When you hear the name Lake Gibson or “The Gib”, what comes to mind? For me it’s many years of playing the bridesmaid to Brandon HS, but continuing to fight and scrap year in and year out never backing down and always ready to wrestle any team on the planet. This is the mentality instilled in every Lake Gibson team by their Hall of Fame coach Daniel Walker. Love em’ or hate em’ one thing is for sure, you will always be forced to respect em’. The Gib Boys carry themselves with a swagger that demands respect. They are tough, well coached, always in the best shape and most of all very classy. They rarely talk trash and do their talking on the wrestling mat.
As good as Lake Gibson HS may be, they failed to win the IBT State Championships last season and that is one thing they will set out to avenge this season. They won the 2022 Dual Team State Championships by knocking off Tampa Jesuit 36-30. Tampa Jesuit then marched into the Silver Spurs Arena for the 2022 FHSAA IBT State Championships with something to prove and that’s exactly what Sal Basile’s Tigers did. They outscored everyone and they were crowned the IBT State Champions. Jesuit scored 189 points while the runner-up Charlotte HS scored 147 points. In third place was Lake Gibson HS with 132.5 points. This did not sit well with Coach Walker or Coach Jorge and while they were very proud of their kids, they knew they had to get back to work in order to change the outcome.
The 2022-2023 Lake Gibson team looks a bit different as they have a few new faces in their family. Two who immediately come to mind are Christian Fretwell and Gianni Maldonado. Fretwell was an 8th grade State Champion while wrestling for Joe Blasucci at Somerset Academy in Pembroke Pines, Fl. He then left Somerset for Wyoming Seminary in Pennsylvania. Fretwell is a Florida boy and the cold weather can get to anyone!! He came back home to the Sunshine State and enrolled at Lake Gibson HS and will try and help them win the Dual and IBT state titles.
Gianni Maldonado is no stranger to big time programs as he came from legendary Brandon HS. Maldonado finished 5th as a Freshman and he was the 2A state runner-up his Sophomore year. Now he is a Junior and will help Lake Gibson tremendously. He’s not just another elite level wrestler, he’s a fantastic kid with all the qualities a Division 1 coach looks for in a recruit. I know him personally and he is everything a coach could ask for. From being a leader to the younger guys to showing everyone around him how it’s supposed to be done, this kid has it all and his future in the sport is extremely bright. When I asked Coach Walker about the new kids who have joined the program his response was “We do have some new faces and with that is a period of time to learn each other . They have transitioned well to the practices and family like atmosphere . Team first individual second has been what LG has been about and we don’t have any plans to change that . Christian and Gianni add a wealth of experience and every time they step on the mat they want to wrestle the best guys around”.
I spoke with Coach Walker about the pre-season and I asked him why he brought his team to Iowa this week and what he hopes for his kids to get out of the trip. Coach Walker stated ” We bring the team to USA Preseason Nationals to ensure we have looked for every tough wrestler we can find in the pre season . We missed out on the Michigan Fall Grappler this year, but between Super 32 and Iowa Pre-Season Nationals we get a good read at where we are heading into the season”. When asked how many guys he brought up to Iowa and who gets to make the trip, Coach Walker said ” We brought 8 guys on this trip to Iowa . In order to come we must feel you can be competitive in your age group at this level.” Coach Walker further stated ” These trips are key to the teams success . Not only do they get great competition, they also learn a lot about each other, get closer and learn to fight for each other”.
It’s all about the family and as I talk to Coach Walker it’s vividly clear Lake Gibson HS wrestling team is one big family. I think this is a big part of their success, as well as their high level of wrestling. Coach Walker said he has no plans to change anything as far as the way he runs his program. The only thing he said he will give more focus to this year is his younger guys. He further stated ” Our depth won us the dual state title and our lack of depth lost us the IBT state title, so we must have depth to win”. I talked to Coach Walker about other teams out there and if there are any particular teams he feels may present a problem for his squad. Coach walker told me ” There are 3 teams that I feel will be in the mix. Jesuit, Charlotte , and Fleming Island”.
I don’t know about you but I think 2A might be the most exciting classification to watch this season. No matter who wins in 2A, you can bet your bottom dollar they would’ve earned it.