By Marshall Tempest
Reporter
The Wekiva wrestling team sent six wrestlers to the FHSAA 3A Region 1 Championship held from Feb. 28 to March 1.
Sadly for the Mustangs, no Wekiva wrestlers made it past the regional championship into the state tournament. Wekiva finished the tournament with 32.5 team points, which placed them 15th out of 34 schools competing in regionals.
The six wrestlers who made it to the regional stage of the playoffs were Joseph Saint Melus, Jeremiah Demosthene, Nevin Thomas, Demarcus Stokes, Elijah Jean, and Joniel Deleon.
Melus finished the season with a 23-7 record and collected four team points at regionals. Demosthene finished the season with an 11-11 record and collected three team points at regionals. Thomas finished the season with an 18-10 record and collected eight team points at regionals. Stokes finished the season with a 29-6 record and collected 6.5 team points at regionals. Jean finished the season with a 29-7 record and collected 8 team points at regionals. Deleon finished the season with a 14-13 record and collected 3 team points at regionals.
Even though the Cinderella story of the Wekiva wrestling team did not end happily ever after, they accomplished a lot this year. The program became Metro West Champions for the first time after three Mustangs placed first in their individual weight classes (Stokes, Jean, and St. Melus).
Despite the loss, the future appears bright for the Wekiva wrestling program under head coach Lenin Vazquez and assistant coach Tony Imbriani. The program will look to build on its success next season.
“We, the coaching staff of Wekiva High School wrestling, could not be prouder of the progress of our young men this season and all of the incredible team and individual accolades that they achieved…,” said head coach Lenin Vazquez.
Vazquez said that through hard work, dedication and perseverance, the team made history this year by becoming the first Wekiva wrestling team to win the Metro West Conference Championship. The team garnered nine medals at Metro and had six medalists who qualified for regionals.
“They are brothers and a family of sorts; they care about each other, and it definitely contributed to their success as a team,” Vazquez said.
The Apopka Chief is an award-winning weekly newspaper serving the greater Apopka area in Central Florida since 1923.
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