The first day of the 2008-09 winter school break proved to be an important day in the wrestling arena as a number of local squads, which included Bloomingdale, Newsome, Plant, Durant, Lennard and Jefferson high schools, had the opportunity participate in a six-way tournament hosted by and held at Bloomingdale High School last month.
The Durant Cougars squad, with a long and well-known reputation of strength and talent, was ready to prove itself, looking forward to dueling its biggest district rival, the Bloomingdale Bulls. The Cougars’ goal of proving to be a tough competition was achieved during the tourney.
With Head Coach Dennis Kitko at the helm, the Cougars did get a chance to stand out from the rest, showcasing a great program, despite having entered the competition with an injury plagued squad and losing of a number of seniors at the close of the 2008-09 season.
At the start, perhaps based on experience, Kitko was confident of a measure of success and said, “We are finally getting healthy, and we are getting better. With some time off over the winter break, we should be ready for districts.”
The Bulls defeated the Cougars 37-23, but it was the closest point range during the six-way duel. Bloomingdale also defeated Newsome, 68-12, Plant, 70-4, Lennard, 72-6, and Jefferson, 72-6, and won the competition.
Cougars’ junior and state hopeful Alex Hamm (112) was ready for the tourney, starting his matches with a win by pinning his opponent in 2:37.
“I have started the season kind of slow, but I am doing much better and aiming for the state tournament.
Keeping busy, Hamm went 4-0 with four pins, while his team took third during the Winter Springs Rotary Duals.
The Durant Cougar wrestling program is filled with young talented athletes and has no reason to worry about the lack of success, as the current 2009-10 season continues to challenge the squad to improve and to turn in a season befitting the program’s reputation.
For more information about the Durant High School wrestling program, please visit www.highschoolsports.net.
