War Eagles soar over tornadoes
By Walt Jacobs
Eagles are made for soaring. With a wingspan of over seven feet, an eagle can rise to realms rarely reached and ascend to heights the earthbound can only dream of. When storms develop, instead of taking shelter as others do, the eagle flies into the storm, using the intense winds to rise above it.
On December 12th, the Bay High Tornadoes blew into town for a wrestling dual. The War Eagles did what eagles do. They soared. Wakulla began the dual with a pin by freshman Caleb Thompson. Before the night was over, Wakulla had nine pins, one tech fall, and two wins by forfeit, bringing the final score to 71-12.
Coach Will Pafford commented, “The Bay dual was awesome, with the kids wrestling very well in all three areas. It was great seeing all the past alumni. We had over 25 former wrestlers in the stands.”
Results of the Bay Dual:
106: Brady Wilson (Wak) p. Uriah Collier (0:28); 113: Matthew Thaxton (Wak) p. Caleb Spikes (0:19); 120 Caleb Thompson (Wak) p. Aiden Davis (1:10) 126: Zachari Wardrup (Wak) p. Devin Vasquez (4:16); 132: Bricyn Kennedy (Wak) p. Camdyn Havel (0:59); 138: David Culley (Wak) p. Jaylen Bennett (5:59); 144: David Drake (Bay) p. Aaron Robinson (5:26); 150: Brady Jackson (Wak) tf. Kristian Rodriguez (20-5; 3:32); 157: Nate Jacobs (Wak) p. Deven Bradshaw (2:57); 165: Kane Watford (Wak) fft.; 175: Shaun Sandidge (Bay) p. Nathan Braverman (3:29); 190: Noah Vernon (Wak) fft.; 215: Kohl Pippin (Wak) p. Ethan Needham (1:28); 285: Aaron Caquimbo (Wak) p. James Branch (1:08) Exhibition: Bella Vernon (Wak) p. Bay (4:50); McKenna Bettis (Wak) p. Bay (1:35)
The following day, Wakulla traveled to Orange Park for the Raider Duals. There, the War Eagle’s continued their dominance by going 5-0 on the day. While every Wakulla wrestler excelled, one of the highlights of the contest was freshman Matthew Thaxton. Thaxton pinned Westside’s Jacob Jackson who is currently ranked #20 in Class 2A. Coach Pafford remarked, “The Raider Duals was awesome. We got our first tournament win of the season in dominant fashion.”
Results of the Raider Duals:
Wakulla v Menedez 63-18; Wakulla v Orange Park 65-12; Wakulla v Gainesville 77-0; Wakulla v Florida School of the Deaf and Blind 66-18; Wakulla v Westside 66-12
Next, the War Eagle’s travel to Ft. Walton Beach on Dec. 22nd to compete in The Beast of the Beach.
