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Riverview Aiming For Top-5 Finish

Tribune photo by JOHN CEBALLOS

Herman Hernandez, left, works takedowns with teammate Ryan Hight during the Riverview High School wrestling team's practice.

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By ADAM ADKINS | The Tampa Tribune

Published: January 27, 2009

There is only one more week left before postseason wrestling begins, but it will be a big one for Hillsborough County programs.

The Hillsborough County Championships are Friday and Saturday at Wharton, an event featuring each of the public school programs.

While Brandon is the heavy favorite to win again, the battle to fill out the rest of the top five in the team standings should be a good one, and one team hoping to work its way into that group is Riverview.

"I'd like to think we can finish in top five," Riverview coach Wili Sargable said. "I think it's going to depend upon, like most tournaments, who are the non-placers that can score points. You always have a few kids you can count on who are going to score and are going to place, but you need to get some other kids who can win in the wrestlebacks and contribute to the team."

Four wrestlers Sargable is counting on not only scoring, but also contending for a spot in Saturday's championship finals, are seniors Ryan Hight (130 pounds), Herman Hernandez (135), Rafael Rivera (189) and Ryan Gascon (285), who each have enjoyed very productive seasons. Hernandez and Rivera were contenders at last year's Hillsborough County Championships, each finishing as an individual runner-up; Hernandez at 135 pounds, and Rivera, wrestling for Spoto, at 189 pounds.

And while the much more important district tournaments loom the following week, Sargable knows his wrestlers aren't looking past this event.

"For anyone in the county, it's a big point of pride," Sargable said. "I think our guys realize that."

IVY HITS MILESTONE: Alonso senior Kendall Ivy reached a personal milestone Saturday night in the 189-pound championship finals at the 25th annual Tony Ippolito Tournament at Brandon.

Ivy's 4-1 decision against Brandon's Mike Ettore was the 100th career victory for the Ravens' standout. He became the fourth Alonso wrestler to reach the personal milestone, joining former Ravens Aleks Vega and Chris Allen and fellow senior Josh Moore, who achieved the feat earlier this season.

Two other Ravens - senior Mike Roberts (95 wins) and junior Tony Milanes (94 wins) - will have a chance to reach 100 wins before the season closes, with the milestone likely coming at the Class 3A-District 5 tournament.

Ivy, however, will have a chance this weekend to stand alone in the Ravens record books. If Ivy, last season's Hillsborough County 189-pound champ, is able to defend his title in the county meet at Wharton, he will become the program's first two-time county champ.

DISTRICT SLATE: District wrestling tournaments for area teams will be held on either Feb. 4, 6 or 7. Each tournament is a one-day event. Here are the dates and locations for this year's events involving Hillsborough, Pasco and Pinellas county programs:

Feb. 4: Class 2A-District 9 at Seminole

Feb. 6: Class 2A-District 7 at Winter Haven; Class 2A-District 8 at Jefferson; Class 1A-District 9 at Mulberry; Class 1A-District 10 at Clearwater Central Catholic

Feb. 7: Class 3A-District 5 at East Bay; Class 3A-District 6 at Tarpon Springs; Class 2A-District 5 at Dunedin; Class 1A-District 6 at Sunlake

For district breakdowns regarding teams, visit FHSAA.org.

Reporter Adam Adkins can be reached at (813) 259-7616.

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