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Brandon's 456-Match Win Streak On The Line In Weekend Tourney

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By ADAM ADKINS, The Tampa Tribune

Published: January 4, 2008

BRANDON - It seems every few years the same talk resurfaces, that this is the year "The Streak" will go down.

Alonso coach John Moore has heard it plenty of times. It's safe to say any sports fan in the area has heard it. And just as many times as Moore has heard that the Brandon wrestling program's national record winning streak is going down, he has seen The Streak - as its aptly known - live on.

So it's understandable why Moore is a little reserved about the hype surrounding this weekend's Jim Graves Challenge the Streak Dual Meet Tournament at Brandon, when the Eagles will put their national mark - 456 consecutive dual meet wins - on the line. Talk, as they say, is cheap.

"When it happens," Moore said, "then I'll believe it."

Many probably share that sentiment. But when Brandon coach Russ Cozart again opens the doors to the Eagles Nest tonight to invite teams in to challenge The Streak, one thing is certain: The Eagles will be tested.

Never before has the two-day Graves Duals boasted a field as talented as this. Of the 15 teams other than Brandon entered in the field, three - Naples Palmetto Ridge, Homestead South Dade and Bradenton Manatee - are among the state's top programs, while several others - Springstead, Parkland Douglas, Alonso, Jesuit and Durant - are among the best in their respective areas.

The strength of this year's opposition and the fact that Brandon isn't loaded with superstars like in years past has fueled the talk this season. Brandon is led by returning state champions Eric Grajales, a junior, and sophomore Joey Cozart, but the Eagles lost six of their 14 varsity wrestlers from last season to graduation, five of whom placed at state.

"It is going to be one of Brandon's toughest challenges yet," Durant coach Dennis Kitko said after getting a first-hand look at South Dade, Manatee and Springstead at the Cougar Invitational the first weekend in December. Kitko knows a little about The Streak, considering he helped defend it as a Brandon wrestler in the early 1990s.

Coach Cozart agrees this will be a tougher challenge than any in recent memory.

"The last seven years we've just been heads and tails above everybody. This year is a little bit different. There are three teams out there that are very close to us," Cozart said. "I know they're all going to be psyched up and ready to go. We're just trying to do our best to get ready."

Brandon seems ready. This past weekend, the Eagles claimed a team title at the Heart of Dixie Classic in Alabama, a tournament featuring multiple state championship programs from Alabama, Tennessee and Vermont. Cozart called it a big confidence builder for a team still trying to figure out its identity.

What better identity to establish than as the protectors of The Streak? That's the chance the Eagles have in the next two days.

And if history tells us anything, the chance of The Streak continuing is better than anything else.

"I've been coaching against Cozart for about 10 years, and no matter what - the talk that they're weak and this is their down year - they always seem to pull it off," Moore said. "He is the master. He always seems to have his team ready."

That's why it's hard for Moore, and a lot of others, to buy into the hype.

"I'm not sure if it's Brandon losing possible or not," he said. "When Cozart's team loses, I'll say they're beatable then."

Reporter Adam Adkins can be reached at (813) 657-4533 or

aadkins@tampatrib.com.

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