Spiegel packs the house

By DAN HOEHNE

daniel.hoehne@newssun.com

SEBRING - Another athletic showcase came to town this past weekend, and as is the case with the likes of the Harder Hall Invitational and the FACA All-Star events, the 18th Annual Spiegel Memorial Wrestling Invitational brought in staggering numbers.

Hundreds of wrestlers, representing 22 schools from throughout the state were on hand, along with an untold number of fans, friends, parents and supporters.

And, as one of the final tune-ups before the trek toward the state finals begins, many of the schools and individual names at the Spiegel will assuredly be seen again in a few weeks in Lakeland.

One such wrestler, Avon Park's Johnny Baldridge, worked through a field he will likely see again soon.

"He's in a very tough bracket here," assistant coach and former Red Devil state medalist Omar Torres said. "He'll see a lot of these guys at Regionals and the top finishers there will likely be the top ones at state."

That would be the 120-pound bracket where Baldridge placed third after losing a close decision to eventual winner Sean Ware of Lemon Bay.

Avon Park would see other strong finishes throughout the day, with Jose Torres finishing second at 113- pounds.

Jeff Satine, 132-pounds, and Blake Delray, at 195, also earned silver medals with second-place finishes.

The host Blue Streaks also saw some impressive performances as Vicente Moore won his weight-bracket, 182, with a victory over Gainesville High School's Wade Jones.

Josh Figur came in second in the 170-pound weight class and Chris DeJesus placed fourth at 160-pounds.

Gainesville would go on to claim the team title, with Lake Gibson taking second and Somerset Academy placing third.

From here, both local teams will get one more day of action, at the Polk County Invite on Saturday, before heading off to their respective district meets Saturday, Feb. 4.