- March 12, 2026
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Football was rarely on Blake Roulund's mind last spring. No matter how much time and effort he put into it, his interest only faded.
He wasn't all that concerned with growing his game. Trying to make the next tackle felt like just another repetition.
A different sport dictated his thoughts.
"I was even on the football field wishing I was at wrestling practice," said the Cardinal Mooney senior. "Every day."
So he elected to leave the gridiron for good, investing all of his athletic ability into the mats. He let his true passion lead him.
Greatness came from it.
Roulund placed second in the 215-pound weight class at the FHSAA Class 1A IBT state championship March 5-7, held at Kissimmee's Silver Spurs Arena. He became the first wrestler in school history to reach the podium at the statewide level.
Earlier this postseason, he swept the 1A-3 regional and 1A-11 district titles. The senior ultimately finished with a record of 32-2 in 2025-26.
And he's only wrestled at the high school level for two years, since Cardinal Mooney's program was nonexistent before last season.
"I've never seen any kid do what he did and accomplish so much in such a short time," said coach Felix Osuna-Cotto. "This was unbelievable."
Football coach Jared Clark, though, was the first to enjoy the fruits of his labor. Roulund was previously a junior defensive end/middle linebacker, and contributed more than most.
He was a powerful defensive presence.
The Cougar registered a team-high 30.0 tackles for loss in 2024 and tied with then-junior defensive end Elijah Golden — now with Notre Dame football — for 10.0 sacks apiece, the most of anyone on the roster.
That season ended in the 2A state semifinals for Cardinal Mooney, but after Roulund's depature, the group went even further. It polished off a 14-1 campaign by winning the 2A state championship in 2025.
No regrets or second thoughts plagued him, even in light of such success.
"He was firm in his conviction to wrestle," Osuna-Cotto said. "He was like, 'That's awesome for them, but this is where I want to be.'"
Juggling the two sports would have been feasible — at least, technically. Football runs in the spring and fall, while wrestling operates during the winter.
Roulund never saw it that way. He wanted to get the most out of himself on the mats, and to do so, made a year-round commitment.
Since suffering a severe concussion in spring practice as a junior, he hasn't touched a football field.
"I was already really behind (other wrestlers)," Roulund said. "In order to catch up, there was no way I could play football and balance them."
During his sophomore year, he was involved with wrestling before Cardinal Mooney even offered it. His after-school hours were regularly spent driving to and from Palmetto to practice and compete at the club level.
He soon grew sick of that commute. Wondering what it would take to bring the sport to his school, he connected with dean of students Will Schenerlein, who received a 'Lifetime Service to Wrestling' award from the National Wrestling Hall of Fame in 2019.
Together, they arranged a meeting with Athletic Director Rafael Fernandez and tried to gather the funding for mats — among other efforts.
"I probably sent an email to the principal (Ben Hopper) once a week for a month or two," Roulund said. "And then I finally got in his office, and told him all the good things (wrestling) would bring and how good it (would be) for Cardinal Mooney."
They eventually got the green light, and in the 2024-25 academic year, organized the first wrestling team in school history.
To this day, Schenerlein and Osuna-Cotto credit Roulund as the pioneer behind it.
"It just materialized so fast with his enthusiasm and his drive," Osuna-Cotto said. "It was all Blake."
Two seasons later — alongside sophomore Luke Ladle, a 120-pound qualifier — Roulund had reached the site where Florida's finest duke it out. Clark was in attendance for his final match.
The football player-turned-wrestler missed out on a state championship, but reached one of his own.
He got there by dedicating all of himself to the sport.
"It will be the story that I tell for many years — as long as I'm coaching — of how you're supposed to do it," Osuna-Cotto said. "His legacy will last a long, long time. I'll guarantee that."
