George Jenkins fell short in the regional semifinal dual, while Lake Gibson advanced to the state wrestling semifinals.
LAKELAND — Heading into the new year, George Jenkins wrestling had some big expectations to try and duplicate what the program did in 2025: win a Class 3A, Region 2 duals championship.
That was a first in school history last year. While the Eagles still have expectations, the team fell short in the regional semifinal versus Palm Harbor Thursday night at George Jenkins High School, falling by a score of 46-23 in the semifinals, eliminating the local squad from the tournament. The Eagles, though, beat Steinbrenner High School, 44-28, in the quarterfinals.
"Overall, regardless of age or seniority, we got to get better on bottom, and fight and not give up near fall. Our attacks were not as good as Palm Harbor's. I didn't see the persistency that we tried to have. But I don't know if there was some gun shyness or not, but those are some things we are going to work on come tomorrow (Friday)," George Jenkins head wrestling coach Gavin Osborn said.
Senior wrestler Jackson Lietz, who was a wrestler on McKeel his seventh- and eighth-grade years, didn't have any gun-shy moments in his match against Steinbrenner. In fact, he was actually down 3-0 before executing a cradle on his opponent's back before holding on to the win.
"I knew it was going to be a tough match. ... I feel like I just had to come in there, wrestle hard, stay consistent with it. I didn't try to do too much. I had that great expectation it was going to be tough, so I just tried to hang in there and it ended up going my way in the end," Lietz said.
With Geroge Jenkins eliminated, Lietz will gear up with his team to wrestle through next week before competing in the Moskowitz IBT, which comprises 55 boys' teams, 40 girls' teams and 35 JV teams. The tournament is set for Jan. 23-24 at George Jenkins High School.
One of the larger tournaments in the state of Florida, the competition has been running for 15 years at George Jenkins. It was once named the GJ IBT before Osborn renamed it to the Moskowitz IBT seven years ago after longtime coach Dan Moskowitz.
In other regional duals news, Lake Gibson won its Class 3A, Region 2 semifinal over Auburndale, 75-0, following an 81-0 victory over Edgewater in the quarterfinals. With the win, the Braves have a chance to win another dual state title next week. But first, the local wrestling powerhouse will take on Tampa Jesuit in the state semifinal 2 p.m. Friday, Jan. 23, at Osceola High School in Kissimmee.
In Class 1A competition, McKeel went down to Merritt Island in the quarterfinal, 48-36. And Mulberry fell short to Cocoa Beach in the quarterfinal, 65-12.
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This article originally appeared on The Ledger: George Jenkins falls short in regional semifinal; Lake Gibson advances to state wrestling semis dual
Category: General Sports
