Featured Dual: Doral tops Wellington in battle of Top 20 teams
BY BRANT PARSONS — No. 6-3A Doral Academy (1-0) came out on top in two matches between ranked wrestlers and that was the difference as the Firebirds edged No. 18-3A Wellington (0-1) 36-32 in the first meeting of two Top 20 teams in the Kabra Wrestling dual rankings this season.
No. 20 Athan Toro scored an early takedown with back points in his 120-pound bout with No. 7 Sam Marvel and built it from there to win 8-5 to give Doral a 9-6 lead after Cameron Gibson (W-106) and Christian Vazquez (D-113) traded pins to start the match.
Toro has been waiting his time behind some top wrestlers at Doral and got the team going with his upset win.
“We’ve known the potential that Athan has had but he’s never been able to get into the lineup,” Doral Academy coach Alexis de Armas said. “He proved what we all knew he could do.”
Doral Academy’s Athan Toro controls the match against Wellington’s Sam Marvel at 120 pounds, a key victory for the Firebirds. (Courtesy of Doral Academy wrestling)
Doral’s Julian Montero followed it up with a 13-8 win over Russell Crum to make it 12-6 before Wellington scored the next 14 points.
James Kosza (132) and No. 12 Mario Trigazis (138) each scored major decision wins followed by Randy Lancaster’s pin at 145 pounds.
With Wellington leading 20-12, the stage was set for the second of two ranked bouts.
No. 10 Enzo Santoro scored a hard-earned 4-1 win over No. 16 Franco Rivas to begin a stretch where Doral outscored Wellington 24-6 over six matches.
Gabriel Beracasa (160), No. 5 Albert Manzini (170), Joel Carillo (195), and Alexis Mendizabal (220) all picked up wins for the Firebirds, who sealed the win down the stretch.
Carillo bumped up a weight and pinned No. 20 Nicholas Lewis in his match.
“I think they learned that they are seeing the benefits of what we’ve been preaching,” de Armas said. “They believe in themselves.”
Sebastian Perez (182) and Liam Higgins (285) both picked up wins for the Wolverines.
#6-3A Doral 36, #18-3A Wellington 32
106: #5-3A Cameron Gibson (W) p. Rocco Ruiz (D); 113: #1-3A Christian Vazquez (D) p. Alberto Monzon (W); 120: #20-3A Athan Toro (D) dec. #7-3A Sam Marvel (W) 8-5; 126: #6-3A Julian Montero (D) dec. RussellCrum (W) 13-8; 132: James Kosza (W) maj. Julian Sierra (D) 14-0; 138: #12-3A Mario Trigazis (W) maj. Hector Cruz (D) 16-3; 145: Randy Lancaster (W) p. Carlos Perez (D); 152: #10-3A Enzo Santoro (D) dec. #16-3A Franco Rivas (W) 4-1; 160: Gabriel Beracasa (D) dec. Mac Andrews (W) 4-0; 170: #5-170 Albert Manzini (D) p. Cameron Gray (W); 182: Sebastian Perez (W) p. Michael Gonzalez (D); 195: Joel Carillo (D) p. #20-3A Nicholas Lewis (W); 220: Alexis Mendizabal (D) p. Justin Larrosa (W); 285: Liam Higgins (W) by FF.
