Wakulla falls short at 1A Regional Duals

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Colt Sanders vs. Jonathan Gonzalez. PHOTOS BY KATIE REESE

By WALT JACOBS
Correspondent

2A 10th-ranked Jacob Johnston from Chiles hurried to the center of the mat, then proceeded to bounce back and forth, with his shoulders squared, his chest protruding outward, and a confident countenance that conveyed his victory was certain. Perhaps this was partly because Johnston was 2-0 in matches against his next opponent, 1A 9th-ranked Aaron Robinson from Wakulla.

As Robinson stepped on the mat with a focused look in his eyes and a W emblazoned on his chest, he was greeted by a few cheers and encouraging shouts from the small crowd who gathered on a Thursday night to witness an ancient sport in modern times. The scene was reminiscent of a secret, underground fighting circuit that few knew about, and no one dared to speak of. One moment, it was so quiet that you could hear someone clipping their nails at the other end of the gym.
Mostly, the air was permeated with the sounds of coaching commands, flesh striking flesh, the thud of bodies hitting the mat, and the subsequent groans that followed.
Intermittently, cheers rose from fans like erupting geysers as the wrestler they supported executed moves with the grace of a ballet dancer and the force of a hurricane.
Johnston struck first with a takedown midway through the first period. Neither wrestler scored in the final 50 seconds of the first, so the score remained 3-0 in Johnston’s favor. Robinson chose top to begin the second period, which proved to be a wise decision. In less than 8 seconds, Robinson locked up a cradle, took Johnston to his back and collected near fall points. The maneuver gave Robinson a 4-3 lead.
Then, with 27 seconds left in the second period, Johnston hit a standing switch to retake the lead 5-4. Three seconds later, Robinson appeared to momentarily get away, but Johnston took the action out of bounds to prevent the 1-point escape. After the two returned to the center of the mat, Robinson worked up from bottom and almost escaped again, but time expired before he could get away.
In the third period, Johnston had the choice to decide the starting position. What prompted Johnston to choose neutral is anyone’s guess. Perhaps Johnston was fearful of Robinson’s lethal cradle or maybe that he himself had scored the only takedown of the match at this juncture; either way it was a choice that Johnston would surely regret. It only took Robinson about 23 seconds to take Johnston down and get 3 near fall points to take the lead 10-5.
Johnston was able to get a reversal shortly afterwards, but nothing more the rest of the way.
In the last 20 seconds, Johnston rapidly and repeatedly attempted four shots, but Robinson’s defense proved impenetrable.
When Robinson was asked about his 10-7 victory, he replied, “I’m really just happy that I was able to go out there and deliver for my team. It also feels good to finally get that win in his house in front of his crowd.”
Chiles responded immediately as Hayden Smith decisioned Auston Ryals 5-3 at 157 pounds.
Levi Bradley continued Chiles’ success at 165 pounds with a pin over Cole Manning.
At 175 pounds, in only his fifth Varsity match of the year, Wakulla’s Clayton Manzi faced Asher Moon. At the end of the 1st period, Manzi hit a head outside single, lifted Moon and returned him to the mat for a takedown.
The first period ended before Manzi was able to get the pin with a half nelson locked in, but not before he collected near fall points.
In the second period, Manzi went right back to work. He quickly escaped from bottom and then got yet another takedown and locked in another half. With time on his side, Manzi was able to secure the pin and knot the team score up at 9-9.
Chiles and Wakulla traded wins at 190 and 215. Andrew Hutton pinned Noah Vernon, and Wakulla’s Blake Barodte received a forfeit at 215 pounds, which evened the team score at 15-15.
Chiles regained the lead 21-15 when Ethan Toomey pinned Lonnie Pearce at 285 pounds and extended it when Jason Marsala pinned Brayden Hodges at 106 pounds.
Wakulla then matched Chiles with two wins of their own when Patrick Cooksey collected a forfeit at 113 pounds and Matthew Thaxton pinned Chiles’ Angel Collazo at 120 pounds.
With four matches remaining, the score was tied 27-27. Chiles forged ahead once again with a win by forfeit at 126 pounds and a pin by Javon Calixte over Wakulla’s Caleb Thompson making the score 39-27.
After Wakulla’s Colt Sanders pinned JR Jordan, the War Eagles were within six points of tying the score. If Nate Jacobs could pin Chiles’ Toby Trumbower in the 144-pound match, the dual would be decided by tie-breaking criteria, which would go in Wakulla’s favor.
Jacobs had Trumbower in jeopardy early as he had him nearly pinned just 50 seconds into the match, but the scrappy kid from Chiles managed to bridge and roll out to prevent the pinfall.
Although Jacobs dominated the match entirely and won 8-2, it was not enough to overcome the six-point deficit. Chiles prevailed 39-36.
In their second dual, Wakulla defeated Leon 48-21.
Wakulla will compete at the FHSAA 1A District 2 Championship at Liberty County High School in Bristol on Tuesday, February 18, at 3 p.m. (ET)
The Lady War Eagles will compete in the FHSAA D1 Championship on Saturday, February 15 at North Bay Haven in Panama City.

WAKULLA VS CHILES

150: Aaron Robinson (W) won by decision 10-7 over Jacob Johnston (C); 157: Hayden Smith (C) won by decision 5-3 over Auston Ryals; 165: Levi Bradley (C) won by fall over Cole Manning (W); 175: Clayton Manzi (W) won by fall over Asher Moon (C); 190: Andrew Hutton (C) won by fall over Noah Vernon (W); 215: Blake Barodte (W) won by forfeit; 285: Ethan Toomey (C) won by fall over Lonnie Pearce (W); 106: Jason Marsala (C) won by fall over Brayden Hodges (W); 113: Patrick Cooksey (W) won by forfeit; 120: Matthew Thaxton (W) won by fall over Angel Collazo (C); 126 Connor Blaine (C) won by forfeit; 132: Jovon Calixte (C) won by fall over Caleb Thompson (W); 138: Colt Sanders (W) won by fall over JR Jordan (C); 144: Nate Jacobs (W) won by decision 8-2 over Toby Trumbower

WAKULLA VS LEON

157: Double FFT; 165: Cole Manning (W) won by fall over Micah Campbell (L); 175: Santana Harris (L) won by fall over Gavin Mitchell (W); 190: Andrew Londot (L) won by fall over Noah Vernon (W); 215: Wynton Bowers (L) won by major decision 21-9 over Blake Barodte (W); 285 Lonnie Pearce (W) won by fall over Jordan Willis (L); 106: Brayden Hodges (W) won by forfeit; 113: Patrick Cooksey (W) won by fall over Brandon Miller (L); 120: Matthew Thaxton (W) won by fall over Xavier Palma (L); 126: Double FFT; 132: Zachary Edward (L) won by technical fall over Caleb Thompson (W); 138: Colt Sanders (W) won by fall over Ken Williams (L); 144: Troy Thaxton (W) won by fall over Logan Bergstrom; 150: Aaron Robinson (W) won by fall over Dana Coleman (L)

WAKULLA WRESTLING GRIEVES THE LOSS OF SCOTT VARNER

One of our own, Scott Varner, died on February 3, 2025, at 33 years of age.
Varner joined the pantheon of Wakulla’s all-time greats by winning his second FHSAA state wrestling championship as a senior in 2010. He was also a two-time Big Bend Wrestler of the Year, and a 2010 NHSCA All American.
Coach John Wainwright said: “I can talk all day about Scotty, he really was a wonderful person, friend, son, brother, grandson, and an exceptional wrestler. Scotty placed 7th at Senior Nationals at 140. He did that as a pigtail into the tournament, his self-determination, ability to recover immediately, his desire to be the best he could be.
“After high school Scotty and I talked weekly or monthly, whether I wanted to or not (smiley emoji). One of my best memories is Scotty discussing Jesus Christ as his Lord and Savior. It’s a savoring moment when you realize how your student is helping you grow in your walk with the Lord and with Scotty’s adamant way he was going to make sure I understood. You meet a lot of people in life and I was very fortunate that God put me in Scott’s life.”
To the Varner family, we extend our heartfelt condolences, and we share your sorrow as you mourn a son, brother, and father who departed too soon.


WRESTLER of the WEEK

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AARON ROBINSON

“Aaron is always showing up, putting in the work, and doing everything that is asked of him. He’s been getting it done on and off the mat, and we’re excited to see what he accomplishes..”

Coach Nate Litowski


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COACH’S CORNER

“It was great to get those last regular season matches in, but now the focus shifts to the post season. It’s time to lock in and get ready for districts!”

– Coach Nate Litowsky