By MATMEN, Friday, 7:55 p.m.
KISSIMMEE — Whatever the situation called for in Friday afternoon’s 2A-Region 1 Duals final between Fleming Island and Lincoln, the 2nd-ranked Golden Eagles usually had the answer.
Need big points? No problem. The Fleming bigs had that covered, even after moving up a weight. Wear more-experienced kids down? No problem. The Golden Eagle lowers were up to the task, even after many moved up a weight as well, and the combined result was that Fleming held the Trojans to just four decisions in a 47-12 victory.
That win gave the Golden Eagles their sixth straight Region 1 championship, something no other northern Florida school has done and only one other program — South Dade — has done anywhere in the state.
The win also sends Fleming Island (17-0) to its corresponding sixth state semifinal; the Golden Eagles will face #6 Merritt Island at 10 a.m. (9 a.m. weighin) back at Osceola. The Golden Eagles defeated Miramar, 47-27, to win the Region 4 title Friday.
For all that, Lincoln (16-5) did lead the dual at one point, and had the Golden Eagles tied at another. But that was very early on, as Vincent Crump (5-3 at 145) and Connor Edwards (6-4 at 160) took decisions that equaled the Golden Eagles’ pin by Kaden Schaefer at 152.
But Fleming would put a 26-0 rush on behind pins from Ronan Bozeman (182), Walter Poe (220) and Jhoel Robinson (285), plus a 15-0 tech from Christopher Chop (170) and a 7-0 win from Joshua Sandoval at 195.
Joe Tucker’s 6-4 win at 106 for Lincoln would stop the run and give the Trojans a chance mathematically, but the decision from the Golden Eagles’ Matthew Newman (3-2 at 113) put the dual out of reach, as the defending region champs were up 26 with four matches left.
From there, the Golden Eagles would get decisions from Shane (3-0 at 120) and Laird (1-0 at 126) Duhaylungsod, plus a first-period fall from Jayce Paridon at 132, before Lincoln’s Zaire Fernanders-Jackson ended the dual as it began, with a Trojan victory (5-1 at 138).
Region 4: Merritt Island won its second straight region title behind a 29-0 start to the dual, making that lead stand up.
The Mustangs built that lead on pins from Dylan Quiroga (152), Tre’ Driggett (160) and Seven Tornga (195), majors from Judge Deyoung (8-0 at 145) and Dominick Smith (12-4 at 182), plus an 11-7 win from Jacob Pitcher (170).
The #19 Patriots got on the board behind Maxinot Mondesir’s 5-2 win at 220, but Merritt Island answered with back-to-back pins from Gabriel Arnold (285) and Landon Quiroga (106), clinching the dual by going up, 41-3, with five matches left.
Miramar strung together four pins in a row from Dully Brutus (113), Kylan Butler (120), Quinton Brownlee (126) and Famous Nealy (132), but Keanu Martin (138) closed the dual out with a third-period fall for Merritt Island.
Region 2: Defending state champ Lake Gibson rolled out to a 24-0 lead on five straight wins to open the dual with Springstead, adding another 7-win streak from 220 through 132 for a 63-12 win over the Eagles.
Pins from Gianni Maldonado (152) and Jace Brownlow (170), a 17-1 tech from Tito Solorzano (182), a 14-5 major from LeAndre Campbell (14-5 at 145), plus a 14-8 win for Mitchell Colgin at 160, got the Braves started.
After Pedro Class’ pin at 195 got Springstead on the board, Lake Gibson restarted things decisively, with pins from Brayden Kahelin (220), Leyland Callahan (285), Jeffrey Messner (106), Christian Fretwell (120), Colt Brown (126), plus an 18-3 tech from Elijah Lowe (113) and a 14-6 major from Gaetano Tedesco (132).
Springstead’s Josh Gallo got the dual closed out with a fall at 138.
Region 3: While #5 Tampa Jesuit opened with a 13-0 run and closed the dual with a 12-0 run, it couldn’t prvent #4 Charlotte from running up an eight-match win streak in the middle of the dual, which was good enough for the Tarpons to take a 42-25 victory.
Jesuit got started with a pin at 145 from Chancellor Haber, plus full-length victories from Gavin Young (14-5 major at 152) and Brandon Cody (5-1 decision at 160).
But Isaac Schaeffer’s fall at 170 got Charlotte started, and the Tarpons ripped off six straight max-point wins, with Jett McCauley (182), Nathaniel Box (195), Cael Newton (220), Nikko Frattarelli (285) all taking pins. After a forfeit at 106, Charlotte’s Camren French (3-1 at 113) and Kaiden Ballinger (10-7 at 120) both added decisions.
Jesuit closed out the dual with a Nathan McGill fall at 126 and decisions from Jayden Bowles (9-2 at 132) and Draven McCall (11-8 at 138).
Results from all four duals Friday can be found HERE.
North Florida Matmen 