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Springstead dominates Combs JV Tourney

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By MARTY MILLER, Hernando Today correspondent

Published: November 27, 2007

BROOKSVILLE - In the overall scope of things, what happens in an early season junior varsity wrestling tournament does not really amount to a hills of beans. But if one looks down the road, a junior varsity event may say more about what kind of future a prep mat program will be like in a few years than anything else.

That was why Springstead High brought over 20 grapplers and why the Eagles won 10 of 14 weight classes Saturday in the fifth annual Bill Combs Junior Varsity Wrestling Tournament held at Hernando High School's Michael A. Imhoff Gymnasium. The tournament, named for the current Hernando High assistant coach, had nine teams entered.

Springstead wrestlers Richie Bliss (103 pounds), Anthony Urso (119), Colton Zimmerman (125), Devean Huff (130), Sam Colon (135), Tommy Ellerbee (145), Craig Brice (160), Mike Greco (171), Ken Cox (215) and Christian Quinones (275) all won weight classes for the Eagles, who won the team title over second-place Land O'Lakes and third-place Mitchell.

"It's pretty important because it shows us where we're at for future levels," said Springstead assistant coach Mike LaRocca, who along with Harold Skidmore ran the Eagle team Saturday. "We've got some kids who belong to the Spring Hill Wrestling Club, but we have a few that this is their first time stepping on a wrestling mat for a tournament."

Along with Springstead, local schools Nature Coast Technical and Hernando had wrestlers in Saturday's meet. NCT brought 11 wrestlers and got the best finish from Tyler Forand at 112 pounds and Steven Richardson at 125, who both finished second while Hernando had five grapplers in the meet and had second-place showings by Vince Spencer at 171 pounds and George Smith at 189.

First-year Hernando High varsity coach Joe McLain said Saturday's meet is a big help to a varsity program.

"It's huge, with the wrestling club and this, it becomes a feeder system for the varsity," said McLain, a HHS alumnus. "The JV is as important as anything else we do.

"You have to have some kind of incentive to the younger kids because they work as hard as the varsity does. And a lot of times you can see it when they get back in practice after winning a tournament. Last week, we were in the Springstead tournament and the kids who won we're really happy."

Although there were a few weight classes who only had two or three wrestlers in them, Coach LaRooca said that the tournament was important.

"We're always looking to see what we need to work on like conditioning and other things," described LaRocca. "It's sort of like pre-season football, but it's pre-season all year long. If we find something we need to work on, we'll start working on it that week in practice."

Nature Coast Technical varsity coach Mike Lastra was with his JV team and believes these tournaments help a great deal.

"The teams who won these tournaments two or three years ago are the ones who are good now," said Lastra. "And those that win these tournaments this year will be good in another two or three years."

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