Pasco's Perez So Close To Victory

BRANDON - Moments after Pasco's Ray Perez lost his 189-pound final match at the 24th annual Tony Ippolito Memorial Tournament at Brandon High, he marched past the scorer's table and into the stands, grabbed a video camera, went to the opposite side of the gym and sat in the front row to watch his match.

What the camera captured seemed to contradict what was ruled on the mat.

According to one of the two officials, when Perez shot in on Bradenton Manatee's Andrew Fulk - taking him down near the boundary, as his supporting points remained in bounds - Perez didn't have a hold of Fulk's leg.

Had that takedown been ruled good, Perez, the top-ranked 189-pounder in Class 1A would have beaten Fulk, ranked No. 1 at 189 in 2A and the state, 2-1.

With Pasco coach Mark DeAugustino looking on, Perez shared the video. The image showed Perez with a firm hold on Fulk's hip with his left arm and the other wrapped around his left leg, taking Fulk to the mat.

Despite the call and the disappointment, Perez remained composed afterward.

"It was a good weekend for me, I guess," said Perez, who pinned three of his four opponents before his final loss. "I really wanted a shot at Fulk again because I wrestled him in the semis at the Ippolito last year and he pinned me."

During Saturday's match, Fulk didn't score his point until there was 49 seconds remaining in the second period. Fulk, who was in the down position, escaped to score the match's lone point.

Considering Perez, a senior, went from getting pinned by Fulk last year to nearly beating him, he was happy with his progress.

"It feels real good," Perez said. "I worked real hard over the offseason."

DeAugustino couldn't fend off his frustration. He argued the call, then watched the video.

As coaches walked by, many held up two fingers showing their support for Perez and a belief he should have won.

"I shouldn't have watched that," DeAugustino grumbled.

"Ray's wrestling hard," DeAugustino said. "He hasn't peaked yet. None of my team has peaked yet. We'll get to that. This is a good warm-up. It's just all part of the road in getting to the show, and that's what we're worried about, trying to get to that next level."

As he held the camera, reality and the fact that there are more matches left in the season seemed to hit Perez.

"It could go either way when you're wrestling," Perez said. "That's the way things go sometimes."