Golden grappler

Tobias Baker is always searching for a way to stand out in the crowd.

Dressed in bright orange shorts, a black hooded sweatshirt lined with 42 safety pins — each one signifying a wrestler he pinned throughout the season — and sporting hot pink hair, there’s no denying the Sarasota High senior has a personality all his own.

Baker dyed his hair before the FHSSA Class 2A Wrestling Championships last year and again this year before the regional tournament.

“I’m the type of person who likes to stand out,” Baker says. “I’m the person who likes to be the oddball in the room.”

With his hair freshly dyed, Baker walked onto the mat at the FHSAA Class 2A Wrestling Championships Feb. 14 and Feb. 15 with nothing to hide.

“I always envisioned myself there,” Baker says. “It was just a matter of going out and performing.”

Baker made his way through the opening rounds and into the semifinals, where he won in overtime.

In the finals, Baker defeated Homestead’s Anthony Wint, who had been unbeaten up until that point. Baker won 6-2 to win the 220-pound weight class.

“It’s the best feeling in the world knowing you set a goal freshman year and ever since then you’ve slowly been progressing toward that goal,” Baker says.

As soon as his hand was raised, Baker ran over to coach Cezar Sharbono and leapt into his arms.

“I felt proud of all he accomplished,” Sharbono says. “He has been like a son to me for three years now, and seeing the joy on his face was amazing.”

Joining Baker at the wrestling championships was Sharbono’s son, freshman Chance Sharbono, who made his first state championship appearance.

“I’ve been there to watch ever since I was 7 years old, and it’s always just been the coolest thing looking down at the floor from the stands,” Chance Sharbono says. “This year I (wasn’t) looking down at the floor. I (was) looking back up at the stands.”

Chance Sharbono fell short of his quest for a medal in the 113-pound weight class, falling in the match that would have sent him to the podium. Chance Sharbono finished the season 63-7 with 33 pins.

“Chance went out and fought his heart out, but came up a little short,” Cezar Sharbono says. “And even as he came to me after his last match, with tears in his eyes, I could not have been a more proud father and coach. I saw how much he has grown over this season, and I know he will experience much success in the years ahead.”

Baker finished the season with a 65-1 record and 45 pins while becoming Sarasota’s first wrestling state champion since 2005.

But Baker’s road to a state championship did not come without its share of obstacles. Baker, who finished third in the heavyweight class at last year’s state championships, broke his fibula during football season.

He missed the majority of the season and began wondering whether he would be able to wrestle his senior season.

Baker made it back in time for the Sailors’ first meet of the season, but after having spent the previous several months only occasionally lifting weights, Baker’s legs weren’t nearly as strong. He decided to drop down to 220.

“I was a little hesitant and scared when I got back,” Baker says. “I wasn’t going to let (my injury) hold me back. You don’t notice it that much when you’re wrestling because your adrenaline is going.”

The moved paid off for Baker, who plans to wrestle in college — possibly at the University of North Carolina at Pembroke.

“I (could) see it,” Baker says. “I just had to go out and get it.”

+ SMA Eagles send two to state tournament
The Sarasota Military Academy had two wrestlers qualify for the FHSAA Class 1A Wrestling Championships Feb. 14 and Feb. 15 in their first season of postseason eligibility.

Junior Connor Steinfeld became the school’s first state placer with a sixth-place finish in the 152-pound weight class. Steinfeld injured himself during the tournament, but stuck out his last match to make the podium.

“I was excited to make it, and I felt I did well because I medaled and placed, which is a big honor,” Steinfeld says. “I was disappointed, though, because if I would’ve won my next match, I would have taken third.”

Junior Billy Sadlo competed in the 145-pound weight class, but was unable to advance to the podium after two opening-round losses.

“I felt honored to be there,” Sadlo says. “I was disappointed that I didn’t wrestle to my ability, but I was in a very tough bracket.”

Contact Jen Blanco at [email protected]