By WALT JACOBS
Correspondent
On Thursday, January 15th, the top four teams from Districts 1 and 2 met in Lynn Haven to battle it out for a chance to compete for the FHSAA 1A Regional Dual championship title in Kissimmee on January 23rd.
An air of confidence emanated from a stone-faced Nate Litowsky and his intrepid squad of wrestlers as they walked into the gym at North Bay Haven Charter Academy.
In their first dual of the night, Wakulla faced South Walton. The outcome of the dual was never in question as the War Eagles dismantled the Seahawks 60-18. With Florida High’s 44-32 defeat of North Bay Haven, the match that everyone anticipated was set.
Only a week earlier, Wakulla soundly beat Florida High 58-18. It was expected that Florida High would make roster adjustments in hopes of pulling off the upset, but the Seminoles dramatically changed their lineup the second time around. Eleven wrestlers competed in different weight classes this time for Florida High, while Wakulla only made adjustments at 138 and 144.
The dual began at the 157 pound weight class and by the time the dual reached the midway point, the War Eagles had built a commanding 27-11 lead. Although the momentum was firmly in Wakulla’s favor, there was still some work to be done before Wakulla fans could begin to breathe easier.
At the conclusion of the 126 pound bout, Wakulla led 38-15. The Seminoles still had hope, but they would need to pin their way through the four remaining matches to win.
They got one of the four pins needed at 132, when Florida High’s Wyatt Feltgen pinned Patrick Cooksey, but both Feltgen and Cooksey received unsportsmanlike conduct penalties which brought the score to Wakulla 37, Florida High 20.
The Seminoles got the second of four pins that they needed when Jasper Croom pinned Caleb Thompson at 138 pounds. That brought the team score to Wakulla 37, Florida High 26. After the bout, Croom was hit with an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty which resulted in the deduction of another team point, making the score 37-25.
With two matches left, the dual could still end in a 37-37 tie and have to be decided on criteria.
However, Brady Jackson received a forfeit at 144 pounds, which sealed the win for Wakulla.
At 150 pounds, Troy Thaxton put an exclamation point on Wakulla’s victory with a pin of Florida High’s Diego Silva in the final bout of the evening.
The final score was Wakulla 49, Florida High 25.
Coach Nate Litowsky commented, “We wrestle in a dominant district against some tough teams in the region. After Thursday, there’s no question who the best is.” He added: “Shouldn’t have been a question in the first place.”
The win advances Wakulla to the Regional Finals where they will take on Baker County on January 23rd in Kissimmee.
WAKULLA
PLACES 2ND AT
GATOR BRAWL
Wakulla High placed second at the Gator Brawl held in Wewahitchka on January 16th and 17th. The Middleburg Broncos placed first with 551.5 points followed by Wakulla with 461.5, North Bay Haven with 339.5, Fort Walton Beach with 334, and Suwannee with 313 points to round out the top five.
Wakulla advanced five wrestlers to the finals and came away with three champions: Kyle Manzi at 113, William Harvey at 126 and Brady Jackson at 138.
INDIVIDUAL
PLACERS
106- Brayden Hodges: 6-2; 4th place
113-Kyle Manzi: 8-0; 1st place
120-Matthew Thaxton: 8-1; 2nd place
126-William Harvey: 9-0; 1st place
132-Patrick Cooksey: 6-2; 4th place
138-Brady Jackson: 8-0; 1st Place
150-Troy Thaxton: 8-1; 2nd place
175-Cole Manning: 5-2; 5th place
190-Gavin Mitchell: 5-3; 3rd place
215-Blake Barodte: 9-1; 2nd place
285-Lonnie Pearce: 5-3; 6th place
BRADY JACKSON BREAKS RECORD
On January 17th, Brady Jackson etched his name in the record books with his 28th tech fall of the year. It came on a 20-4 technical fall over Aiden Reeves of Fort Walton Beach.
Jackson added a 29th tech fall with a 19-3 win over Jude Merrell, also of Fort Walton Beach. With several dates remaining on the schedule, Jackson will no doubt continue to add more. The record was previously set by Jae T Thaxton in 2023 with 27.
LADY WAR EAGLES EXCEL AT RYAN BLACKWELL
The Ryan Blackwell Invitational in Gulf Breeze provided the Lady War Eagle wrestling team an opportunity to get a glimpse of half of the district opponents that they will see in the postseason.
Julia Baggett and Kameron Easter had stellar performances with both placing 2nd in their respective weight classes.
In her second match, Baggett faced 11th ranked Elizabeth Herhold from Gulf Shores, Alabama. Coach Jon Sanchez described it as “a dogfight the whole match. There was a lot of back and forth action. Julia ended up pinning her in the second period.”
In the finals, Baggett wrestled Choctaw’s 20th ranked Mary McKinney.
Sanchez said, “She wrestled great and gave McKinney all she could handle. Unfortunately, she came up short, losing 12-2. However, the match brought out a lot of good things overall when you look at the progression of the season.” He added: “We still have some time to work on some small adjustments, but the growth she’s seen this season has been great.”
In her opening match, Kameron Easter came out firing on all cylinders pinning Bay High’s Tamya Leveret in just 55 seconds.
In the finals, Easter wrestled 11th ranked Adalyne Fowls from Gulf Breeze. “Her finals match didn’t go the way we wanted,” said Sanchez, “but again, we were able to take away a lot of positives. Kameron is continuing to work on things in the room and is getting better every week.”
“I’m very proud of how these girls performed and I’m looking forward to the postseason,” he said.
WRESTLERS of the WEEK
Boys Wrestler of Week
Girls Wrestler of week
COACH’S CORNER
“All the work we put in was aimed at this weekend and March. We’ve accomplished more than anyone ever thought we would. Now the boys are prepared, confident, and ready to finish it.”
– Coach Nate Litowsky
