By Matt Mauney | Associate Editor
For almost as long as the school has been open, Durant High School’s wrestling program has held its Cougar Invitational tournament.
This year, the tournament will celebrate its 17th year by hosting many talented teams Nov. 30 and Dec. 1, at the Evelyn and Batista Madonia Sr. Agricultural Show Center on the Strawberry Festival grounds.
The Cougar Invitational regularly features some of the best teams around the state of Florida and the Southeast. This year’s field will feature in-state powers South Dade (Homestead), Osceola (Kissimmee) and Winter Springs. All three schools placed in the top five of the 3A state meet last season. Springstead High, the reigning 2A state tournament champion and Lake Highland Prep, the reigning 1A state champ, also will be in the competitive field.
Out-of-state teams include four teams from Georgia — Collins Hill, Effingham County, Cherokee High and Camden County.
With perennially competitive teams comes talented individuals. Last year, the 32-team Cougar Invitational featured 15 individuals that finished the season as national champions, along with 75 state qualifiers and 40 state placers.
Durant head coach Drake Millard said as the tournament has grown during its history, it has attracted more talented teams.
“We’re always searching for tougher and tougher teams,” he said. “It’s gotten to the point now where mediocre teams seem to avoid the tournament. We like to say that it’s a tournament for the courageous few.”
As the annual host of the tournament, Durant is always one of those teams that competes against some of the best wrestlers in the state. The Cougars are a competitive program in their own right, with a host of veterans on a team that placed 13th at the 3A state meet last season.
Durant kicked off the season on a high note by winning Tiger Invitational Nov. 17, in Lake City. Eight Durant wrestlers placed in the nine-team tournament in Lake City, with Reagan Haley and Darrien Kelly taking first-place finishes.
“We have a lot of seasoned guys this year,” Millard said. “Those are guys you can depend on.”
Strawberry Crest will be the other Plant City team in action this weekend. The Chargers should be a competitive team this year after finishing in the top 50 at the 2A state meet last season. Strawberry Crest will be ushering in a new era this year under first-year head coach Ryan Joyce.
Joyce, an alum and former standout at perennial power Brandon High, takes the reigns of the Chargers after serving as an assistant with Steinbrenner High last season.
According to Joyce, his team is fairly young, but is working hard and has some guys with quality mat experience.
“We look to be pretty strong in the lighter weights, and we should have a positive season,” he said. “I just want to instill some more confidence in them.”
The Chargers recently competed in the Ten-way Tournament at Chamberlain High, where they placed ninth after sending only seven wrestlers. According to Joyce, he will have a full roster for the Cougar Invitational this weekend.
The 17th annual Cougar Invitational returns to the Strawberry Festival grounds after being held at the Tampa Convention Center last year. The Madonia Center will accommodate eight mats, warm-up areas and seating for 1,200 people.
The tournament also has a partnership with Flowrestling, the national leader in media coverage for the sport at the high school, club, college and professional levels. Flowrestling’s presence will offer national attention to the tournament with coverage and videos of the key matches.
“This will allow thousands of wrestling fans to watch matches anywhere in the country,” Millard said.
The tournament has grown since its 1996 inception as a fledgling eight-team tournament. According to Millard, the tournament’s current structure brings in around $125,000 to the local economy through hotel stays, food and gas sales and entertainment and shopping.
“This tournament is a source of pride for us and is also a good barometer for us as a team, as we face some of the toughest competition around,” Millard said.
Contact Matt Mauney at mmauney@plantcityobserver.com.
IF YOU GO
17th annual Cougar Invitational
WHEN: Preliminary rounds at 3 p.m. Nov. 30; Day 2 begins at 9 a.m. Dec. 1; Finals at 5:30 p.m. Dec. 1
WHERE: Evelyn and Batista Madonia Sr. Agricultural Show Center on the Strawberry Festival grounds, 303 N. Lemon St.
TYPE: Bracketed individual tournament
PRICE: $4 per session (two sessions each day)
PARKING: $5
WEBSITE: cougarinvitational.com