TOM’s High School Wrestler of the Week – January 27th, 2020
original photo courtesy of Scott Purks; TampaBay.com
This week’s High School Wrestler of the Week is Kai Owen of Jesuit High School in Tampa, Florida. A sophomore, Kai, helped lead his team to their first FHSAA 2A State Dual Championship in school history. Owen was one of six Tigers wrestlers to go 3-0 at the tournament for head coach Sal Basile. In the team’s quarterfinal match, the 106 lber Owen faced a tough opponent from Lake Gibson in freshman Hayden Whidden. The pair had met earlier in the season at the Knockout Christmas Classic and Owen prevailed by the score of 5-1. This time, Kai was able to open up the scoring more and picked up a 10-1 major decision. In the semifinals and championship, Owen was able to notch first-period falls over opponents from Palmetto Ridge and St. Thomas Aquinas, respectively. Jesuit’s stiffest test came from Lake Gibson in the quarterfinals, whom they got by with a 29-27 win. In their final two matches, the Tigers outscored their competition by the margin of 118-25.
Kai, a 2019 Florida state champion, also has titles at the Indian Classic and the Fit 2 Win and a runner-up finish at the Prep Slam under his belt during his 2019-20 campaign. In two trips to Fargo, Owen has placed top-five in freestyle and Greco-Roman at the 16U division, both times. Kai is currently ranked 15th in the nation at 106 lbs.
Congratulations to Kai Owen our High School Wrestler of the Week.
