if they can break their own streak."

- - -

After Saturday's tournament, Cozart told the Eagles to hold their heads high and keep training. Twelve hours later, Grajales and his son were lifting weights together.

"At the end of the day, this is all a good thing," he said.

The team's record, Grajales said, will still be nearly impossible to top. "We'll always have 'the Streak.' They didn't beat 'the Streak,'" he said. "They just stopped it."

Times staff writer Joe Smith contributed to this report. Catherine E. Shoichet can be reached at cshoichet@sptimes.com or 661-2454.

Jan. 25, 1974:

Manatee and Brandon tie, the last time until Saturday the Eagles did not win a dual meet.

Jan. 16, 1975:

Brandon edges Manatee 29-23 and goes on to post its first unbeaten dual-meet season.

Dec. 11, 1976:

The Eagles beat defending state champion Miami Palmetto 30-17. In a conversation about the match, Palmetto coaches mention the win streak, causing Brandon coach Jim Graves to take note. It stands at 31 victories and 40 matches without a loss.

Feb. 27, 1982:

Coach Russ Cozart leads the Eagles to the first of his eight state titles.

Feb. 6, 1988:

A 76-6 win over Hillsborough gives Brandon 176 dual-meet victories in a row, eclipsing the previous national record.

Jan. 19, 1997:

Brandon defeats Chamberlain 59-14, extending its unbeaten streak to 293 and breaking the national record for consecutive victories in any sport.

March 15, 1998:

Brandon wins its 11th state title with 141 points, breaking its previous record.

Feb. 24, 2001:

Brandon wins its 12th state title.

Feb. 23, 2002:

Brandon wins its 13th state title with 124 points, 17 ahead of second-place St. Thomas Aquinas.

Saturday:

Brandon's streak ends with a loss to South Dade.

Compiled by Times staff

[Last modified January 10, 2008, 07:41:29]