FPC finalists sweep championship rounds

Palm Coast Observer
Sports

The Flagler Palm Coast wrestling team finished in second place at the 29th-annual Flagler Rotary Invitational Saturday, Jan. 10, at FPC High School.

The Bulldogs went into the final day in third place, but all four of their finalists won their championship matches, and other wrestlers won consolation bouts, which sprang FPC ahead of Winter Springs, the 2014 Rotary champions.

The champions for FPC were Zac Branning, Jackson Trivett, Kaz Maia and Alfred Shavers, who was also awarded the 29th-annual Outstanding Wrestler.

Shavers defeated the defending state champion, Brandon Staley, who was previously undefeated.

“He gave me my only loss at Lyman, and I just went out there with confidence,” Shavers said. “That loss made me work harder. I wasn’t challenged before him, so I wasn’t as focused as I was today.” On his future state finals plans, Shavers added, “I plan to win. I’ve beaten him once; I can do it again.”

Shavers is 19-1, while Trivett and Maia remained undefeated at 20-0 on the season. Trivett also became the first FPC wrestler to win back-to-back Rotary Tournament championships in over 15 years.

Other notable finishes include Evyn Insalaco and Jakob Dempsey, who placed third, and Tariq Johnson, a fourth-place finisher. Michael DeAugustino finished in fifth, and Avery Holder, Eric Rosso and Steve Canidate finished in sixth.

“Going in this tournament, we knew it was going to be hard to beat the best team in the state (South Dade), who is nationally ranked,” coach Tom Bartolotta said. “We wrestled hard and improved, but we had some minor setbacks. Overall, I’m proud of my team, and I am learning what it takes to make this program a top notch program like it was under Steve DeAugustino.”

FPC will host the Flagler Duals meet Friday and Saturday, Jan. 30-31, at FPC High School.

BOX: Matanzas gets two in finals round at Rotary Tournament

The Matanzas Pirates were represented by Maverick Dennis and Rocky Samples on the final day of the Rotary Tournament.

Dennis finished in fifth place in the 170-pound division by way of pinfall, and Samples finished in fourth, losing in the third-place match of the 103-pound division. Overall, the Pirates finished in 11th place out of the 32 schools that competed.

“It’s obviously a tough, tough tournament,” coach John White said. “I was hoping we could finish Top 10, but we had some good success. My 132- and 138-pounder did some tremendous jobs; they’re only second-year wrestlers. This is the kind of tournament where you come in and see what you have to work on, so we’ll get back to training, and hopefully, we’ll be ready. I’m excited.”