By MATMEN, Friday, 10:50 p.m.
KISSIMMEE — Has Matanzas done enough to claim team gold Saturday night?
The Lady Pirates certainly put themselves into position with a strong second day after some hiccups on Thursday’s first day, surging into a 14-point lead over defending champion Freedom, 104-90.
And Matanzas, with three finalists in Christina Borgmann (120), Brielle Bibla (130) and Kendall Bibla (145), can put things away in Saturday’s medal round, perhaps, even before the finals begin, with an additional four wrestlers all set to take medals on the podium somewhere Saturday evening.
Apopka is tied for third with Osceola, both teams with 48 points, so it’s definitely a two-team chase for the overall title, with North Miami fifth at 47.
Among area teams in the top 20 are Middleburg (6th, 44 points, Bartram Trail (9th, 37.5), Oakleaf (12th, 32.5), Gulf Breeze (14th, 30) and Ponte Vedra (T-20th, 23).
Saturday wrestling begins at 9:30 a.m. with consi semis, followed by the medals round at approximately 11:15 a.m. Finals are slated to begin at approximately 4:15 p.m.
A brief summary of each weight class follows. Look for the photo albums of Friday’s action on the North Florida Matmen Facebook page (photos will be posted to Instagram later in the weekend or early next week).
100
Going for gold: Gulf Breeze’s Camdyn Elliott reached the final behind two wins Friday, with a quarterfinal pin (1:04) over Zephyrhills’ Kohana Martinez and a 6-0 win in the semis over Freedom’s Miabella Lopez. Elliott (22-1) will face Osceola’s Kealonie Vega (38-1) in Saturday night’s final session.
Medals secured: Middleburg’s Gracie Bradshaw (35-7) and Apopka’s Hananeel Gregoire (25-11) will finish no lower than sixth, while Lincoln’s Sayuri Caceres (22-11) will wrestle for 7th. After a quarterfinal loss by pin (1:52) to Vega, Bradshaw won twice by fall over Palmetto Ridge (5:08) and Caceres (1:44) in the consis. She’ll face Lopez in the semis. Gregoire had two bonus-point wins in the consis, winning by injury default over Martinez and then majoring Palm Harbor University’s Sophie Booe, 10-2. Gregoire will face Barron Collier’s Kiera Partello in the other consi semi. Both Bradshaw and Gregoire will have one more match after that. Caceres took a 9-4 loss to Partello in Friday morning’s quarters, but then falled Immokalee in consi rd 2 to guarantee a medal; she’ll face Booe for 7th.
105
Going for gold: Oakleaf’s Adrianna Barrientos (32-1) won twice on Saturday to reach the final, with a quarterfinal pin over South Dade (3:26) and a 2-0 win in sudden victory over Naples’ Reagan Thomas. Barrientos will wrestle Lake Gibson’s Gabby Tedesco (9-0 post-season) in the final.
Medals secured: University (Orange City)’s Jaelyn Sunseri (32-13) and Gulf Breeze’s Helena Alcantar (22-4) will have two Saturday matches as both are in the consi semis. Sunseri won twice in the consis, with a fall over Middleburg’s Skyla Fisher (4:50) and a 13-9 quarters win over McKeel Academy, and will face Thomas in the top semi. Alcantar won in sudden victory in the front-side quarters over Springstead, 7-5, but then lost by fall to Tedesco (3:51) in the semi. She will face Freedom’s Maite Coutinho in the bottom consi-semi.
Heading home: Fisher lost by fall (1:50) to Tedesco before facing Sunseri in the state’s blood round, going 1-2.
110
Medals secured: Matanzas’ Mariah Mills (34-5) and Apopka’s Shelby Sherman (31-3) will each have two matches Saturday, with both in the consi semis, while Crestview’s Sigrun Metzger (22-3) will wrestle for 7th. After a 6-5 win over Sherman in the quarters, Mills took a 4-0 loss in the front-side semi to North Miami’s I-Cart Galumette; she’ll wrestle Mater Lakes Academy’s Sofia Ferran in the top consi semi. Sherman won twice by fall in the consis after her loss to Mills, with pins over Middleburg’s Memphis Moses (3:02) in round 2 and over Metzger (3:32) in the bottom quarter. Sherman will face Hudson’s Keana Bush in the bottom consi semi. Metzger secured her place on the medal stand with a round-2 pin over Osceola (1:03), then facing Sherman in the quarters.
Heading home: Moses had her only match of the day in the consis against Sherman, going 1-2.
115
Medals secured: Ponte Vedra’s Erin Rizzuto (9-1 post-season record) will be the area’s only medalist after a 2-1 day on Friday, reaching the consi semis. After a 6-5 loss to Mulberry in the quarters, Rizzuto falled Crestview’s Freydis Metzger (1:42) and Springstead (3:02) in rounds 2 and 3 of the consis, and will face Ft Pierce Central’s Brittney Vincens in the bottom semi.
Heading home: Metzger had her only match of the day against Rizzuto in consi round 2; also bowing out in that round was Ed White’s Zakiya Williams, who lost by fall (1:23) on the front to Freedom and in the consis by tech fall (16-1 in 4:27) to Charlotte.
120
Going for gold: Matanzas’ Christina Borgmann (36-4) reached the final behind a pair of first-period pins on Friday, falling Springstead (1:36) in the quarters and then Bell Creek (:53) in the semis. Borgmann will face Lake Nona’s Milana Borrelli (38-5) in the championship match.
Medals secured: Tate’s Lahela Turnquest (25-18) will wrestle for 7th after a 1-1 day in the consis. Turnquest opened with a fall in round 2 over Somerset Academy (1:18), but then lost by pin (5:26) to Springstead. She’ll take on Booker’s Dyleen Perez for 7th.
125
Medals secured: Three area wrestlers — Chiles’ Ashley Shaw (30-4), Seminole’s Brianna Pena (20-3) and Matanzas’ Tiana Fries (32-6) — will all be going for third in the consi semis. Shaw opened with a 9-0 major over Apopka’s Samantha Sherman in the quarters, but then lost by fall in the semis to Sarasota Military (2:56). She’ll face Palm Harbor University’s Julianna Caisse in the top consi semi, while Pena and Fries will meet in the bottom half. Fries advanced to the front-half semis with a 2-1 win over Osceola, but then lost by fall to Stoneman Douglas (5:33) in that round; Pena, for her part, won twice in the consis, with a 9-2 win over Sherman in round 2 and a fall over Florida Christian (3:31) in the bottom quarter.
Heading home: With the two 6-minute losses, Sherman was 1-2 in the tournament.
130
Going for gold: In a rematch of the Region 1 final, Milton’s Aireaana Gavere (10-0 post-season record) will face Matanzas’ Brielle Bibla (37-3) in the final, with both winning twice on the front side. Gavere, who had a 12-4 major in that match two weekends ago, opened with a 3-0 decision over Freedom, then pinned Wellington in 1:23 in the top-half semi, while Bibla pinned Gulf (5:24) in the quarters, then pushed past Flagler Palm Coast’s Ana Vilar, 8-7, in the bottom-half semi.
Medals secured: Vilar (12-4) will have two matches Saturday after beginning on the front side with a 6-2 decision over Gateway. She’ll face Freedom’s Keyla DeLeon in the bottom-half consi semi.
135
Medals secured: Clay’s Aubrianna Apple (30-3) and Apopka’s Nehemie Gregoire (28-3) will meet in the consi semis, and both will have two matches, while South Lake’s Grisbet Guzman (26-11) will wrestle for 7th. Apple lost by fall (5:27) in the quarters to Satellite, but came back with two pins in the consis, first over Hernando (:44) in round 2 and then over Guzman (4:53) in the bottom quarter. Gregoire won her quarterfinal, with a 9-3 decision over Immokalee, but then lost by a 10-0 count to Ft Pierce Central in the semis. As for Guzman, after a 4-3 loss in the ultimate tiebreaker to Lemon Bay, she rallied with a fall (1:54) over Space Coast to secure her medal before the loss to Apple.
Heading home: Sandalwood’s Sara Goodman and Lincoln’s Holly Sanders were both one match short of the medals. Goodman had losses on the front by fall to Ft Pierce Central (1:46) and by a 17-5 major in consi rd 2 to East River, while Sanders lost her only match Friday by pin to Immokalee (2:42). Both were 1-2 in the tournament.
140
Medals secured: Ponte Vedra’s Olivia Richie (8-1) is the coverage area’s only medalist and will have two matches Saturday. After opening with a 16-8 major over Sunlake in the quarters, Richie took a 6-2 loss to Coral Park in the semis. She will face Viera’s Emma Hoppe in the top-half consi semi in a rematch of round 1 from Thursday, which Richie won by fall.
Heading home: Hagerty’s Shyann Tate lost her only match of the day in consi rd 2 by fall (5:17) to Sunlake, going 1-2 in the tournament.
145
Going for gold: In another Region 1 finals rematch, Bartram Trail’s Katherine Stewart (33-3) will face Matanzas’ Kendall Bibla (29-6) for the state championship. Stewart, who won by fall over Bibla two weeks ago at regions, had two pins Friday, falling South Lake’s Zoe Williamson (5:21) in the quarters and then pinning Mater Lakes Academy (1:42) in the semi. Bibla pinned Lake Wales (:32) in the quarters and then pinned Gateway in 3:52 to match Stewart’s day.
Medals secured: After her quarterfinal loss, Williamson (34-4) will wrestle for third after two pins in the consis, first over East Bay (2:54) in round 2 and then over Hernando (2:47) in the quarters. Williamson will face Gateway’s Elody Rodriguez in the bottom consi semi. Additionally, Tocoi Creek’s Aryan Benson (28-9) will wrestle for 7th. After a double-overtime loss (6-3) to Gateway in the quarters, Benson secured her podium space with a 12-1 major over Miami Beach before falling to Lake Wales, 3-1, in the top consi quarter. Benson will wrestle Hernando’s Olivia Brown for 7th.
155
Medals secured: Westside’s Karla Ortiz (23-3) and Bartram Trail’s Ava Burre (26-8) will have two matches in wrestling for third, while Wekiva’s Bianna Hertilien (8-3 post-season record) and Mainland’s Jah’Mya Hill (30-13) will face off for 7th. After a quarterfinal loss to Wiregrass Ranch by fall (5:14), Ortiz pinned Coral Springs (3:20) in consi rd 2 and Hill (1:17) in the top quarter. She’ll face Tampa Freedom’s Lilly Luttrell in the top consi semi. As for Burre, she also won twice by pin in the consis after a 4-3 sudden-victory loss in the quarters to Gateway, with pins over Admiral Farragut (3:34) and over Hertilien (3:09), in succession. Burre will face Wiregrass Ranch’s Megan Preston in the bottom consi semi. Hertilien and Hill were both 1-2 on Friday, with Hill pinning Centennial (4:30) and Hertilien falling Miami Norland (4:36), after both lost in the quarters (Hertilien to Luttrell by fall, Hill by fall to North Miami).
170
Medals secured: In a wild day for the area Friday, Oakleaf’s Jayla Harrison (33-5) will have two matches to try for third on Saturday, while Matanzas’ Brooklyn Watt (24-11) will wrestle for 7th. After a quarterfinal loss by pin (2:17) to Hernando, Harrison teched Mainland’s Eva Rojas (16-1 in 3:36) in consi rd 2 and then pinned Newsome in 2:18 in the top quarter. She’ll wrestle McKeel Academy’s Alexia Davis in the top consi semi. Watt secured her space on the podium with an injury-default win over Chiles’ Cadee Lyons, followed by a loss by pin (1:55) to Merritt Island. Watt will wrestle Newsome’s Lana Clayton for 7th.
Heading home: Lyons was injured during her quarterfinal loss by pin to Davis, and could not continue her tournament, while Mainland’s Rjoas had her only match of the day against Harrison. Both were 1-2 in the tournament.
190
Going for gold: Middleburg’s Cheyenne Cruce (38-0) will wrestle for the state title after a pair of pins Friday, though the second one wasn’t easy. Cruce opened with a quarterfinal pin over Apopka’s Jada Jones (1:58) and then pinned Miami Norland in 3:47 in the semis, but had some tricky situations to overcome in securing it. Cruce will wrestle Key West’s Shannon Briggs (13-4) for the 190 title.
Medals secured: Jones (25-4) will join Cruce on the medals stand after two matches on Saturday. After the loss in the quarters, Jones took first-period pins over Dr Phillips’ Emily Riveira (1:13) in consi rd 2 and then over Immokalee (1:44) in the bottom consi quarter. Jones will open with Countryside’s Cerenity Whiting in the bottom consi semi.
Heading home: Riveira’s match with Jones was her only match of the day Friday, while Ridgeview’s Lillian Heflin also only had one match, losing by fall (1:14) to Immokalee). Both Riveira and Heflin were 1-2 in the tournament.
235
Medals secured: Matanzas’ Ani Brown (15-14) will wrestle twice on Saturday in going for as high as third place, while Mainland’s Cheyenne Wigley (30-5) will wrestle for 7th. Brown had a pair of max-point wins in the consis, with a pin (1:50) over Okeechobee in round 2 and a win by injury default over Auburndale in the bottom consi quarter. She’ll face Cypress Lake’s Destine’e Thomas in the bottom consi semi. As for Wigley, after a quarterfinal loss by pin (2:49) to Boca Ciega, she secured her podium space with a fall (1:36) over Admiral Farragut before losing by pin (2:18) to Miami Beach. Wigley will face Auburndale’s Rylee Christmas for 7th.
Heading home: In her only match of the day, Lake Mary’s Ahmya Stokes took a 3-1 loss in consi round 2 to Miami Beach, going 1-2 in the tournament.
Second-day brackets can be found HERE.
North Florida Matmen 