Mulberry, McKeel Academy Each Send 10 to Regionals

By Mike Akins 

Ledger Correspondent

 

LAKELAND | Mulberry, McKeel Academy and Avon Park each had 10 wrestlers advance to the regional tournament after the Class 1A, District 10 wrestling tournament on Saturday afternoon at Mckeel.

After the semifinal action, which had the host Wildcats leading both the team competition and also with the most wrestlers going to the finals with seven, the intensity picked up as the finals started. 

Mulberry's Antonio Cerna continued his stellar year with a second consecutive district title in the 126-pound weight class. Cerna is now 50-2 on the season. 

McKeel's top wrestler Dominic Livingston, who finished sixth in the state last year defeated Jeffrey Hardy of Lake Wales 4-2 in the 152-pound final.

"I felt my opponent (Hardy) was stronger than me," Livingston said. "The last five months and the summer has helped me get to this point." 

Livingston defeated Hardy in the district and the regional tournament a year ago. 

Youth was served as well in the 182-pound final as Mulberry sophomore David Prindville won his second straight district championship with a 4-3 decision over Mckeel's David White, who tried to duplicate his cousin (Livingston) with a district title.

"This is the best set of kids we have had since I have been here," Mulberry assistant coach Jason Hinton said "I think Antonio Cerna has a shot to win a state this year, and at the very least we could send four or five to state." 

The Panthers are sending 10 wrestlers to regional competition next week as the top four wrestlers in each weight class advance.

In the finals, there were seven pins with 11 coming in the consolation round.

In the 132-pound weight class, top-seed Jeff Satine of Avon Park went an extra session to turn back the challenge of McKeel's Austin Porter 6-4.

"I thought the guys wrestled hard and endurance was a real factor," McKeel coach Brian Morgan said. "I think if there was a most valuable wrestler in the tournament, it would have to go to Dakota Reinbein (120-pound division) as he defeated the top two seeds to win district." 

Other district champions included: Frostproof's Donald Moore (106), McKeel's Jose Torres (113), Mulberry's Gino Cerna (138), Frosproof's Wesley Smeal (145) and Clayton Farrer (160), Mulberry's Kyle Jerkins (170), McKeel's Alex Probasco (195), Lake Wales' Eddie Chadwick (220) and Avon Park's Dylan Brown (heavyweight).