Category: #matWOMEN

We know who won states in girls and 3A last weekend.

Matanzas & South Dade.

But we also like to toss around ideas about the state tournament, that this region is the best, or no, that region is top-heavy but isn’t the best top-to-bottom.

And the little kid-baseball-stats-nerd-turned-wrestling-writer-stats-nerd loves these kinds of discussions.

So, which region “won” each of the four state tournaments?

These numbers might help start the discussion for the girls’ tournament and for Class 3A.

There’s two ways to evaluate which region “won” each state tournament — points and qualifiers (with medals broken down). The breakdowns for 1A & 2A follow.

Girls

Points:

• 1. Region 2 589.
• 2. Region 1 551.5.
• 3. Region 4 490.5.
• 4. Region 3 289.

Medals:

• 1. Region 2 40 (5 1st, 3 2nd, 3 3rd, 5 4th, 6 5th, 6 6th, 7 7th, 5 8th).
• 2. Region 1 30 (3 1st, 5 2nd, 8 3rd, 1 4th, 3 5th, 3 6th, 7 7th, 1 8th).
• 3. Region 4 26 (5 1st, 5 2nd, 1 3rd, 3 4th, 5 5th, 3 6th, 4 8th).
• 4. Region 3 16 (1 1st, 1 2nd, 2 3rd, 5 4th, 2 6th, 1 7th, 4 8th).

A pretty good fight here. Region 2, on points and (more so) medals, is the strongest region in Florida, but Region 1 put a charge in on points, thanks to eight 3rd-place medals.

Class 3A

Points:

• 1. Region 4 684.5.
• 2. Region 2 492.5.
• 3. Region 1 308.5
• 4. Region 3 257.5.

Medals:

• 1. Region 4 41 (7 1st, 6 2nd, 6 3rd, 7 4th, 5 5th, 1 6th, 6 7th, 3 8th).
• 2. Region 2 31 (3 1st, 7 2nd, 4 3rd, 3 4th, 2 5th, 5 6th, 3 7th, 4 8th).
• 3. Region 1 24 (3 1st, 1 3rd, 2 4th, 6 5th, 3 6th, 3 7th, 6 8th).
• 4. Region 3 16 (1 1st, 1 2nd, 3 3rd, 2 4th, 1 5th, 5 6th, 2 7th, 1 8th).

Well, when South Dade and Southwest Miami score enough to almost outpoint all other regions (Dade outpointed all of Region 3, Dade and Southwest outpointed all of Region 1, and Dade/Southwest/Cypress Bay nearly outpointed all of Region 2). South Florida dominates 3A still.

But you already knew that.

This is our final #wrap installment for 2022-23. We will start work next on #TheSeason, perhaps as soon as tonight. Teams that submit complete stats (every match for every varsity wrestler, boys & girls) go to the top of the line, including our leadoff team, which sent stats to us on Monday). Teams with missing stats will not be worked on until all teams that don’t have missing stats are completed.

By MATMEN, Wednesday, 6:35 p.m.

KISSIMMEE — Asked when the dream of a state title first started becoming reality, Matanzas’ girls coach Mike Fries pulled out his phone.

Displayed there was a group text, created the day after last year’s state tournament ended, with “2023 State Championship Team” prominent as the name of that group text.

Fast forward to a year later and Matanzas — after chasing Orlando Freedom for a good part of the regular season — made the necessary adjustments to put some reality behind the bravery of the name of the group text.

But as there is no I in team, a team needs 14 varsity starters, a deep room of reserves, a “dream team” coaching staff, and committed parents & administration, and together that village brought home the first team state championship in Matanzas school history Saturday night.

The Lady Pirates went home with seven individual medals to go along with the team gold in outpointing defending champion and national-top 20 ranked Orlando Freedom, 124-107.

“I recruited girls from the hallways of the school last year. They bought into me and what I was trying to get across, because I bought into them,” Fries said.

“(Boys coach) TJ (Gillin) called me two years ago and asked me, why don’t we do this together, and that’s when the ‘dream team’ (which included Gillin and assistant coach Jeremiah Marschka) was born. We just outworked everybody.”

Matanzas had the team title more or less sealed up during the Saturday medal round. That made Fries, who won a state championship as an individual for Flagler Palm Coast, who was the father of a state champion (sophomore daughter Tiana, who placed 5th this year at 125, won an FHSAA championship last year) and now the coach of a state champion.

That’s pretty rare for any coach, let alone one of a program where there’d been challenges along the way in winning said team title.

“We weren’t planning on all of that, having three girls go out the first day and some of the other things we had to deal with, but nobody’s spirit waned, and at the end of the day, I told them, we all would be state champions because nobody works harder than us.

“Next year starts Monday. Monday we’ll forget, and we won’t celebrate again until we’re done (in 2024).”

But the team trophy was not the only gold treasure that the Lady Pirates would acquire Saturday night.

In a rematch of both the District 3 and Region 1 title matches, Matanzas sophomore Kendall Bibla (5th at 130 in 2022) reprised her rivalry meetup with Bartram Trail junior Katherine Stewart (7th at 145 last year) in the 145-lb final. Stewart had decisioned Bibla, 5-4, in the district final, and had pinned Bibla in 5 minutes in the region final, both times on the Lady Pirates’ shiny championship mat.

But, that was then, and Saturday night in the state final was the now, and after watching — in tears for most of it — sister Brielle fall short a couple of weights earlier, after a feeling-out bit of tentative action on both sides, Bibla hit the first takedown and turned on the pressure from there, with scoring moves and nearfall turns in each period. Stewart would get on the board with a mid-second period reversal, but it was 10-0 at that point, and Bibla wasn’t done yet, with a reversal and 3-point nearfall in the third to take a 15-4 major for the Lady Pirates’ lone individual state champ.

“It broke my heart. I was really upset, she’s been wrestling with me since forever,” Kendall said of watching her sister’s title dream fall short. “I know how hard she worked, how much she has helped me through everything.

“I’ve learned from wrestling Stewart that she was so strong, has come a long way in a really short time. But I never, ever give up. Anything can happen out there. It’s really one of the best moments of my life. After I won, I realized, nothing can stop me now.”

Two other Region 1 wrestlers earned state championships besides Kendall Bibla individually and the rest of the Lady Pirate team, as Milton’s Aireaana Gavere (130) and Middleburg’s Cheyenne Cruce (190) both took home state brackets Saturday night.

In a rematch of the Region 1 final from two weekends prior, Gavere knocked off Matanzas’ Brielle Bibla (5th in 2020 and 3rd in 2021 in unsanctioned girls’ states, runnerup last year), taking a 6-3 win to complete a perfect post-season run after getting a few regular-season matches in following her move from Minnesota. Gavere scored first takedown 44 seconds into the match, adding a late reversal in the second period after Bibla had ridden for most of that period. After getting out 30 seconds into the third, Gavere added an insurance takedown, and while Bibla was able to escape out to make it 6-3, she was unable to secure a takedown of her own late, as Gavere took the decision.

“I think after regionals, I realized anything was possible,” said Gavere, who won a Florida title in her only post-season down here. “I knew she’s a good wrestler, and I didn’t assume it was going to be easy. I just trusted my training, and just wrestled. All I could do at this point. Coming here, after living in Minnesota my whole life, was really difficult at first, but winning this feels great. Now it’s time to get ready for the next one, with nationals.”

Cruce, a sophomore (4th last year at 190), was the solid favorite at for most of the season, having going through the regular season undefeated and having dominated her way through most of the post-season, including states — where she’d had three pins prior to the final, none going past the second period. In the final against Key West’s Shannon Briggs, things were tighter, as neither Cruce nor Briggs could score on the feet in the first period, nor could Cruce work a turn from top in the second. But, on bottom, she was able to reverse out midway through the period and hand-fought solidly enough from there to take a 2-0 win and Middleburg’s first wrestling state championship, girls or boys.

“Honestly, I wanted to prove to everyone if that if they put the work in and put in the time in practice, then they’ll win,” Cruce said. “Wrestling builds a family; no matter who wears what color singlet, if you know, you know you’re a part of that family. I wanted to win, I wanted to be that state champion. There’s always somebody better out there, and I never thought it would be me to be first (at Middleburg to win a state championship).”

In addition to the three champions, five area wrestlers — including Brielle Bibla and Stewart — were able to reach the finals in their respective weights.

First up was Gulf Breeze freshman Camdyn Elliott in the 100-lb final against top-ranked Osceola senior Kealonie Vega, who did not compete in last year’s FHSAA tournament series, due to injury, but had been 4th at 100 in 2020 and 2nd in 2021 in the unsanctioned girls’ state event contested in those years. Elliott had pushed the pace in her previous matches, with early takedowns prior to either pins or a shutout decision earlier in the tournament, but in this match, Vega seized the early opportunity first, with first takedown 23 seconds in, which she used to turn and take the fall over Elliott in 55 seconds.

Next up was a 1vs2 matchup in the 105 final between Oakleaf sophomore Adrianna Barrientos and Lake Gibson junior Gabby Tedesco, who’d been an FHSAA finalist last year (losing by pin to former Mosley competitor Valarie Solorio, now wrestling in Pennyslvania). Barrientos, a 2x state qualifier (lost in blood round at 105 last year) hung in well against heavily-favored and top-ranked Tedesco, giving up takedowns in the first and second periods, but Barrientos had a takedown of her own in the third, but couldn’t follow it up with additional points, as Tedesco hung on for a 5-2 decision and the title.

After a couple of weights, the coverage area returned to the mats with Matanzas’ first match of the finals session, as Christina Borgmann (120) hoped to retain form that she’d had in three earlier bonus-point wins during the weekend. But Borgmann (8th last year, again at 120) had no answers for first-year Floridian wrestler and Lake Nona sophomore Milana Borrelli, who continued her path of domination through the tournament with three scoring moves (2 takedowns & 1 reversal, plus a pair of first-period nearfalls before securing a pin in 5:17 over Borgmann.

Apopka had another solid tournament, as the Lady Blue Darters’ five-pack of wrestlers was strong enough for third place and 71 points, while Middleburg tied with North Miami at 57 points for fifth. Host Osceola, with 60 points was fourth. Bartram Trail (46 points) was seventh, Oakleaf (42.5) ninth and Ponte Vedra (42) 10th.

Gulf Breeze finished T-15th, with 34 points, while Milton (26) was T-21st. Mainland, with 25 points, was T-23rd, while South Lake finished 26th (24 points), Chiles & Clay T-30th (22), Westside T-43rd (17), Seminole T-45th (16), Crestview T-53rd (13), Lincoln T-57th (11); Tate, Tocoi Creek & University (Orange City) all T-60th (10).

Flagler Palm Coast was T-65th, with nine points, Wekiva T-68th (eight), Ed White T-75th (four), with Dr Phillips, Lake Mary, Ridgeview and Sandalwood all T-80th with three. Hagerty was T-95th, with two points, while Baker County, Buchholz, Lake Brantley, Timber Creek and West Orange all having at least one wrestler that did not score team points.

A brief summary of each weight class follows, along with a look at our predictions made pre-tournament. Look for the photo albums of Saturday’s action on the North Florida Matmen Facebook page (photos will be posted to Instagram later this week).

100
Championship: Vega p. Elliott, :55.
(Additional) local how they fared: Middleburg’s Gracie Bradshaw was 3rd, Apopka’s Hananeel Gregoire was 5th and Lincoln’s Sayuri Caceres was 8th. Bradshaw closed out her high school career with two more wins Saturday, going unbeaten in the consis after her quarterfinal loss by pin to Vega. She opened with a 3-1 over Freedom’s Miabella Lopez in the consi semis, with the key being a mid-second period takedown, as both wrestlers earned penalty points down the stretch. In the 3rd-place match against Barron Collier’s Kiera Partillo, Bradshaw opened the scoring with a takedown, adding a second that she parlayed into a turn and pin in 3:08 to take the bronze. Partillo got to Bradshaw with a 5-4 win in the semis over Gregoire, though Gregoire didn’t make it easy, taking leads on two separate occasions (2-0 and 4-3) behind scoring moves. Gregoire broke open a scoreless tie in the fifth-place match with a reversal over Lopez mid-second period, capitalizing on that to secure the pin in 2:57. As for Caceres, she also scored two takedowns for a pair of leads over Palm Harbor University’s Sophie Booe (2-0, 17 seconds in, and 4-1), but Booe hit a big 5-point move down the stretch to rally for a 6-4 decision.
How crazy were our picks?: We had six of the eight projected placers in our preview, so that’s not bad. We missed on one of the finalists, who injury-defaulted after losing in the Friday quarters, and one of the fifth-place medalists. We had Vega in the final, we had Bradshaw in the third-place match. We did NOT expect Elliott to pin, and pin quickly, our finals opponent in the quarters. We also had Caceres in the right medal-round slot. In all, not too bad.

105
Championship: Tedesco d. Barrientos, 5-2.
(Additional) local how they fared: Gulf Breeze’s Helena Alcantar was 5th and University (Orange City)’s Jaelyn Sunseri 6th. Both locals started off Saturday on the wrong foot, as Freedom’s Maite Coutinho downed Alcantar, 3-2, and Naples’ Reagan Thomas — the eventual 3rd — majored Sunseri, 14-0. Coutinho had first takedown, but Alcantar would answer that early in the third period to tie the match, as a penalty point wound up being the difference. Thomas had takedowns in each period, and rolled up three different nearfall situations against Sunseri. In the all-local medal match, Alcantar had the match’s only takedown and chose top in the second period, using that ride to turn and eventually win by fall in 3:19.
How crazy were our picks?: We had six of the eventual eight placers in our preview, including the correct championship match and half of the correct third-place and fifth-place medal matches (Thomas & Alcantar). We were definitely proven wrong by Sunseri’s run to the medals (she came over and made sure we knew, though she was mostly talking to my colleague), but I’m happy that — given she’s a senior — she did medal.

110
Championship: I-Cart Galumette (North Miami) p. Jazlyn Diaz (Riverdale), 4:47.
Local how they fared: Matanzas’ Mariah Mills was 3rd, Apopka’s Shelby Sherman 4th and Crestview’s Sigrun Metzger 7th. After falling to Galumette in Galumette’s closest match of the tournament, Mills advanced to the medal round with an injury-default win over Mater Lakes’ Sofia Ferran, while Sherman was on the back foot for two periods, trailing Hudson’s Keana Bush, 6-3, after only scoring escapes. But Sherman hit a big move in the third, and utilized that takedown and turn to forge an 8-6 win. Mills would dominate the 3rd-place match, with takedowns in each period and three penalty points awarded to her, plus a late 3-point nearfall to take a 13-2 major for third. Metzger needed just one takedown, going on the attack from the jump in the 7th-place match to pin Viera’s Catalina Kenney in 36 seconds.
How crazy were our picks?: Not that crazy, as it turned out, as we had seven of the eight eventual medalists in our preview, with, essentially, the right championship match (an all-Region 4 final), Mills v Sherman for 3rd, Bush vs Region 4 for 5th, and Metzger for 7th. We also had Kenney as an unranked under-the-radar wrestler, and she made podium. So this was pretty good.

115
Championship: Cameron Galvin (Freedom) d. Analy Banuelos (Braddock), 5-3.
Local how they fared: Ponte Vedra’s Erin Rizzuto was 3rd and the only area medalist. After a one-point loss in the quarters on Friday morning, Rizzuto roared through the consis, but her closest match of the day was Saturday morning’s 4-2 win over Ft Pierce Central’s Brittney Vincens, thanks to takedowns in the first and third periods; Rizzuto allowed only a penalty point due to second stall warning and an escape moments later, but was never in much danger. That was even more in evidence in Rizzuto’s 12-3 major for third over Charlotte’s Iyonna Ross, in which Rizzuto scored in each period (2 takedowns, 1 reversal), plus a late big turn that salted away the bronze medal.
How crazy were our picks?: Not too crazy, we had seven of the eight projected placers noted, including the correct championship match plus Rizzuto in the right medal spot (we only missed on her projected opponent, who was 0-2). We also had Vincens and Fivay’s Lilyana Gargano in the correct medals spots, so this was a pretty good weight class for us.

120
Championship: Borrelli p. Borgmann, 5:17.
(Additional) local how they fared: Tate’s Lahela Turnquest was 7th, earning her second state medal. Turnquest secured a takedown 16 seconds in against Booker’s Dyleen Perez, using that for an eventual turn & pin in 1:31.
How crazy were our picks?: They were kinda not great. We had five of the eight eventual placers in our preview, but of the three that weren’t, one included a projected finalist and another was a projected 5th. We over-rated Region 4, I think, a bit there. We continued to be surprised by Borgmann’s amazing run this season as once again she performed beyond expectations (or did our preview motivate the performance?). We had Turnquest in the right medal-round slot

125
Championship: Gabriela Caro (Stoneman Douglas) d. Christine Turner (Sarasota Military), 8-4.
Local how they fared: Chiles’ Ashley Shaw was 3rd, Seminole’s Brianna Pena 4th and Matanzas’ Tiana Fries 5th. Shaw opened Saturday with a 5-2 win over Palm Harbor University’s Julianna Caisse; although Caisse did have first takedown, Shaw owned the last two periods, with a big nearfall turn to take the lead in the second and an insurance reversal midway through the third. That brought Pena in the medal round for 3rd; this time, Pena set the pace for most of the match, with a takedown in the first and reversal/turn to go up 6-1 late in the third, but Shaw rallied with an answering reversal which she converted into a fall in 5:25. Pena got to Shaw with a 10-1 major over Fries in a physical battle in the bottom consi semi, as Pena was awarded four penalty points, later getting a takedown and turn to take the major. Fries rallied in the medals herself against Caisse, even after giving up first takedown and not being able to score from the feet, as she had a reversal and then hit a big turn late to come back for a 5-4 win for fifth.
How crazy were our picks?: Not super great, but we did redeem ourselves partially in some spots. We had five of the eight eventual placers noted in our preview, including the correct championship match and the correct Shaw-Pena matchup in the medals (though for the wrong shade of medal). We’ve done better; we’ll probably do worse, maybe even as we go through these.

130
Championship: Gavere d. B. Bibla, 6-3.
(Additional) local how they fared: Flagler Palm Coast’s Ana Vilar was 6th. Vilar held the lead for a portion of the second period after a late escape broke open a scoreless tie in the consi semis against Freedom’s Keyla DeLeon, but DeLeon forged ahead on three penalty point scenarios, plus an escape from Vilar’s ride late in the third for a 5-1 win. After getting first takedown in the medal round against Wellington’s Aurora Guadiana, Vilar couldn’t sustain that early momentum, as Guadiana reversed back and won by fall over Vilar in 1:04.
How crazy were my predictions?: We had six of the eight projected medalists, including all of the top five plus Vilar. We had the correct championship match and third-place match as well, so in all they weren’t too crazy at all, as only our depth picks were a bit off.

135
Championship: Gaby Perez (Ft Pierce Central) p. Lucy Maris (Satellite), 3:30.
Local how they fared: Clay’s Aubrianna Apple was 3rd, Apopka’s Nehemie Gregoire was 5th and South Lake’s Grisbet Guzman was 7th. Apple began with a 4-2 win over Gregoire in the consi semis; after Gregoire picked up first takedown 45 seconds in, Apple took the lead with a second-period takedown and secured the win after forcing a second stall warning on Gregoire late in the third. Apple had an easier time in the third-place match against Lemon Bay’s Giovanna Coppola, with takedowns in each period, the last of those leading to a turn and fall in 5:06. Gregoire, also, got untracked in the fifth-place match against East River’s Isabella Tolentino, stacking takedowns in each period, plus a pair of nearfalls, while allowing only one escape and a penalty point for a 12-2 major. As for Guzman, she also joined Apple and Gregoire in winning final high school matches, falling Immokalee’s Genesis Turrubiartez in 3:17. Guzman had two takedowns, one in each period, with the second leading to the pin.
How crazy were my picks?: Not too great, but pretty decent with respect to most of the locals, as we had six correct medalists projected, including medals for Apple, Gregoire and Guzman. We had Apple & Gregoire in the right medal-round match. After that, things went sorta sideways. We didn’t have Maris on the preview and she made a run all the way to the final.

140
Championship: Sofia Delgado (Coral Park) d. Ailee Briggs (Key West), 6-3.
Local how they fared: Ponte Vedra’s Olivia Richie was 3rd and was the only area state medalist. After her semifinal loss Friday to Delgado, Richie bounced back with a 35-second pin over Viera’s Emma Hoppe — a rematch of her round-1 match from Thursday — and then came back in the medal round with a second pin, this time over Mater Academy’s Emily Jaspe, in 1:43. Richie had first takedown, adding a reversal after Jaspe bounced back with a reversal of her own, and put away the match from there.
How crazy were my picks?: Not very crazy. We had seven of the eight eventual placers noted in our preview, including the correct championship match and correct medal-round matches for Richie and Freedom’s Isabel Perez. So some misses in the consis, but we generally had the right idea.

145
Championship: K. Bibla md. Stewart, 15-4.
(Additional) local how they fared: South Lake’s Zoe Williamson was 5th and Tocoi Creek’s Aryan Benson 7th. Williamson could only get escape points in the consi semis against eventual 4th Elody Rodriguez of Gateway, who had three scoring moves and a nearfall in a 9-3 win, but Williamson would rally for a 6-4 decision in the fifth-place match over Mater Lakes Academy’s Alena Rik, with takedowns in the first two periods to build a 5-1 lead through two periods, a necessary cushion given Rik’s late takedown. Benson gave up first takedown in the 7th-place match to Hernando’s Olivia Brown, but had a takedown of her own in the second period, parlaying that into a fall in 2:43.
How crazy were my picks?: We had seven of the eight eventual medalists listed in our preview, so that was a good thing. However…again, we had the forest but couldn’t see the trees, as our projected third-place match was the actual final, our two finalists both took losses in the quarters and we only had Rik and Brown in the actual correct medal round.

155
Championship: Mya Bethel (North Miami) d. Emiliana Martinez (Gateway), 5-0.
Local how they fared: Bartram Trail’s Ava Burre was 3rd, Westside’s Karla Ortiz 5th, Mainland’s Jah’Mya Hill 7th and Wekiva’s Bianna Hertilien 8th. Burre completed her run to the medals with two Saturday wins, opening with a 5-3 consi-semi decision over Wiregrass Ranch’s Megan Preston, in which Burre scored all of her points via turns, allowing only a late reversal. Burre then faced Tampa Freedom’s Lilly Luttrell in the third-place match, with another nearfall carving out some space in an otherwise-tight match, but that led to a second turn and pin in 3:28. Ortiz took on Luttrell in the top consi semi, getting the first takedown and leading 3-0 midway through the first period, but Luttrell seized momentum late in the first and rallied for a 6-4 win. In the medal round, Ortiz made her one takedown count against Preston, securing a pin in 1:15. In the 7th-place match between locals, Hill seized the momentum late in the first, with a takedown and 3-point nearfall, then added another takedown in the second in pinning Hertilien in 2:49.
How crazy were my picks?: In one sense, not crazy at all, as we had seven of the eight eventual medalists noted in our preview. But, in another sense, I had little idea what I was doing, with the eventual third-place match projected as our final. I didn’t put Ortiz into the medals, and that was definitely a mistake (or was it?).

170
Championship: Grace Leota (Hernando) p. Salexa Lontoc-Ortiz (Freedom), 2:20.
Local how they fared: Oakleaf’s Jayla Harrison was 3rd and Matanzas’ Brooklyn Watt was 7th. Harrison continued to dominate the consi side of the bracket with two more bonus-point wins, starting with a 14-4 consi-semi major over McKeel Academy’s Alexia Davis, in which Harrison rolled up three scoring moves and an equal number of nearfalls, scoring at least four points in each period. In the medal round against Merritt Island’s Lainey Driggett, Harrison added two more takedowns, using the second to turn and pin Driggett in 1:45. In the 7th-place match, Watt asserted first takedown and had a 2-point turn before her second turn led to a fall in 1:36 over Newsome’s Lana Clayton.
How crazy were my picks?: An injury affected how the picks turned out, but we still had six of the eventual eight placers correctly advancing in the preview, with Leota, Wellington’s Sofia Bentz and Clayton correctly slotted into the right medal round. We did not project Watt, however, to make the podium; her key blood-round win in the consis was massive. So there were some good points, some things we can’t possibly predict, but some misses in the mix as well.

190
Championship: Cruce d. Briggs, 2-0.
(Additional) local how they fared: Apopka’s Jada Jones finished 3rd. Her only loss coming in the quarterfinals against Cruce, Jones completed her tournament with four consi-side pins, including two on Saturday, starting with Countryside’s Cerenity Whiting in the consi semis, in which Jones needed just the one takedown that became a fall in 1:42. Jones had to go into the second period against Miami Norland’s Day’jah Clark, collecting takedowns in both the first and second before turning Clark for a pin in 3:38 and 3rd.
How crazy were my picks?: Not too much so, with six of eight eventual placers noted in the preview, including the correct 3rd-place match and slotting Cruce, Whiting and Immokalee’s Brianice Silguero all into the correct medal-round matches. Having Cruce anchor the picks kind of made things easier from there.

235
Championship: Kinea Moore (Boca Ciega) p. Yoseline Perez (South Dade), :52.
Local how they fared: Matanzas’ Ani Brown was 6th and Mainland’s Cheyenne Wigley was 7th. In the consi semi against Cypress Lake’s Destine’e Thomas, the only difference in the match was Thomas being able to get out from bottom for an escape nine seconds into the second period, taking a 1-0 win. Brown then faced Miami Beach’s Alyssa Nazario for fifth, and had a takedown late in the second period to go up 3-2, but Nazario’s strong ride in the third period led to a fall in 4:08. Wigley took 7th with a medical-forfeit victory over Auburndale’s Rylee Christmas.
How crazy were my picks?: A little crazy. We had five of the eight eventual medalists noted in our preview, with Christmas listed as an unranked under-the-radar competitor. We did not have Brown making the medals, but her three consi-side wins proved not only us wrong, but proved she belonged. We definitely missed on the champion, Moore, who wasn’t anywhere in our preview.

Final team scores and brackets for the girls’ tournament can be found HERE.

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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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).

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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.

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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.

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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.

By MATMEN, Thursday, 7:15 p.m.

KISSIMMEE — Although Matanzas took some hits Thursday in the first day of competition of the 2022 FHSAA girls’ state tournament, the Lady Pirates still are very much in the mix.

The Lady Pirates left Silver Spurs Arena in second place with 23 points, five back of first-day leader Orlando Freedom, with five wrestlers still in the quarters.

Apopka stands in fourth place with 17 points and Middleburg is fifth with 15, with host team Osceola holding down third at 20 points. Mainland is currently T-8th with 11 points.

Bartram Trail is T-12th with eight pionts, while Chiles, Gulf Breeze and Lincoln are each T-19th, with seven.

Quarterfinal wrestling begins at 9:15 a.m. on Friday, with consi round 2 at approximately 11:45, semis at approximately 1:30 p.m. and consi quarters at approximately 4 p.m.

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On to the quarters: Camdyn Elliott (Gulf Breeze); Gracie Bradshaw (Middleburg); Sayuri Caceres (Lincoln). Elliott (4th) pinned Treasure Coast’s Jalia Allah in 3:29 and will face #2 Kohana Martinez of Zephyrhills in the next round. Bradshaw (5th) falled Ft Pierce Central’s Mackenzie Allcroft (3:37) and will take on #1 Kealonie Vega of Osceola in the quarters, while Caceres (9th) pinned Doral Academy’s Rebecca Marin in 5:57; she’ll face Barron Collier’s Kiera Partello (7th) in the bottom quarter.
Alive in consis: Hananeel Gregoire (Apopka). Gregoire was 1-1 Thursday, bouncing back from a round-1 loss (6-1) to Bartello with a pin in 1:03 over Marin.
Heading home: Buchholz’s Talia Robbins took losses by fall on the front to Melbourne’s Bryce Travers (6th; fall time 5:43) and in the consis to Palmetto Ridge’s Hayle Peck (8th, pin time 1:16).

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On to the quarters: Adrianna Barrientos (Oakleaf); Skyla Fisher (Middleburg); Helena Alcantar (Gulf Breeze). Barrientos (2nd) took a 5-1 win over North Ft Myers’ Isabella Hull and will face South Dade’s Rebekkah Kinkade (9th) next, while Fisher (8th) pinned South Ft Myers’ Kayah Bonilla-Mas in 1:38. Fisher will face #1 Gabby Tedesco of Lake Gibson in the quarters. Alcantar (5th) majored Bishop Verot’s Gabriella Vasquez, 9-1, in round 1 and will face Springstead’s Gianella Walczak.
Alive in consis: Jaelyn Sunseri (University-OC). Sunseri rallied from a round-1 loss by tech to Naples’ Regan Thomas (3rd; 17-2 in 5:59) with a fall in 4:10 over Key West’s Sheyla Figueira.

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On to the quarters: Mariah Mills (Matanzas); Shelby Sherman (Apopka). They’ll face each other in the quarters after Mills (3rd) pinned Mater Academy’s Eriesa Coney in 2:29 and Sherman (5th) won by forfeit in round 1.
Alive in consis: Sigrun Metzger (Crestview); Memphis Moses (Middleburg). Metzger (4th) lost by fall in :33 to #2 Sofia Ferran of Mater Lakes Academy in the first round, but came back to pin Palmetto Ridge’s Emily McIntosh in 1:35. Moses lost by fall to Viera’s Catalina Kenney in 1:36 in the opening round, but then falled Colonial’s Azsa Baptiste in 3:51 in consi round 1.
Heading home: Baker County’s Makayla Johnson took losses by pin on the front to North Miami’s I-Cart Galumetti (1st; fall time 2:59) and on the back to Palm Harbor University’s Miranda Moes (9th; pin time 5:33).

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On to the quarters: Erin Rizzuto (Ponte Vedra); Zakiya Williams (Ed White). Rizzuto (2nd) pinned Wellington’s Lana Loucks in 2:27 in round 1 and will face Mulberry’s Mayangelie Colon (9th) in the quarters, while Williams falled Florida Christian’s Isabella Garcia in the round of 16; she’ll take on 3rd-ranked Cameron Galvin of Freedom in the quarters.
Alive in consis: Freydis Metzger (Crestview). Metzger (7th) lost by fall on the front to Ft Pierce Central’s Brittney Vincens (6th; fall time 1:15), but came back to pin 5th-ranked Hailee Moder of First Baptist-Naples in 3:32.
Heading home: Lake Brantley’s Lilah Nation took losses by pin on the front to Braddock’s Analy Banuelos (1st; fall time 4:30) and in the consis to Charlotte’s Iyonna Ross (:32).

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On to the quarters: Christina Borgmann (Matanzas). Borgmann (2nd) was the coverage area’s only quarterfinalist after shutting out Western’s Iliana Gracey, 12-0. Borgmann will face 3rd-ranked Jasmine Serrano of Springstead in the quarters.
Alive in consis: Lahela Turnquest (Tate). Turnquest (5th) took a 14-2 loss in round 1 to North Miami’s Isis Severe (9th), but came back to pin Port Charlotte’s Gabriella Mitchell in 3:24.
Heading home: Ponte Vedra’s Natalia Choquegonza went six minutes in both matches, taking decision losses on the front to Somerset Academy’s Rachel Silva (4th, 6-0 score) and on the back to Cypress Creek-WC’s Sydney Bridenstine (6th), 6-5.

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On to the quarters: Ashley Shaw (Chiles); Samantha Sherman (Apopka); Tiana Fries (Matanzas). Shaw (4th) and Sherman (8th) will meet in the quarters after Shaw pinned Palmetto Ridge’s Delenis Rogert-Perez in 1:24 and Sherman edged South Dade’s Kathleen Fisher, 4-3, in round 1. Fries (5th) advanced with a forfeit and will face Osceola’s Keira Suro (6th) in the quarters.
Alive in consis: Brianna Pena (Seminole). Pena (10th) rallied from a round-1 loss by fall (4:44) to 3rd-ranked Julianna Caisse of Palm Harbor University, pinning Timber Creek’s Taylor Thomas (9th) in 3:44.
Heading home: Thomas and Ponte Vedra’s Donavanne Reinhard both were 0-2 on Thursday. Thomas lost by fall on the front (2:51) to Stoneman Douglas’ Gabriela Caro (1st), while Reinhard lost to a pair of ranked wrestlers, by fall on the front to Sarasota Military’s Christina Turner (2nd, in 5:21) and in the consis to Freedom’s Alissa Brown-Washington (7th) by a 7-5 count.

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On to the quarters: Aireaana Gavere (Milton); Brielle Bibla (Matanzas); Ana Vilar (Flagler Palm Coast). Gavere (2nd) pinned South Dade’s Geraldine Honore (10th) in 1:15, and will face #4 Keyla DeLeon in the quarters, while Bibla (3rd) falled #9 Brianna Visocky of South Fork in 1:09. Bibla takes on top-ranked Callie Alfieri of Gulf in the quarters. Vilar (#5) pinned SLAM Academy’s Alexa Paz (8th) in 3:39 in round 1, and will wrestle Gateway’s Genesis Fuentes.
Did not compete: Lake Brantley’s Devon Baumgardner.

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On to the quarters: Aubrianna Apple (Clay); Grisbet Guzman (South Lake); Nehemie Gregoire (Apopka); Sara Goodman (Sandalwood). Apple (2nd) falled Gateway-Ft Myers’ Hallie Green in 21 seconds and will face #3 Lucy Maris of Satellite in the quarters, while Guzman (6th) decisioned Mater Lakes Academy’s Janice Quiroa, 10-7, to get to Lemon Bay’s Giovanna Copolla (5th) in the quarters. Gregoire (4th) pinned Space Coast’s Kylie Magnum in 1:07, and will face Immokalee’s Genesis Turrubiartez (7th), while Goodman (8th) majored Newsome’s Sophia DeRezende, 12-4, to set up a quarterfinal with #1 Gaby Perez of Ft Pierce Central.
Alive in consis: Holly Sanders (Lincoln). Sanders came back from a round-1 loss to Copolla with a third-period fall (5:05) over Quiroa.
Heading home: Matanzas’ Saiomy Cabrera (10th) took a 9-7 front-side loss to Turrubiartez, losing by fall in the consis to Space Coast’s Kylie Mangum, in 1:25.

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On to the quarters: Olivia Richie (Ponte Vedra). Richie (3rd) took a first-period fall in 1:08 over #10 Emma Hoppe of Viera, and will face #5 Kristy More of Sunlake in the quarters.
Alive in consis: Shyann Tate (Hagerty). After an 8-7 loss in round 1 to #2 Ailee Briggs of Key West, Tate (7th) bounced back with a 13-5 major over Wiregrass Ranch’s Nicollette Watson in the consis.
Heading home: Matanzas’ Gabby Proctor (6th) and Riverside’s Jasmine Gore were both 0-2. Proctor took two decision losses Thursday, falling to Mater Academy’s Emily Jaspe (9th), 8-4, on the front and to Bell Creek’s Fikayo Aroyewun, 8-5, on the back. Gore lost by pin (3:36) in round 1 to Coral Park’s Sofia Delgado, and then lost in the consis to Cypress Lake’s Angelica Ortiz-Renterai by pin in 2:35.

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On to the quarters: Katherine Stewart (Bartram Trail); Zoe Williamson (South Lake); Kendall Bibla (Matanzas), Aryan Benson (Tocoi Creek). Stewart (1st) and Williamson (7th) will meet in the quarters after Stewart pinned Miami Beach’s Valentina Mora in 1:42, while Williamson falled Ft Myers’ Vallanda Antoine in 3:04. Bibla (3rd) got to the quarters with a 33-second fall over Mater Academy’s Eriesia Coney, and will face #2 Jennah Mustafa of Lake Wales; as for Benson (4th), she’ll face Gateway’s Elody Rodriguez after pinning South Dade’s Anisah Paz (6th) in 1:09 in round 1.
Heading home: Lake Brantley’s Lanyla Hudspeth (10th) was 0-2 Thursday, with losses by fall on the front to Mater Lakes Academy’s Alena Rik (5th) in 1:34 and in the consis to Port Charlotte’s Mya Bolden (9th) in 1:56.

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On to the quarters: Ava Burre (Bartram Trail); Bianna Hertilien (Wekiva); Karla Ortiz (Westside); Jah’Mya Hill (Mainland). Burre (6th) pinned Port Charlotte’s Lily MacGregor (:40) in round 1 and will face 5th-ranked Emiliana Martinez of Gateway, while Hertilien (4th) falled Coral Springs’ Vanessa Alexandre in 42 seconds. She’ll face #3 Lilly Luttrell of Tampa Freedom in the quarters. Ortiz needed 40 seconds to pin LaBelle’s Grace Freeman (9th), and will take on #2 Megan Preston of Wiregrass Ranch in the next round, while Hill advanced with a fall (3:51) over Admiral Farragut’s Riley Lancaster. Hill wrestles North Miami’s top-ranked Mya Bethel in the quarters.
Heading home: Matanzas’ Isabella Tietje took two losses by fall, with pins on the front against Luttrell (3:58) and on the back against Alexandre (3:52).

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On to the quarters: Cadee Lyons (Chiles); Jayla Harrison (Oakleaf). Lyons (2nd) majored Bayside’s Tanihya Wilson, 10-2, in the first round, and will take on #10 Alexia Davis of McKeel Academy in the quarters, while Harrison (3rd) falled Ft Pierce Westwood’s Alysha Josue in 4:57. Harrison will wrestle top-ranked Grace Leota of Hernando in the next round.
Alive in consis: Eva Rojas (Mainland); Brooklyn Watt (Matanzas). Rojas came back from a round-1 loss by fall (:42) to #5 Lainey Driggett of Merritt Island, but then pinned 7th-ranked Daphney Pierre of Ft Myers in 59 seconds in the consis. As for Watt (8th), after a round-1 loss by pin (1:37) to 9th-ranked Sofia Bentz of Wellington, she rallied for a 3-2 win over Gateway’s Lilly Yambor.

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On to the quarters: Cheyenne Cruce (Middleburg); Jada Jones (Apopka). Cruce (1st) and Jones (3rd) will face off in the quarters after both won by falls in the first minute, with Cruce pinning Monarch’s Payton Moyer in 50 seconds and Jones pinning Ft Myers’ Jayla Teague in :56.
Alive in consis: Lillian Heflin (Ridgeview); Emily Riveira (Dr Phillips). After a loss by pin (2:17) on the front to Key West’s Shannon Briggs (7th), Heflin (9th) came back ijn the consis, pinning Boca Ciega’s Ja’Niyah Jackson in 3:05. As for Riveira, who lost in round 1 by pin (2:18) to Countryside’s Cerenity Whiting (4th), she rallied to pin Bartram Trail’s Hannah Matalobos in 1:32.
Heading home: Matalobos lost by fall (:59) on the front to Lincoln Park Academy’s Quisiera Wilson (6th) for her first loss Thursday. Mainland’s Katherine Meza-Perez did not compete.

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On to the quarters: Cheyenne Wigley (Mainland). Wigley (6th) was the only area victorious first-rounder taking a first-period win by injury default over Doral Academy’s Tessa Diaz. Wigley will face Boca Ciega’s Kinea Moore (9th) in the quarters.
Alive in consis: Ahmya Stokes (Lake Mary); Ani Brown (Matanzas). After an initial loss by fall (2:16) to Okeechobee’s Nevaeh Robinson, Stokes (5th) won by forfeit in consi round 1 to advance, while Brown stayed alive after a front-side loss by pin (3:29) to #2 Alyssa Nazario of Miami Beach, falling West Orange’s Thalia Rodriguez in 4:34.
Heading home: Rodriguez, who lost on the front by a 5-0 count to Cypress Lake’s third-ranked Destine’E Thomas for her first loss of the day, and Lake Brantley’s Alaysia Linton were both 0-2. Linton lost by fall to top-ranked Yoseline Perez of South Dade in 1:00 on the front and to Admiral Farragut’s Grace Vernine (8th) in 1:20 in the consis.

First-day brackets can be found HERE.

By MATMEN, Wednesday, 3 p.m.

Girls’ State IBT

When & where: Thursday-Saturday at Silver Spurs Arena. Thursday start at 12:30 p.m., with one round of competition on each side of the bracket. Friday start at 9:15 a.m., with two rounds of competition on each side. Saturday start at 9:30 a.m. with consi semis & medal-round wrestling. Finals are scheduled for 4:15 p.m.
Defending team champion: Freedom.
Returning individual champions: Tiana Fries (Matanzas), Cameron Galvin (Freedom), Gabriella Perez (Ft Pierce Central), Olivia Richie (Ponte Vedra), Mya Bethel (North Miami).
Synopsis: Freedom has been the top team all season long and in head-to-head challenges thus far this year, the Lady Patriots have come out on top. Of the teams most in the mix, to contend for a title, it’s tough to ignore Matanzas’ 13 qualifiers. If they can find some wins that they’re not expected to get, Freedom can be challenged. North Miami has a lot of firepower, South Dade has a lot of firepower, Middleburg and Apopka could well be in the mix also.

Matmen’s state-medal predictions (sure to be wrong) —

The medals are self-explanatory, it’s a sketch of the bracket as I see it, with a little bit of emphasis to “prove me wrong” to local kids in the north that may affect my sketch. I want my kids to get medals by any means necessary, by their own skill first and foremost, but if they want to take an additional oomph of motivation from me, that’s good for them — and me — as well. The unranked wrestler under the radar is not necessarily who I think is the “best” unranked wrestler, but the one not previously listed in the top eight who might have a vulnerable ranked kid in her path that could be susceptible to an upset.

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Final: Kohana Martinez (Zephyrhills, 2nd) v Kealonie Vega (Osceola, 1st).
3rd place: Gracie Bradshaw (Middleburg, 5th) v Camdyn Elliott (Gulf Breeze, 4th).
5th place: Bryce Travers (Melbourne, 6th) v Kiera Partello (Barron Collier, 7th).
7th place: Miabella Lopez (Freedom, 3rd) v Sayuri Caceres (Lincoln, 9th).
Unranked wrestler under the radar: Mackenzie Allcroft (Ft Pierce Central).

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Final: Adrianna Barrientos (Oakleaf, 2nd) v Gabby Tedesco (Lake Gibson, 1st).
3rd place: Regan Thomas (Naples, 3rd) v Myna Estrada (Ferguson, 6th).
5th place: Helena Alcantar (Gulf Breeze, 5th) v Maite Coutinho (Freedom, 4th).
7th place: Rebekkah Kinkade (South Dade, 9th) v Skyla Fisher (Middleburg, 8th).
Unranked wrestler under the radar: Sheyla Figueira (Key West).

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Final: I-Cart Galumette (North Miami, 1st) v Sofia Ferran (Mater Lakes Academy, 2nd).
3rd place: Mariah Mills (Matanzas, 3rd) v Shelby Sherman (Apopka, 5th).
5th place: Keana Bush (Hudson, 7th) v Jazlyn Diaz (Riverdale, 6th).
7th place: Sigrun Metzger (Crestview, 4th) v Arden Swindle (Strawberry Crest, 10th).
Unranked wrestler under the radar: Catalina Kenney (Viera).

115
Final: Analy Banuelos (Braddock, 1st) v Cameron Galvin (Freedom, 3rd).
3rd place: Erin Rizzuto (Ponte Vedra, 2nd) v Hailee Moder (First Baptist-Naples, 5th).
5th place: Brittney Vincens (Ft Pierce Central, 6th) v Emma Bauknight (Springstead, 4th).
7th place: Mayangelie Colon (Mulberry, 9th) v Lilyana Gargano (Fivay, 10th).
Unranked wrestler under the radar: Isabella Garcia (Florida Christian).

120
Final: Rachel Silva (Somerset Academy, 4th) v Milana Borrelli (Lake Nona, 1st).
3rd place: Jasmine Serrano (Springstead, 3rd) v Christina Borgmann (Matanzas, 2nd).
5th place: Isis Severe (North Miami, 9th) v Arianna Ruiz (Mater Lakes Academy, 7th).
7th place: Lahela Turnquest (Tate, 5th) v Naomie Sylvestre (Immokalee, 8th).
Unranked wrestler under the radar: Abby DiCenzo (Bell Creek).

125
Final: Christina Turner (Sarasota Military) v Gabriela Caro (Stoneman Douglas).
3rd place: Tiana Fries (Matanzas) v Samantha Sherman (Apopka).
5th place: Ashley Shaw (Chiles) v Brianna Pena (Seminole).
7th place: Keira Suro (Osceola) v Alejandra Notni (Doral Academy.
Unranked wrestler under the radar: Solana McCaughen (North Port).

130
Final: Aireaana Gavere (Milton, 2nd) v Brielle Bibla (Matanzas, 3rd).
3rd place: Callie Alfieri (Gulf, 1st) v Keyla DeLeon (Freedom, 4th).
5th place: Aurora Guadiana (Wellington, 6th) v Jayda Hagood (Northeast-StP).
7th place: Ana Vilar (Flagler Palm Coast, 5th) v Briana Visocky (South Fork, 9th).
Unranked wrestler under the radar: Jada Williams (Bell Creek).

135
Final: Giovanna Capolla (Lemon Bay, 5th) v Gaby Perez (Ft Pierce Central, 1st).
3rd place: Aubrianna Apple (Clay, 2nd) v Lucy Maris (Satellite, 3rd).
5th place: Grisbet Guzman (South Lake, 6th) v Nehemie Gregoire (Apopka, 4th).
7th place: Sara Goodman (Sandalwood, 8th) v Janice Quiroa (Mater Lakes Academy).
Unranked wrestler under the radar: Makenzie Eltzroth (Hernando).

140
Final: Sofia Delgado (Coral Park, 1st) v Ailee Briggs (Key West, 2nd).
3rd place: Kristy More (Sunlake, 5th) v Olivia Richie (Ponte Vedra, 3rd).
5th place: Noella Varela (Riverdale, 8th) v Cathia Timas (Osceola, 4th).
7th place: Emily Jaspe (Mater Academy, 9th) v Isabel Perez (Freedom).
Unranked wrestler under the radar: Angelica Ortiz-Renteral (Cypress Lake).

145
Final: Zoe Williamson (South Lake, 7th) v Jennah Mustafa (Lake Wales, 2nd).
3rd place: Kendall Bibla (Matanzas, 3rd) v Katherine Stewart (Bartram Trail, 1st).
5th place: Alena Rik (Mater Lakes Academy, 5th) v Aryan Benson (Tocoi Creek, 4th).
7th place: Jaylee-Ann Rosado (East Bay, 8th) v Olivia Brown (Hernando).
Unranked wrestler under the radar: Eriesia Coney (Mater Academy).

155
Final: Lilly Luttrell (Tampa Freedom, 3rd) v Megan Preston (Wiregrass Ranch, 2nd).
3rd place: Emiliana Martinez (Gateway, 5th) v Mya Bethel (North Miami, 1st).
5th place: Jah’Mya Hill (Mainland, 7th) v Ava Burre (Bartram Trail, 6th).
7th place: Bianna Hertilien (Wekiva, 4th) v Grace Freeman (LaBelle, 9th).
Unranked wrestler under the radar: Isabella Tietje (Matanzas).

170
Final: Lainey Driggett (Merritt Island, 5th) v Grace Leota (Hernando, 1st).
3rd place: Cadee Lyons (Chiles, 2nd) v Salexa Lontoc-Ortiz (Freedom, 4th).
5th place: Jayla Harrison (Oakleaf, 3rd) v Sofia Bentz (Wellington, 9th).
7th place: Lilly Yambor (Gateway) v Lana Clayton (Newsome, 6th).
Unranked wrestler under the radar: Alysha Josue (Ft Pierce Westwood).

190
Final: Cheyenne Cruce (Middleburg) v Emari Brown (St Cloud).
3rd place: Day’jah Clark (Norland) v Jada Jones (Apopka).
5th place: Shannon Briggs (Key West) v Cerenity Whiting (Countryside).
7th place: Jayla Teague (Ft Myers) v Brianice Silguero (Immokalee).
Unranked wrestler under the radar: Lillian Heflin (Ridgeview).

235
Final: Yoseline Perez (South Dade, 1st) v Alyssa Nazario (Miami Beach, 2nd).
3rd place: Destine’E Thomas (Cypress Lake, 3rd) v Rotchiva Clermont (Freedom, 7th).
5th place: Aniya Herbin (Jefferson, 4th) v Grace Vernine (Admiral Farragut, 8th).
7th place: Cheyenne Wigley (Mainland, 6th) v Ahmya Stokes (Lake Mary, 5th).
Unranked wrestler under the radar: Rylee Christmas (Auburndale).

Rankings from https://www.kabrawrestling.com/rankings/girls