Telegraph Staff Writer
Union County High School’s wrestling team opened the season at the Dec. 4 Buchholz Bobcat Round Robin, with Kale Waters finishing as the runner-up in the 113-pound class.
Five Union wrestlers in all advanced to compete in the championship brackets in their respective weight classes.
Waters’ only loss came in the second round when he was pinned by Timber Creek’s Trenton Dominguez in 37 seconds. He opened the day by pinning Westside’s Isaiah Waters in 15 seconds. Waters recorded three more victories by pins, defeating Forest’s Jamon Stromwall in 27 seconds, Westside’s Jacob Jackson in 15 seconds and Timber Creek’s Marlo Clark in 19 seconds.
Ethan Hancock took third in the 120 class. He rebounded from a loss to start action in Pool A, pinning two straight opponents in 21 and 27 seconds. He was then pinned by Buchholz’s Finn Buchanan in 3:33, which put him in the third-place match. Hancock pinned Forest’s Leeana Vazquez in 1:38.
Some other notable performances included fourth-place finishes by Rodney Barnett in the 138 class and Colin Hadlock in the 170 class.
Barnett recorded two pins to come out of Pool D with a 2-0 record. He then pinned Timber Creek’s Donovan DelRosario in 43 seconds before getting pinned by Camden County’s Anthony Santos in 1:37. Barnett squared off against Camden’s Jacob Fink in the third-place match, getting pinned in 53 seconds.
Hadlock went 1-1 to come out of Pool C. He then pinned Westside’s Preston Davis in 1:03 before getting pinned by Camden’s CahMari Johnson in 1:31. In the third-place match, Hadlock was pinned by Timber Creek’s Dennis Proulx in 2:55.
The Tigers’ Ethan Shea, with a pin of Ridgeview’s Shane Burnette in 5:25, won Pool D in the 145 class. After a loss to Camden’s Porter Bryant, Shea pinned Forest’s Abery Anthony to advance to the fifth match before placing sixth.
Union will host the Tri-County Duals on Thursday, Dec. 16, with weigh-in at 4 p.m. On Saturday, Dec. 18, Union goes to Columbia High School for its Tiger Duals, with weigh-in at 9 a.m.
The remaining varsity schedule is as follows:
—Jan. 6, District (duals) at Clay, noon weigh-in.
—Jan. 7-8, Battle of the Border at Yulee, weigh-ins at noon on Jan. 7 and 8 a.m. on Jan. 8.
—Jan. 13, Regional (duals), TBD.
—Jan. 14-15, Billy Saylor Duals at Suwannee.
—Jan. 21-22, State (duals) at Osceola, TBD.
—Jan. 25, home vs. Yulee, 5 p.m. weigh-in.
—Jan. 27, at Palatka, TBD.
—Jan. 31, at Baker County, 5 p.m. weigh-in.
—Feb. 4-5, Clay Rotary Tournament at Clay High, noon weigh-in on Feb. 4 and 7:30 a.m. weigh-in on Feb. 5.
—Feb. 8, Senior Night vs. Buchholz, 5 p.m. weigh-in.
—Feb. 16, District (individual) at Clay, noon weigh-in.
—Feb. 25-26, Regional (individual), TBD, 10 a.m. weigh-in on Feb. 25 and 8 a.m. weigh-in on Feb. 26.
—March 4-5, State (individual) at Silver Spurs Arena in Kissimmee, TBD.
The junior varsity team, which competed in the Dec. 3 Clash of the Titans, will also be part of the Dec. 16 Tri-County Duals, the Jan. 7-8 Battle of the Border at Yulee, the Jan. 25 home meet vs. Yulee, the Jan. 27 meet at Palatka, the Jan. 31 meet at Baker County and the Feb. 8 home meet vs. Buchholz. The Tigers will compete in the Feb. 5 Florida JV Regional Open at Yulee, with weigh-in at 8 a.m.
Union has a girls team this year, which, like the JV team, competed in the Dec. 3 Clash of the Titans. The girls team will also compete in the Dec. 16 Tri-County Duals, the Dec. 18 Columbia Tiger Duals and the Jan. 31 meet at Baker County.
Regional and state schedules are to be determined.
LBMS schedule
Lake Butler Middle School’s wrestling team opened its season this past Tuesday against Lake City and will host Lake Asbury and Green Cove Springs on Saturday, Dec. 11.
The Tigers travel for a meet at Lake City on Jan. 10 before hosting Suwannee on Jan. 24 (5 p.m. weigh-in).
On Jan. 27, Lake Butler travels for a match against Palatka.
The North Florida Championships take place at Middleburg High School on Jan. 29.
