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Vollick Hopes To Keep Winning At Regionals

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By DAREK SHARP, The Tampa Tribune

Published: February 9, 2008

PLANT CITY - Things are certainly going to get more difficult for Travis Vollick this weekend.

So far, the Plant City High wrestler has made it look easy, including his title-winning performance at the District 3A-5 tournament.

Vollick defeated East Bay's Tyler Hooks on Feb. 2, following up Vollick's county championship in the 171-pound weight class with a district title. The district tournament was held at East Bay.

"If I wrestle like I'm supposed to, and I'm consistent, I think I can place at the state tournament," Vollick said before the 16-8 win over Hooks.

Before that, Vollick must make it to the state meet for the first time. Vollick needs to finish in the top four of the 171-pound weight class at the Region 3 meet. It began Friday at East Lake High in Tarpon Springs and will conclude today.

Vollick was the only Raider to reach a district final, but teammate Arsenio Durant nearly got there - almost pulling off a big upset.

Durant squared off with Lakeland junior heavyweight Brenton Clayton, who is undefeated for the year. Clayton registered a narrow 5-4 victory.

"With 20 seconds left, I thought it was 4-4, not 5-4. I was just trying to get it to overtime," said Durant, who ended up finishing in fourth place because he lost to Durant's Nick Hadick 7-5 in the consolation final. Durant and Hadick had met earlier in the day with Durant winning with a first-round pin.

Wrestlers who finished in the top four of their districts advanced to the regional round. District champs get paired with fourth-place district finishers in their opening regional matches. For example, Arsenio Durant had to face East Lake senior Alex Dinielli, who is 40-0, in his first match Friday.

Vollick, on the other hand, was scheduled to open with a 14-9 wrestler, Jameel Bryant of St. Pete High.

Along with Vollick and Durant, Plant City will be represented at the regional tournament by 215-pounder Ben Buie and Colby Clark (160). Both finished in third place in the district.

Clark defeated a Durant High wrestler, Tyler Shepherd, in the consolation final.

Reporter Darek Sharp can be reached at dsharp@tampa trib.com.

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