By Jeffrey Herold
The Ponte Vedra Sharks hosted the Creekside Knights on Tuesday, Dec. 4, for the first home dual of the season, with the Knights winning 48-18. The Sharks struggled to keep up with the Knights, starting with the first match in the 144-pound weight class. Senior Brody Hines lost the match by technical fall at 4:00.
In the second match at 150 pounds, freshman Blaydon Hines was pinned 1:28 into the first period. The third match, at 157 pounds, saw junior Baxly Hines fall by decision, 6-0, bringing the team score to 14-0. In the fourth match at 165 pounds, sophomore Aryaman Singh lost a close contest by decision, 8-5.
During the fifth match at 175 pounds, junior Emmett Hoffmann faced a tough challenge and lost by technical fall, 19-4. The Sharks forfeited the next two matches at 190 and 215 pounds, giving the Knights an additional 12 points and extending their lead to 34-0.
In the heavyweight match at 285 pounds, senior Robert Grieco narrowly lost by decision, 7-4. The match at 106 pounds saw junior Erique Santos lose by fall at 0:22, increasing the Knights’ lead to 43-0.
The Sharks scored their first points in the 113-pound match, where sophomore Matthew Kowitski dominated his opponent and won by decision, 5-0, bringing the score to 43-3. At 120 pounds, sophomore Cash Trujillo secured a hard-fought win by decision, 9-7.
Senior Jaiden Zajni, competing at 126 pounds, delivered a strong performance, pinning his opponent at 5:28 to earn another six points for the Sharks. The team entered the final two matches of the night at 132 and 138 pounds. At 132 pounds, Poulo Milea lost by technical fall, 17-0. In the last match, junior Daniel De Almeida ended the night on a high note for the Sharks, pinning his opponent at 2:09.
The final score was 48-18, with the Knights emerging victorious. This highly anticipated dual followed last year’s contest at Creekside, where the Sharks also wrestled well but ultimately fell short of a win.
Pictured: Baxly Hines (11) preparing for his match credits to @fenneysflicks
