Featured Dual: Sanchez hammers drum, opponent to help lead Bay to victory
Bay’s wrestling team celebrates with the belt after a 42-38 win over South Walton. (Picture courtesy of Bay Wrestling)
BY BRANT PARSONS — The pounding drum beat raised the already building excitement in a packed Bay High School gym on Thursday ahead of the “Battle for the Belt” dual between the home team Tornadoes and rival South Walton.
Senior Leonardo Sanchez ignited the match’s start on a drum and them punctuated it at the end by clinching the 42-38 win for Bay.
Going into the final match, South Walton led by two points, setting the stage for Bay’s team leader.
Sanchez wasted little time securing the win, getting the pinfall in 1:00, and sending the crowd home delighted.
“I couldn’t be happier for Leo, he got to be the hero and go out with a bang in front of a packed gym,” Bay assistant coach Zach Deaton said.
The win gave Bay possession of the belt for the second consecutive season and highlighted a true team effort.
“Our team was anchored in large part by our first and second-year wrestlers getting some unexpected wins and fighting with a kind of fight that I have just not seen in a Bay High team in a long time,” Deaton said. “I was very proud.”
South Walton got the dual off to a fast start with Noah Withers, Isaac Brinson, and Jackson Roach giving the Seahawks an 18-0 lead.
Brinson’s win by fall came over 8th-ranked David Drake.
Bay would battle back with wins from Deven Bradshaw, Christen Peterson, and Ceasar Perez sandwiched around a Dane Friis win for South Walton.
With South Walton up 24-18, a battle of ranked wrestlers took place at 175 pounds.
In that match, #5 Gibson Moore pinned #14 Shaun Sandidge to push the Seahawks lead to 12 points.
“We thought our ranked wrestlers would swing the match in our direction so that was a big swing in the dual for them,” Deaton said.
Juniors Zach Roper and Ethen Needham answered the call for the Tornadoes with two pins to tie the match with four matches to go.
After South Walton’s heavyweight James Hamilton won in a first period pin, Bay’s Uriah Ollier kept his loss to Jaxon Todd to a major decision to set the stage for Sanchez after a forfeit win for Caleb Spikes.
"Our 82-pound 106 fought as hard as I’ve ever seen a kid fight to keep from getting stuck," Deaton said. "And somehow kept it to a major decision instead of a pin."
The Battle for the Belt series is now at 2-1 between the two rivals and close-knit teams.
The Coastline Wrestling Academy was founded by Deaton and South Walton head coach Travis Laxton. The high school group is open to anyone, but is made up almost entirely of Bay and South Walton kids.
“The kids on these two teams know each other well,” Deaton said. “The coaches in this dual are best friends. And, those relationships being what they are makes this dual atmosphere a pretty incredible environment to be in.”
Bay 42, South Walton 38
126: Noah Withers (SWH) DQ Jaylen Bennett (BAY); 132: Isaac Brinson (SWH) p. #8 David Drake (BAY) 3:57; 138: Jackson Roach (SWH) p. Kristian Rodriguez (BAY) 2:00; 144: Deven Bradshaw (BAY) p. Sam Fanton (SWH) 1:22; 150: Christen Patterson (BAY) p. Nathan Nather (SWH) 0:45; 157: Dane Friis (SWH) p. Michael Mcloughlin (BAY) 1:05; 165: Ceasar Perez (BAY) p. Khai Roberts (SWH) 2:00; 175: #5 Gibson Moore (SWH) p. #14-165 Shaun Sandidge (BAY) 3:53; 190: Zach Roper (BAY) p. Blake O` Donnell (SWH) 3:24; 215: Ethan Needham (BAY) p. Colton Farmer (SWH) 5:10; 285: James Hamilton (SWH) p. James Branch (BAY) 1:48; 106: Jaxon Todd (SWH) maj. Uriah Ollier (BAY) 17-4; 113: Caleb Spikes (BAY) by FF; 120: #20-120 Leonardo Sanchez (BAY) p. Dylan Hardin (SWH) 1:00. (SWH unsportsmanlike conduct -2.0)
