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Wrestling duo's return is just what Hurricanes need

 
Palm Harbor University High wrestlers Chris Fragale, left, and Dylan Whitman both tore finger tendons and had to have them surgically reattached.
Palm Harbor University High wrestlers Chris Fragale, left, and Dylan Whitman both tore finger tendons and had to have them surgically reattached.
Published Feb. 4, 2016

Palm Harbor University's wrestling team knows how to weather a storm.

The Hurricanes have reigned over Pinellas County the past four years, albeit by shrinking margins. They graduated 10 starting seniors in 2014, but still managed to win the county title in 2015. Compounding the loss of the seniors a year ago, underclassmen Chris Fragale and Dylan Whitman went down to injuries of a similar nature. It put coach Brad Sakevich in a position where he wasn't sure if the rest of his squad would be able to defend the title in 2015.

"You start to lose your mind about how to fill those holes," Sakevich said.

Yet the 'Canes were able to pull it off, even if by just a point-and-a-half. This season, PHU faces the rest of the county without two of their best all-time wrestlers. Jared and Connor Prince won a combined five state titles and now wrestle at Navy.

Replacing a one-two punch like that isn't even a consideration, but Sakevich has his team reloaded and in top form heading into the last few weeks of the regular season. And much of that is thanks to the return of Fragale and Whitman.

At the MyHouse Invitational on Dec. 12, the 'Canes prevailed 285-211 over East Lake, the very team that gave them a run for the 2015 county title. That was Fragale and Whitman's first meet back from injury — and both were triumphant.

"I wasn't even sure I'd be able to wrestle in high school," said Whitman, a sophomore 138-pounder. "Winning that meet boosted my confidence."

That meet also was instrumental in bringing Fragale (113 pounds) back into form.

"Last year, I wrestled two meets and I was out for the season," the junior said. "I feel like I've got a lot back and I'm re-learning moves that I knew."

Things didn't look so bright in the fall of 2014. Whitman was the first to go, during a football practice.

"I tried to tackle someone and when I pulled them down, my finger popped," he said. "At first, I thought I'd just stubbed it; there was some swelling."

It was much more than a stub. Whitman's pinky tendon snapped and retracted down into the heel of his palm. He had surgery to reattach the tendon and was looking at a three-month recovery period. Whitman whittled it down to two-and-a-half months.

Whitman's freshman campaign was over, but he had company in mourning his lost season.

Fragale had already wrestled in two big meets in November 2014. Then, in yet another practice mishap, "the finger bent back and snapped and that was it," Fragale said.

His tendon retracted back into his upper forearm. Doctors had to take a piece of tendon from his ankle to reattach it. It put an abrupt end to Fragale's sophomore year. It was especially frustrating because he had wrestled 20 varsity matches and had secured a regular spot in the lineup.

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"It was depressing, to be honest," Fragale said. "I was doing really good that season and it took me out the whole year; I was in really good shape, too."

Fragale was in a cast until April and it took him most of the summer to get back into wrestling shape. He had wrestled just eight matches prior to winning this season's MyHouse Invite.

While Fragale is back at just about full strength and speed, Whitman suffered another minor injury recently that has kept him out a few weeks.

"It's a tough sport but I never considered quitting," he said. "There will be increased pressure (when he returns) just to know if I can still wrestle as good as I was at the beginning of the season."

Fragale and Whitman are just what the Hurricanes need this season to keep pace with a Dixie Hollins team that has won nearly every meet it's competed in and threatens to derail Palm Harbor U's string of county victories.

Even East Lake is hot on the Hurricanes' heels. The Eagles took second behind PHU at the MyHouse and even won a head-to-head dual 41-28 at PHU in January. The 'Canes, however, bounced back and topped East Lake to win the Live Greco Invitational at Steinbrenner the next day. Fragale made the finals there, scoring just enough to push PHU past East Lake and Jesuit.

Whitman still has his sights set on returning for the Pinellas County Athletic Conference meet at Osceola High on Feb. 12-13. If the 'Canes can restock their lineup with their top 113- and 138-pounders, expect them to stand a good chance at winning their fifth straight county title.