LONGWOOD — John I. Leonard’s Mike Horowitz won the 130-pound championship Saturday at the state Class 4A wrestling tournament at Lyman High.
Horowitz defeated Orlando Evans’ Pat Washington, whom he beat 11-9 in the region 3-4A tournament, 7-5.
Horowitz took the lead 5-0 at the end of the first period, and led 7-1 after two.
Horowitz, who went into Saturday’s final 25-2, finished third in the region 3-4A meet, behind Merritt Island’s Wylie Welch and Oak Ridge’s Enrique Cruz. Welch made it the the state semifinals, and Cruz was eliminated in the first round.
Cooper City’s Chris McDonald (136 pounds), one of two area semifinalists at the state Class 4A state wrestling championships at Lyman High, continued to pay the price for being a nice guy.
Wednesday he gave a pint of blood in his school’s blood drive, against his coach’s orders.
The loss of that pint of blood forced McDonald to stuggle with stamina problems, compounded by a frustrating knee injury, his second in two years.
“I guess he’s had a hard luck high school career,” Cowboys coach Bill Siar said Saturday after McDonald was defeated in his first consolation match. Mike Horowitz, a 130-pounder from John I. Leonard High and the area’s only finalist, was scheduled to wrestle in a late match for the state title.
Horowitz (25-2) finished third in Region 3-4A, and was to wrestle Orlando Evans’ Pat Washington.
McDonald struggled with fatigue Friday, but won his first two matches. After Friday’s competition, McDonald said the blood donation had hurt his endurance, but was sure he would feel better Saturday.
He didn’t.
McDonald, also a judo athlete, appeared to be exhausted midway through the second period of his semifinal match, at which time he was losing 7-1 to Southwest’s Ivan Huergo.
He was continually slow getting up. His knee injury appeared to slow him, but obvious fatique kept him down. Losing 7-2, the referee defaulted McDonald for injury.
With tears swelling in his eyes, McDonald looked almost relieved the match was over.
The story was identical in his consolation match against Edgewater’s Gary Daies. The same injury, the same fatigue, the same surpressed tears.
Except this time McDonald was helped to the training room, where he sat on a table, staring blankly into space.
“It’s going to be tough for him to get a wrestling scholarship without placing in state, so he’ll have to use his judo and find a school were he can do both,” Siar said. “He’s pretty upset. I think he had a shot a state title, and he’s thinking about what might have been if some of the things that happened this week never happened.”
Siar also appeared a bit upset with the nurse who took McDonald’s blood.
“Chris asked her if he could give blood with the meet this weekend, and she said she didn’t think it would be a problem,” Siar said. “I don’t think she had any idea what these meets are all about. This has got to be one of the most physically difficult things to do. You’re not even supposed to do anything strenuous for 48 hours after giving blood, let alone wrestle.”
Another disappointed area wrestler is Forest Hill’s Perry Balasis (224), who finished second at state last season and, with his 28-0 record, came into this season’s final meet as a favorite to win the title.
But Balasis lost his second-round match 12-11 nto Seminole’s Mike Roth. Roth was then defeated in the semifinals, so Balasis was not entered into the consolation bracket.
Palm Beach Gardens’ Corey Park (123) and Twin Lakes’ Todd Thompson (159) both made it to Saturday’s consolation finals, but both lost.
Park, a senior who won the state title as a sophomore, lost 8-5 to Edgewater’s Jimmy Cash. Sarasota’s Bill Sadlo defeated Thompson 13-6.
SEMIFINALS
102 — Frank Mathews (Countryside) d. Paul Renaud (Miami Beach) 11-2; Andrew Magann (Brandon) d. Ronnie Rufhing (Sarasota) 7-5.
109 — Richard Jones (Merritt Island) d. Scott Flores (Lake Mary) 8-7; Cortez Jones (Southridge) d. Todd Kuhn (Clearwter) by TF in 4:55.
116 — Andy Anderson (Norland) d. Steve Conroy (Brandon) 7-4; Mandy Blanco (Countryside) d. Andre Durden (Sarasota) 11-5.
123 — Tad Yeager (Pinellas Park) d. Frank Fernandez (Sarasota) 9-4; Thierry Chau (Manatee) d. Jimmy Cash (Edgewater) 13-10.
130 — Mike Horowitz (J.I. Leonard) d. Benjamin Holden (Chamberlin) 7-3; Pat Washington (Evans) 3-2.
136 — Jean Cilab (Edison) d. Jonathan Gaines (American) 12-8; Ivan Huergo (Southwest) d. Chris McDonald (Cooper City) by inj. default.
142 — Travis Smith (Sarasota) d. Hunter 13-5; Flood (Choctawhatchee); Seymour Brown (Countryside) d. Larry Martini 4-0 (OT) (Cape Coral).
149 — Bill Richards (Lake Mary) d. Brian Stewart (Southridge) 8-3; Bret Gustafson (Brandon) d. Angel Soto (North Miami) 10-7.
159 — Johnell Gainey (Buchholz) d. Alfredo Pardo (South Miami) by inj. default; Soloman Fleckman (Merritt Island) d. Bill Sadlo (Sarasota) by TF 4:14.
171 — Troy Turner (Seminole) p. Mike Sousa (Colonial) 2:32; Dennis Nelson (Countryside) d. David Intveld (Dixie Hollins) 7-3.
189 — Steve Zablocki (Winter Haven) d. Louis Pastore (Leto) 16-2; Shawn Hocker (Sarasota) d. Greg Crosby (Southridge) 15-2.
224 — Anthony Hendry (Hillsborough) p. Mike Roth (Seminole) 1:35; Pete Rausch (Cape Coral) d. Luther Johnson (Killian) 3-1 in OT.
HWT — Victor Dawkins (Palmeto) d. Greg Rivera (Cape Coral) 3-2; Joseph Tomas (Leto) p. George Tsiotsias (N. Miami Beach) 1:57.
UNL — Moses Rivmrs (Miami Lakes) p. Toy Jackson (Lake Mary) 1:48; Michael Heldt (Leto) p. Mike Blassingame (Killian) 1:18.
CONSOLATION FINALS
102 — Julio Polo (Southridge) d. David Scheel (Sunset) 6-5.
109 — Todd Kuhn (Clearwater) d. Scott Flores (Lake Mary) 13-8.
116 — Danny Diehl (Pinellas Park) d. Sheralton Mays (Seminole) 14-0.
123 — Jimmy Cash (Edgewater) d. Corey Park (Palm Beach Gardens) 8-5.
130 — John Lambert (Pinellas Park) d. Troy Collier (Southridge) 7-5.
136 — Gary Daies (Edgewater) d. Mark Koenig (Brandon) 14-6.
142 — Larry Martini (Cape Coral) d. Hunter Flood (Choctawhatchee) 3-2.
149 — Angel Soto (North Miami) d. Brian Stewart (Southridge) 14-2.
159 — Bill Sadlo (Sarasota) d. Todd Thompson (Twin Lakes) 13-6.
171 — Mike Sousa (Colonial) p. Henry Hiem (Lake Howell) 4:59.
189 — Brian Huggins (Winter Park) p. Greg Crosby (Southridge) 4:05.
224 — Luther Johnson (Killian) d. Mike Roth (St. Pete Seminole) by TF in 4:09.
HWT — Greg Rivera (Cape Coral) d. George Tsiotsias (N. Miami Beach) 3-2.
UNL — Joel Pakola (N. Miami Beach) d. Troy Jackson (Lake Mary) 3-2.
