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Teams Face Tough Test In District

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By ADAM ADKINS, The Tampa Tribune

Published: February 1, 2008

TAMPA - Call it old-fashioned, but Alonso High wrestling coach John Moore likes to use those coach's cliches. One of his favorites? You have to beat the best to be the best.

Considering the Ravens are heading to Saturday's Class 3A-District 5 tournament at East Bay, that's a fitting one to use to explain to his team just how tough of a challenge they're going to face. Alonso will be smack in the middle of probably the toughest and deepest district in Hillsborough County, with the Ravens forced for a second consecutive week to slug it out on the mat with the likes of Durant and Bloomingdale, among others.

"It's a bear," Moore said, describing the district tournament field, after squaring off against the same teams at the Hillsborough County Championships last week. "It just turns out this year that that's the way it happens, with a lot of quality teams."

Six of the eight county schools in the field finished in the top 10 at last week's Hillsborough County Championships. Durant, Alonso and Bloomingdale finished second, third and fourth, respectively, while Riverview (seventh), Gaither (ninth) and East Bay (tied for 10th) also had solid showings.

And then there's the one non-county team, defending district champion Lakeland, which finished second at the recent Polk County Championships.

"It's going to be a dogfight," Durant senior 125-pounder Christian Reed said.

Durant, Alonso and Bloomingdale, ranked second, third and fourth, respectively, in the Tribune's Top 5 for most of the season, should battle the Dreadnaughts for the district title. All three teams showed their depth at the county championships last week.

Durant had 10 wrestlers place in the top six, led by Reed, the team's lone individual champion. Alonso had nine wrestlers place, led by brothers Kurt and Kendall Ivy, who claimed individual titles at 152 and 189 pounds. And while Bloomingdale didn't have an individual champ, the Bulls had two runner-ups - brothers Austin (130 pounds) and Chris Figari (140) - and placed eight wrestlers.

Reed knows the Cougars, who placed second to Lakeland in the district last year, are in for a big challenge, but he believes his team is capable of coming out on top.

"I think we can take it," he said. "The guys have been working real hard in the wrestling room, and we're all in great shape now. I know we're ready."

Reporter Adam Adkins can be reached at (813) 657-4533 or aadkins@tampatrib.com.

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