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Durant: 4 Champs, Team Title

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By ADAM ADKINS, The Tampa Tribune

Published: February 3, 2008

GIBSONTON - Dennis Kitko had plenty of reasons to smile Saturday following the conclusion of the Class 3A-District 5 wrestling tournament at East Bay. The Durant coach had just watched his team turn in its best performance of the season.

Four Cougars claimed individual titles, three others finished as individual runners-up and 11 advanced to next week's region tournament at East Lake. All that helped Durant once again hoist the team district trophy, something the Cougars missed out on last year.

"It was very exciting," Kitko said. "This is the best we've wrestled all year. It was definitely an awesome night."

Durant senior 125-pounder Christian Reed followed up his individual title at last week's at the Hillsborough County Championships with another strong performance, pinning Alonso's Laz Palma to claim his second individual crown in as many weeks. But it was three of Reed's teammates who came through with clutch performances to help the Cougars come out on top.

Tykie Mastorides got things going with a big pin of Alonso's Mark Piazza in the 112-pound title match, while Derrick Hudson followed with a big win against Riverview's Herman Hernandez in the 135-pound final and Yamil Crespo got past Gaither's Matt Roach, a county champ last week, to win the 145-pound title.
Kitko admitted that after watching those victories unfold, he had a sense it was simply Durant's night.

"I would like to say we've been doing the right kind of practicing," Kitko said, "but it all fell together pretty well."

Those victories helped the Cougars finish on top with 187.5 points, but that wasn't much in front of the rest of the pack that formed one of the county's toughest districts. Bloomingdale finished as the runner-up with 160, while Lakeland (147.5) and Alonso (143) weren't far behind.

The Bulls had three individual champions. Keith Mooney claimed the 215-pound title with a pin of Durant's Devin Johnson, while brothers Austin and Chris Figari also won their championship finals match, claiming titles at 130 and 140 pounds, respectively. Nine Bloomingdale wrestlers advanced to region.

The Figari brothers weren't the only fraternal tandem to win individual titles. Alonso brothers Kurt and Kendall Ivy, who each won individual county titles last week, followed suit Saturday with titles at 152 and 189, respectively, and they did it in impressive fashion; Kurt scored a pin of Bloomingdale's Mike Gazda , while Kendall earned a major decision against Gaither's Aaron Little. Alonso 103-pounder Tony Milanes also won an individual title, as the Ravens advanced eight to the region.

Plant City 171-pounder Travis Vollick, a county champion last week, was the only other county wrestler to win an individual title; Vollick downed East Bay's Tyler Hooks in the final match.

Bloomingdale's Bryce Lawson (119 pounds), Riverview's Ryan Hight (130), Durant's T.J. Davis (140), East Bay's Chris Collins (160) and Sickles' Doug Blake (285) finished as individual runners-up.

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