Colquitt wrestler Daniels gets first-, second-place finishes in Kissimmee

Published 8:48 pm Sunday, December 10, 2023

KISSIMMEE, Fla. — Colquitt County senior Ja’Quavian “Turk” Daniels took first place at 285 pounds on the first day of the Danny Byron Memorial Invitational on Friday, then won four straight matches after a loss to finish second on Saturday.

The Packers also got first-place finishes by Russell Flowers on Friday and Eric Henson and Rafael King on Saturday in the two-day event held at Osceola High School in Kissimmee, Fla.

Packers coach Benjy Scarbor called the annual invitational “very tough, (it) pushed all our guys.”

All 13 of the Packers who took part in Kissimmee got between five and eight matches.

Daniels, the defending state runner-up, received a bye in his first match on Friday, then took a 1-0 decision over Camden County’s Kaiden Sanchez.

In the championship match, Daniels pinned Glynn Academy’s Quay Evans.

Saturday’s competition did not start as well for Daniels, who is still rounding into wrestling shape after starting 13 games at offensive tackle for the football Packers.

He was pinned in his first match by Palmetto Ridge’s Kaden Darwin, but quickly regrouped.

In round two, Daniels pinned Hagerty’s Trevor Covelli then took a sudden victory over Camden County’s Jesse Batten.

His pin over Winter Park’s Jayden Velazquez sent Daniels on to Round 5, where he pinned Evans for a second time to go 6-1 in the tournament.

Flowers, wrestling at 157, won all three of his matches on Friday, pinning North Hall’s Stephen Williams and Fleming Island’s Dylan Beck before taking an 8-2 decision over Southwest Miami’s Shannon Davie in the first-place match.

He placed second on Saturday, winning three of his five matches.

Henson, at 138, split his four matches on Friday, but won all four on Saturday, starting with pins of Braddock’s Alex Herrera, Hagerty’s Carson Greenier and Wellington Community’s Luis Gonzalez.

In the first-place match, he took a 10-4 decision over Timber Creek’s Aidan Benson.

King went 1-2 on Friday at 190, but won all three of his matches on Saturday, all by pins over Palmetto Ridge’s Matthew Kniola, Buchholz’s Braedon McGuigan and Buchholz’s William Salazar.

At 144, Billy Lawton also rebounded after dropping both of his Friday matches.

On Saturday, Lawton pinned Cypress Creek’s Ismael Soto in his first match before being pinned by Wellington Community’s Cael Milton.

But Lawton finished strong, pinning Southwest Miami’s Brendon Rodriguez and, in the third-place match, pinning Soto again.

Also wresting for the Packers in the Danny Byron Memorial were Luis Garcia, 106; Cristobal Camarena, 113 and 120; Quintarious Mitchell, 113; Cruz Grijalva and Cole Lane, 126; Britton Marshall, 132; Trenton Dunbar, 165; and LaQuavian Wheeler, 175.

Colquitt County will head back to Florida next weekend to take part in the Keystone Memorial at Fleming Island.