The l Buccaneers will invade Louisiana next week.
On Dec. 26, wrestling head coach Travis DeWalt and his team will embark on a trip to Baton Rouge, La., to compete in the Deep South Bayou Duals tournament on the campus of Louisiana State University. The tournament will feature 41 high school teams from 11 states, including national powers like Archbishop Rummel High School and Catholic High School of Baton Rouge.
DeWalt has routinely led his team and individual wrestlers to championships over the past decade.
Find out what's happening in New Port Richeyfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
Times have changed for Gulf. It's now a young team. DeWalt doesn't have any seniors this year. Just sophomores and juniors.
Needless to say, DeWalt expects his young wrestlers to take their collective lumps, but the experience is invaluable.
Find out what's happening in New Port Richeyfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
"When I signed up for this, I was hoping we could be more competitive, but I thought I would have a state ranked heavyweight, and some other transfers hurt us, too. But, we're going to give it our best, and I think we'll be a better team because of the competition we'll face."
The Buccaneers have encountered mixed results this past season, but this past weekend, the young wrestlers may have found their stride.
They reached the championship round of the Gulf Holiday Duals, a 21-team pool play tournament. In the semi-finals, the Bucs knocked off the tournament's No. 1 seed, the Dunedin Falcons, 53-24.
The team then faced off against the powerful Fivay Falcons. Although, they were soundly defeated 55-21, there was plenty DeWalt could take from the weekend’s performance.
Facing the nationally strong competition in Louisiana would be hard enough with an experienced lineup, but heavyweight state placer, Jeff Kruse decided to concentrate on academics and not wrestle this season, and lightweight wrestler Joey Macaluso transferred to a nearby school.
But that doesn't deter DeWalt.
"Losing these pieces hurts, but it allows us to insert a young wrestler who gets varsity experience," he said. "It's a positive sign for the future."
