Merritt Island, Palm Bay head for FHSAA duals tournament
High school wrestling teams for Merritt Island and Palm Bay will compete for state duals titles on Friday and Saturday in Kissimmee at Osceola High.
The Mustangs take a 15-0 duals record into the Class 2A quarterfinal round at 2:30 p.m. against St. Thomas Aquinas. The winner will move on to Saturday's semifinal and, potentially, final match.
Palm Bay will face Hernando at 11 a.m. in 1A competition. The Pirates were runners-up last year.
"We were senior-heavy and battle-hardened," Pirates coach Sean Ballard said. "We have a lot of newer kids going into a big moment (this year.)"
Mustangs coach Graham Smith expressed respectful optimism about his team's match against St. Thomas Aquinas.
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"They're a lot like us in that their upper weights are going to be athletic and mostly football players," he said. "We match up well."
His team's approach to the year has been "strength in numbers. We have so many good kids that have been working hard for several years. We have 16 or 17 really good kids."
Merritt Island defeated Okeechobee and Heritage to earn its spot. The Pirates earned wins over Mulberry and McKeel and have won all five dual matches this season while focusing on weight-class-based round robin tournaments.
Wrestlers from Brevard County public high schools will compete in the Cape Coast Conference tournament at Bayside next weekend.
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This article originally appeared on Florida Today: Merritt Island, Palm Bay head for FHSAA wrestling duals tournament
