It was a successful weekend for FCHS head coach Rick Arrington and his Redbird grapplers, as they closed the holiday break with wins over Calloway County (Ky.), Effingham and East St. Louis Saturday at the Herrin Holiday Duals.
Senior Keelen Garza led the way for the 'Birds, pinning all four opponents that he faced on the day in the 130 lbs. weight class.
"Garza looked the best I've ever seen him look," said Arrington. "He dominated every opponent and contolled every match."
Junior Zack Frazier was also impressive, reeling off two wins apiece in both the 119 lbs. and 125 lbs. weight classes.
"Frazier looked focused and is improving on his style of wrestling. He had to bump up a weight class, but still won all his matches," said Arrington.
Arrington said his pair of freshmen standouts, twins Hadin and Gavin Restivo, continued their winning ways, combining to notch seven victories on the day.
"Hadin and Gavin Restivo still seem unfazed at whatever comes their way" said Arrington. "These two freshmen look like seasoned upperclassmen and continue to impress everyone that watches them wrestle."
Arrington added that he thought his group had a good weekend, despite enduring some tough practices and facing several quality opponents. The coach added that his squad has made strides in the past couple weeks and is finding its groove heading into this Saturday's Redbird Invitational Tournament, which begins at 9:30 a.m. at Max Morris Gymnasium.
"Overall, it was a good weekend for us," said Arrington. "We had a few kids out sick and a few others still out of town for the holidays, but we have put together a string of good hard practices over break. I think we have covered a lot of ground in terms of improving and are right where we need to be as we head into the Redbird Invitational."
