Sports
Canes' Tibbets Comes Up Just Short Of State Wrestling Crown
Senior falls in Class 3A heavyweight final but is one of three Manatee High medalists.
LAKELAND — Quinn Tibbetts meant to yell when his shoulder smacked the mat.
It hurt badly. And the Manatee High senior heavyweight was still favoring his right shoulder several minutes after the he lost the Class 3A state championship wrestling match Saturday at The Lakeland Center.
The referees stopped the match momentarily for the second time because of an injury to Tibbetts. That allowed his opponent, Ricky Carter of Ocala Forest, to get the upper hand, which, in turn, lead to a 4-0 loss for Tibbetts.
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“The second injury timeout was legitimate,” said Tibbetts, who finished this season with a 50-10 record. “I was hurting. That’s wrestling.”
Tibbetts' coach, Andy Gugliemini, thought the refs made an errant call.
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“Everything was right where we wanted it,” Gugliemini said. “It didn’t look like anything illegal. We had the right pace, and we could have took the leverage, but that’s their primary job is safety.”
Tibbetts said he just wanted to place at states, but he performed well and his momentum carried him one spot short of a state title.
“When I came in they thought I would place, but nothing special,” Tibbetts said. “I did well, honestly.”
For the most part, the Canes did well, too. Manatee finished sixth in the state in Class 3A with 60 points and took home three individual medals. Fellow Canes senior — and arguably the most popular Canes wrestler ever —Alex Doran completed his career with a third-place finish in the 140-pound category. Doran reached the pinnacle early in his career, winning a state title as a freshman. The senior ended his career with the school record in wins with 168 and the most single-season wins with (53).
“Alex had a wonderful career at Manatee,” Gugliemini said. “I’m very proud of Alexander Doran.”
Manatee standout wrestler Travis Fulk (135-pound class) took sixth after defaulting his final two matches due to an ankle injury.
The Canes weren’t the only Manatee County wrestlers to place at states. Lakewood Ranch’s Kyle Riley Hawkins went 4-0 and finished third in Class 2A's 189-pound division.
Hawkins' two Mustangs teammates, sophomore 119-pounder Blake Riley-Hawkins and 103-pound junior Evan Dipsiner, each finished 0-2.
Braden River senior Frank Bianco went 0-2 in Class 2A's 135-pound weight class.
