Josh Frais (Middle) with his Head Coach Ken Gendason (Left) and Assistant Coach Daniel Sanchez (right) after his sixth-place finish in the State Tournament. (Courtesy MSD Athletics)
By: Matt Rothman
Before COVID-19 restrictions, Marjory Stoneman Douglas Heavyweight, Josh Frais, advanced to the State Tournament in wrestling and finished in 6th place on March 6-7 at Silver Spurs Arena in Kissimmee.
It had been eight years since the Parkland school had a contender in States that placed.
After a strong regular season, Frais finished in second place in Districts, eventually losing to the eventual State finalists.
He then participated in Regionals and placed third in the region. He lost 13-12 in the quarterfinals in what Coach Ken Gendason called “one the most exciting matches of the entire tournament.”
Frais later went on to States where he won a 6-4 overtime thriller in the first round. He also had to defeat a wrestler from Steinbrenner High School, 5-2, to place.
Gendason and Coach Daniel Sanchez started their team from scratch the past two seasons. In just one year, they got their first State placer.
“This will be a huge impact on the future of the program and what our wrestlers need to do to accomplish this,” said Gendason.
Frais is only a junior and will have one more year eligible before he attends college.