War Eagle wrestlers place 4th at Kiwanis Invitational
By Walt Jacobs
Mount Everest is the tallest mountain in the world above sea level. Reaching its summit is a daunting and challenging task. The climb and the successful ascent to its pinnacle has become a symbol of high achievement. To reach the top, a climber must go through acclimatization, which is the process of becoming accustomed to a new climate or to new conditions and increases the climber’s chances of success.
This season the Wakulla wrestling team is going through a process of acclimatization of their own.
To better equip his wrestlers, Coach Will Pafford has tried, in his words “To get the team matches that will be similar to the state tournament. My number one goal as a coach is to try and get my wrestlers matches that will meet their needs.”
On December 8th and 9th, the War Eagles participated in the 42nd Annual Kiwanis Invitational hosted by Hernando High School in Brooksville.
This tournament is regarded by some as one of the toughest in Florida and features an abundance of top-tier competitors. Several state qualifiers were present, and many were state placers from various classifications.
As a team, Wakulla finished 4th out of 34 teams, behind Zephyrhills Christian, Brandon, and Heritage. Individually, the War Eagles had five wrestlers place in the tournament. Matthew Thaxton placed 5th at 106, Troy Thaxton placed 2nd at 132, Brady Jackson placed 6th at 144, Aaron Robinson placed 2nd at 150 pounds and Nate Jacobs placed 6th at 157.
A highlight at Kiwanis for Coach Pafford was Aaron Robinson. Aaron had 3 pins and a decision on the weekend. Among those he pinned was Jean Benavidez in the quarterfinal. Significantly, Benavidez, from McKeel Academy, placed 8th in last year’s FHSAA State tournament.
The Lady War Eagles traveled to Panama City over the weekend, to compete in the Inaugural Buccaneers Winter Classic. Wakulla placed 4th as a team.
Individually, the girls placed as follows: McKenna Bettis-6th, Bella Vernon-4th, Chloe Doskocil-3rd, Julia Baggett-4th, Austin Brown-2nd, Caitlyn Hall-3rd, Hannah Hall-4th, Savannah Nowak-1st, and Ruby Scott-4th.
Coach Pafford highlighted Savannah Nowak’s performance over the weekend, saying: “Savannah has pinned every wrestler this season and is sitting at 7-0, all by pin.”
On December 22nd, the War Eagles will travel to Fort Walton Beach to compete in The Beast of the Beach.
