Many tried to beat Brandon, but until Saturday night, none successfully, since Bradenton Manatee prevailed in the final match of the 1972-73 season. Manatee would tie Brandon the next year; therein lies the nine dual-match difference between the winning streak and the unbeaten streak. The close calls during the years kept the Eagles in check. The closest of the close: Nov. 26, 1979: Brandon 32, Leto 24. The first match of Jim Graves' final season as Brandon's coach. The key match was Marty Shirley's pin of Dennis Reynolds at 167 pounds. Reynolds went on to finish fourth in the state. Shirley fell out of the starting lineup by season's end. After this win, the unbeaten streak stood at 73 and the winning streak at 64. Jan. 10, 1980: Brandon 28, East Bay 27. With three bouts remaining, East Bay led 21-17, but wins by Tony Gustafson at 188 and Dave Walker at 220 saved the match, which was marred by a fight involving a former Brandon wrestler and East Bay fans. Graves went into the stands to help break it up. Dec. 1, 1981: Brandon 32, Chamberlain 25. Russ Cozart was in his second year at Brandon, coaching against his old school in the season opener. "It wasn't really close, but it got close toward the end," Cozart said. "It was an unexpected scare. Ed Goodpaster was also in his second year, having replaced me at Chamberlain, and he was building a nice squad." Nov. 30, 1982: Brandon 29, Chamberlain 27. This was another season opener, and Chamberlain had 12 seniors. Todd Gustafson and Eric Grant defeated Chiefs they had lost to previously, and Andre Green's pin at 189 gave Brandon an insurmountable 29-12 lead. The original final score was 29-24, changed after Brandon forfeited a bout for using an ineligible wrestler. It was Brandon's 100th consecutive win. Feb. 4, 1984: Brandon 35, Miami Southridge 24. Arguably the biggest challenge to the streaks since they began, Southridge came into the Eagles' Nest as defending state champion and led Brandon 24-23 with two matches left. Jim Husk watched in dismay as his last wrestlers were disqualified for stalling. The streaks were at 131 (unbeaten) and 122 (winning). Dec. 10, 1988: Brandon 31, Chamberlain 28. The first of two clutch performances by Brandon heavyweight Steve Smith, whose pin capped a comeback from a 28-19 deficit. The streaks were at 189 and 180. Jan. 10, 1989: Brandon 35, Bloomingdale 23. This match's original final score was 32-26 - this alteration resulted from a Bloomingdale forfeit - and Smith again was the hero. With the match tied at 26, he saved the streaks at 193 and 184 by pinning Charles Perez in 5:37. Elation was tempered by an injury suffered by Brandon's Jason Davis, whose leg was broken against Bloomingdale's Kevin Williams. Nov. 26, 1996: Brandon 43, East Bay 27. Before this weekend, this was the closest Brandon had come to falling since the 1990s began. East Bay got four consecutive wins beginning at 130 pounds to tie the match at 21. However, the Eagles, strong in the heavier weights that season, dominated the last half of the match, getting the clinching win from 189-pounder Josh Lambrecht. 1969 - Brandon's program begins with a 45-13 loss to Robinson. Feb. 20, 1973 - Bradenton Manatee defeats Brandon 28-19 in the final dual meet of the 1972-73 season, the last time the Eagles lost a dual meet. Nov. 29, 1973 - Brandon defeats Chamberlain 40-12 in the first match of the 1973-74 season, the start of a national record unbeaten streak, which ended at 468 after this year's Graves Duals final. Jan. 26, 1974 - Brandon and Bradenton Manatee tie 24-24 in the ninth match of the season, the last time the Eagles did not win a match before Saturday. Therein lies the nine-match difference between the unbeaten and undefeated streaks, both national marks. Jan. 28, 1974 - Brandon defeats Robinson 32-17, the first victory of the national-record winning streak which ended at 459. Feb. 7, 1980 - Brandon's last dual under Jim Graves, a 59-6 win against King. The Streak stood at 75 consecutive wins and 84 matches without a defeat. Graves resigned at the end of the season. He left with a career record of 97-11-1 and led the program to its first state title in 1977. Dec. 1, 1980 - Brandon defeats Chamberlain 47-17 in the first match under new Eagles coach Russ Cozart, who took over the program following two seasons at Chamberlain. Nov. 30, 1982 - Brandon gets consecutive win No. 100 with a 29-27 win against Chamberlain. Feb. 6, 1988 - Brandon notches win No. 176 with a 76-6 win against Hillsborough, breaking the national wrestling program mark for consecutive wins held by Bismarck, N.D. Jan. 27, 1990 - Brandon gets consecutive win No. 200 with a 70-6 win against Hillsborough. One day later - exactly 16 years after the winning streak began - Tony Ippolito, a beloved former Eagles standout and the program's and Hillsborough County's first state champion, dies from a rare form of cancer. He was 33. Jan. 18, 1997 - Brandon defeats Chamberlain for consecutive win No. 293, breaking the national mark for consecutive victories by a high school team in any sport. The old record was held by the Amherst (N.Y) Sweet Home High volleyball team, which won 292 consecutive matches from 1978-87. Dec. 16, 1997 - Brandon gets consecutive win No. 300 with a 70-3 rout of Plant. Jan. 8, 2005 - Brandon gets consecutive win No. 400 with a 53-12 victory against Chamberlain in Graves Duals semifinals. Jan. 5, 2008 - Brandon loses to Homestead South Dade in the final of the Graves Duals 32-28, ending The Streak. The Eagles' national record winning and unbeaten streaks end at 459 and 468, respectively. ...more

January 6, 2008

Many tried to beat Brandon, but until Saturday night, none successfully, since Bradenton Manatee beat Brandon in the final match of the 1972-73 season. Manatee would tie Brandon the next year; therein lies the nine dual-match difference between the winning streak and the unbeaten streak. The close calls during the years kept the Eagles in check. The closest of the close: ...more

January 5, 2008

In a tale of two halves, Springstead played to a scoreless draw in the first half last Thursday night in a Class 4A, District 8 soccer match at Booster Stadium. ...more

December 29, 2007

Lightning D Brad Lukowich didn't want to sit out any games, let alone two consecutive. ...more

December 27, 2007

Welcome to Week 16, championship week for most fantasy leagues. Congrats to those of you who have made it to your league's final game, and to those of you who are still alive in the playoffs and looking for a berth in a championship game to be played next week. ...more

December 19, 2007

The good news is they could stumble Sunday and still not fall. Their lead in the NFC South was and still is that big. Good thing, too, because the Bucs clearly stumbled against the Texans, particularly on defense. ...more

December 10, 2007

She is only a freshman, but Florida State midfielder Marissa Kazbour is a veteran when it comes to the College Cup, soccer's version of the Final Four. ...more

December 7, 2007

Antonio Cromartie's next act of larceny may be the theft of an AFC Pro Bowl spot. ...more

December 4, 2007

There were some key ingredients missing from the experiments Saint Leo men's basketball coach Mike Madagan planned for Monday night - a dash of offense, a tablespoon of 3-pointers, a pinch of passing. ...more

November 28, 2007

LAND O' LAKES - February was a bittersweet month for Reyes Perez. The Pasco 189-pounder reached the FHSAA wrestling tournament for the second time, but after winning his first match via a second-period pin, he lost his second and third matches, ending his season short of his goal of placing at the tournament. ...more

November 26, 2007