The memorial tournament will begin at 9:30 a.m. Dec. 9.
Cornelius Wiggins was known as much in life for his perseverance as his wrestling prowess. Next weekend, Plant City High School’s wrestling team will honor its late alumnus the best way it knows how.
The school is set to host the Cornelius Wiggins Invitational, a tournament with 10 teams confirmed to compete and a possibility of two more joining in before the Dec. 9 event. Raiders head coach Tim Knighten said he hopes the all-day event, which begins at 9:30 a.m., will help people embrace the values that made the two-time high school state champion successful on and off the mat.
“I’m hoping that people will understand you can persevere,” Knighten said. “You can rise above anything that comes at you and still be successful.”
Wiggins won state championships in 2001 and 2002 and finished as a runner-up in 2000 before going on to wrestle at Cumberland College (now the University of the Cumberlands). In his freshman year, Wiggins suffered serious head and leg injuries in a car crash that also killed a teammate, but he stayed strong in the face of adversity. He went back to class well before doctors’ recommendations, then got back on the mat the following season.
Wiggins’ life was cut short July 29 when he jumped into Lake Gibson to retrieve lost sunglasses and drowned. A scholarship fund bearing his name quickly picked up steam on GoFundMe.com and eventually raised $7,500.
Knighten, entering the second season of his second stint as Plant City’s coach, said creating an event for Wiggins like the Raider Invitational of years past felt like a great way to keep celebrating his life. The nine schools confirmed to participate next week are Spoto, Leto, George Jenkins, Kathleen, Armwood, Blake, Frostproof, Wharton and Lakeland.
Knighten also said he hopes the tournament will set the right tone for Plant City’s season to come. His roster, which was nearly finalized by press time, is young but hungry. Led by Ty Young and Cole Harrell, one of the team’s main goals for the 2017-18 season is to get back into the FHSAA regional and state competitions.
The coach is trying to help the wrestling program “rise again to the status it once was,” and that means developing an identity as a tough, “in-your-face” group that wrestles with intensity and won’t quit.
Just like Wiggins.
“Win, lose or draw, I don’t think teams are going to want to wrestle us again,” Knighten said.
UPDATE: An earlier version of the story listed the event date as Dec. 2. It will be held Dec. 9.
