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Wesley Chapel Coach, In Army Reserves, Is Called To Duty

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By EDDIE DANIELS, The Tampa Tribune

Published: December 27, 2007

LAND O' LAKES - The Wesley Chapel wrestling team will have to finish the season with a new head coach.

Wildcats coach Brian Simmons, a member of the Army reserves, found out he will be deployed for a second time. In 2003, Simmons, a native of Westerville, Ohio, was deployed to Iraq two years after graduating from the University of Tampa.
Assistant coach Able Robinson will assume head coaching duties.

A PIECE OF HISTORY: Wiregrass Ranch 130-pounder Eric Madden became the first Bulls wrestler to collect an individual tournament championship. The previous best was a third-place finish.

The farther along the bracket that Madden advanced this weekend, the more teammates urged him on to reach that top spot.

"It feels good once you know you can do it," Madden said. "I realized early in the tournament watching different matches and people lose and people win, so it gets to be, 'Hey, I have a pretty good chance at getting first.' I went with it.

"The whole time coaches and teammates were like, 'Hey we got to get the first Wiregrass champion ever.' I had to do it."

Madden was hoping for a shrine or a statue to commemorate the accomplishment, but he may have to settle for a pat on the back.

Ironically, Wiregrass Ranch coach Matt Simmons, younger brother of Brian Simmons, missed the victory as he and Brian were en route to the airport to as they traveled to their hometown of Westerville, Ohio, before Brian's deployment.

NO SWEAT: Several local wrestlers blew through the bracket at the Edward Goodpaster Invitational, collecting an undefeated weekend and a tournament title.

Vidal Jimenez (103, Pasco), Tyler Fleming (119, River Ridge), Madden, Ray Perez (189, Pasco) and Eric Stroud (215, Pasco) each went undefeated last weekend.

"The only part that was really hard was making weight," said Jimenez, who pinned all three of his opponents.

Jimenez, who pinned his first two opponents in under a minute, admitted he tried to get mat time in the finals, but once he was hit in the lip and began to bleed, he ended the match 42 seconds into the third period. At the time, he was ahead 11-3.

Fleming, who annihilated Miami Springs' Matthew Barrera, 17-3, was shocked at the ease with which he won the 119-pound championship.

Despite his 3-0 showing, Fleming was disappointed at his overall body of work.

"It was good, but I don't think it quite measured up to my potential," he said. "I think it's just getting it into my head to train hard so that way, before the match, I know that I trained harder than the other guy."

WHAT'S NEXT?: For 99 percent of Pasco County, the invitational at Land O' Lakes was the last bit of wrestling for 2007 and gives wrestlers a break before competition kicks back up the first week of January. Not so for the Pasco Pirates.

The squad will head to Birmingham, Ala., for the second consecutive season to participate in the Heart of Dixie Classic hosted by Vestavia Hills High School, Dec. 28-29.

Coaches wanting to add their team's information to the weekly Wrestling Notebook can submit their entries to Eddie Daniels by calling (813) 948-4214 or e-mailing edaniels@tampatrib.com.

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