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Youngsters only lack state titles

Temple Heights' David Craig, 13, and Rocky Cozart, 14, enter the state tournament with district and regional titles to their credit.

By TERRY JONES

© St. Petersburg Times, published February 20, 2001

BRANDON -- For the past several years, Temple Heights has been a proving ground for young wrestlers, and this season has been no exception.

As the top wrestlers in the county prepare for the state championships Thursday, Friday and Saturday in Lakeland, the Eagles have a pair of middle-schoolers capable of bringing home individual titles.

David Craig, 13, and Rocky Cozart, 14, enter the meet as district, regional and, oh yeah, national champions.

Although only a seventh-grader, Craig has won 12 national championships since the age of 7, including the prestigious Tulsa (Okla.) Nationals and the Triple Crown.

He has also won two Greco-Roman and two freestyle AAU national titles, plus the Trinity.

The Trinity comprises three national championship tournaments in folk-style wrestling. It includes the Cliff King Championships, the Tulsa Nationals and the World of Wrestling Championships, all in the same year.

Cozart, son of Brandon coach Russ Cozart, placed fourth last year at states as a seventh-grader at Temple Heights. In 1999, he won the National High School Coaches Association championship at 100 pounds.

So far this season, Cozart is 25-1 and Craig is 24-0.

Both began their sport in the Brandon Wrestling Club. Craig was 3 years old and Cozart was 4. "Mostly all I remember before 5 or 6 was tumbling and learning to take opponents down with leg shots," Craig said. "We didn't actually start competing in tournaments until I was 7.

"Since then we have traveled all around the United States. I really look forward to earning a starting spot at Brandon High."

Even at his young age, Cozart is already a state tournament veteran and has no fantasies about what is ahead for all wrestlers in Lakeland.

Placing fourth last year as a seventh-grader was no small achievement. He suffered the pain of defeat twice, but the victories made it worthwhile.

"I have a couple of real tough matches ahead of me in the first two days, and if I win, nothing is easy in the semifinals or the finals," Cozart said. "David, myself and several friends from the Brandon and Temple Heights teams will all be ready though. We are training hard to be ready to do our best."

In addition to their training and practice with Temple Heights, both youngsters lift weights two days a week and run to build up their strength and endurance.

"The weights help make sure we don't get pushed around by stronger, older guys and the running helps make sure we don't gas-out in the later part of a match," Cozart said. "Sometimes I run with my dad. Sometimes I run alone or with some of the other guys, in addition to what we do with the team."

Academics are important to both athletes and both make above-average grades. Craig's have been high enough to earn him a place in the National Honor Society.

The two are also close friends. They ride to school together, and when possible, they like to just hang out with other friends, mostly wrestlers.

Craig hopes to do well this year at the state tournament, and before finishing high school, he hopes to win several state championships.

Cozart has the same goal.

"After high school, I want to get a college degree and become a high school physical education teacher and wrestling coach like my dad," Cozart said.

"I'm thinking I would like to become a lawyer," Craig said.

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