George Jenkins wrestling coach Anthony Cerullo has trained all kinds of wrestlers from Polk County for a generation.
So, when the 2026 US Marine Corps Junior and 16U Nationals in the summertime in Fargo, North Dakota, rolled around, the astonishment of taking student-athletes to compete against the nation’s best doesn’t dissipate, especially when representing as a member of Team Florida. And this isn’t Cerullo’s first rodeo, as in the past four years, the flying Eagles have been represented by 20 athletes and coaches at the national duals.
But, of course, it wasn’t just George Jenkins from Polk County in this year’s nationals. Here are the freestyle results from the July 10-18 competition.
Andrew Taylor (126 pounds) of George Jenkins went 1-2; Kaleeb Tribbett (157) of George Jenkins was 0-2; Paige Ballard (120) of George Jenkins, the only girl from Polk County in nationals, was 0-1; Travonte Burgess (157) of Lakeland was 1-2; Jaxon Hackett (100) of Lake Gibson finished 3-2; Issac Lowe (144) of Lake Gibson culminated 1-2; Jaxon Arafaras (144) of Lake Gibson had a record of 4-2; and RJ Phelan (113) of Lake Gibson ended the day as an All-American and in sixth place.
“(I’m) very proud of RJ for this accomplishment,” Lake Gibson head wrestling coach Danny Walker said. “To place at this tournament in either freestyle or Greco is extremely hard to do. The fact that he has done it two times now shows how good he really is. This year was even more rewarding because he moved up a weight class to 113 and wrestled much stiffer competition. Being a two-time All-American in Greco Roman is a great accomplishment but his sights are already on chasing this year’s state championship followed by possibly being a three-time Greco All-American next summer.”
Cerullo said that while he is proud of his bunch, every year has presented a different challenge.
“It’s hard to compare year to year. Our focus is on … competing at the highest level while representing our state, Polk County, George Jenkins and our families,” Cerullo said. “…We will walk away with plenty to work out but that is what sets us apart that no level of victory or defeat will keep us from growing.”
This article originally appeared on The Ledger: Polk County wrestlers dazzle at 2026 junior nationals in Fargo
Reporting by Robert Magobet, Lakeland Ledger / The Ledger
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Robert Magobet, Lakeland Ledger | USA TODAY Network
