Retired Major and former Army wrestler coaches athletes to a winning season
Student athletes from Sarasota Military Academy (SMA), a local, public charter school, are celebrating one of the most successful years in SMA wrestling team history with recent district and regional wins. In March, five male wrestlers competed at the state level and two cadets set school records placing in the top ten for their weight class.
The SMA wrestling team, which consists of 18 male wrestlers and two female wrestlers, has announced a list of accolades for the 2018 – 2019 season, including several notable team and individual records.
In January 2019, the SMA team defended their championship title by winning the Florida High School Athletic Association (FHSAA) District 1A Dual Team Championships for the second year in a row and with four district champions, the school tied the SMA record for most champions at the district level.
District champions from SMA include freshmen Cadet Erik Borresen, junior Cadet Sam Varley and senior Cadet Sean Carvin. Cadets Cervin and Varley won in their weight classes for second year in a row, becoming the first two-time district champs for the SMA wrestling team.
Earning sixth place in her weight class at the Florida Girls State Wrestling Championships in February, senior Cadet Allysa Villa-Mosqueda was the first female from SMA to place at the state level.
In March 2019, the SMA team competed at the regional FHSAA 1A Wrestling Championships winning the title of regional runners-up, marking the highest SMA has placed as a team with five wrestlers qualifying for the FHSAA State Wrestling Tournament in Kissimmee.
Following the March 2019 FHSAA State Wrestling Tournament, Cadet Cervin surpassed yet another SMA record by placing sixth in his weight class and finishing his career at SMA with a record of 154 wins.
“This is my third year coaching the Sarasota Military Academy Wrestling Team and as always, I’m incredibly impressed with not only their athletic abilities, but their sportsmanship, dedication to the team and their own integrity and how they continue to set and achieve goals,” said SMA-MAJ (Ret) Clarence Arrington, JROTC Instructor and Wrestling Team Coach. “We have seen tremendous growth in our athletes as we are able to begin competing against larger, more established teams.”
A wrestler in high school, SMA-MAJ (Ret) Arrington wrestled at the Division 1 level for the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. After graduating college, he enlisted into the U.S. Army and was a member of the All Army Wrestling Team and World Class Athlete Program in Colorado Springs, Colorado. In 2011, he retired from active duty with more than 20 years of active military service, including two deployments with Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom.
This year, SMA-MAJ (Ret) Arrington is joined by Assistant Coach Doug Browning in an effort to continue to grow the team and offer additional opportunities for success.
“Congratulations to our wrestling team and the cadets who continue to impress us with their talent and hard work. We are proud of their recent accomplishments and how they represent SMA in a way that is in line with our mission,” said SMA-MAJ Amy Mazner, Sarasota Military Academy Athletic Director and Physical Education Instructor. “We are also proud to have such a great coach for our team – SMA-MAJ (Ret.) Arrington is a force for good and we are grateful for his tireless dedication to our Academy and our cadets.”
As a public charter school in Sarasota County, SMA’s athletic teams do not receive full funding through the county’s school budgets. The staff, cadets and families enroll in a “pay to play” program, which gives the opportunity to offset costs with fundraisers and donations from the community. To learn more about athletic teams and opportunities to support cadets at Sarasota Military Academy, visit http://www.sarasotamilitaryacademy.org/.
About Sarasota Military Academy
Founded in 2002, Sarasota Military Academy (SMA) is a public charter school with two campuses located in Sarasota, Florida. Combining extraordinary academics with the highest military principles of camaraderie, focus, leadership, integrity, compassion, poise, honor and respect, SMA’s mission is to graduate young men and women who will confidently define their personal and unique goals for success in a multi-cultural and globalized world. Sarasota Military Academy High School is located at 801 N. Orange Avenue and Sarasota Military Academy Prep Middle School, is located at 3101 Bethel Lane. To learn more about SMA, visit http://www.sarasotamilitaryacademy.org/.
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