Category: REGION DUALS

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REGION DUALS STATE DUALS

#Recap: 3A-Region 1 Duals Final

DeLand’s Marion (MJ) Smokes drops the hammer during 285-lb competition in Friday evening’s 3A-Region 1 Duals final, as the Bulldogs defeated Hagerty, 48-23, behind a 33-0 late run (Photo by Brant Parsons, KabraWrestling.com).

By MATMEN, Friday, 9:45 p.m.

KISSIMMEE — Toss out the predictions.

In the area Region 1 final that was projected by the experts to be the closest of the three contested on Friday, DeLand did what it has done all season — push the pace — against 3A competition in the north.

And the result was a doubling up of Hagerty, 48-23, giving the 13th-ranked Bulldogs (14-6) their first region title in their first appearance at state duals.

Now, DeLand will have to toss out the predictions once again, and a lot of history as well, as the Bulldogs will face four-time 3A state champion and top-ranked South Dade in Saturday’s semifinals, which will begin as soon as an open mat becomes available from earlier 1A and 2A competition (weighins at 9 a.m.). South Dade became a six-time region champ with its 68-3 Region 4 win over #7 Cypress Bay, and had lost its bid to remain the only 3A state duals champion in last year’s semifinals.

Early on against the 18th-ranked Huskies, the back-and-forth close nature that was projected upon the dual appeared to very much be the case. DeLand opened a 9-0 lead on Joshua Folsom’s fall at 152 and a 3-2 win from Mathias Franz at 145, only to see Hagerty match the start with a forfeit win at 160 and a 5-4 win for Connor Gilliam at 170.

Hagerty even led at one point, 18-15, halfway through the dual; after forfeiting at 182, the Huskies got a fall from Landon Revis (220) and a tight 4-3 win from Hunter Tate at 195.

That proved to be all table-setting for the Bulldogs, however.

One 23-second pin from MJ Smokes at 285 unleashed the floodgates of a 33-0 DeLand run that included falls from Edwin Alsina (106), Tyler Bracero (113), Phoenix Krauth (dual-clinching pin at 120), and Peyton Senez (132), plus an 8-5 win for Grady Bryant (126).

Hagerty’s Nikolas Blake closed out the dual with a 16-0 tech-fall victory at 138.

Region 4: South Dade came very close to pitching a shutout against its long-time region-final rival — the two teams have met each of the past five seasons in addition to this year — giving up just one sudden-victory loss.

The Buccaneers roared out to a 53-0 lead, clinching the dual on Sawyer Bartelt’s 8-0 major at 285. Earlier in the run, Misha Arbos (145), Gavin Balmeceda (152), Cordell White (160) and Lawrence Rosario (170) had pins, while Christopher Sanchez took a 6-3 at 195; Dade also had two forfeit wins at 182 and 220.

But the dual continued on beyond 285, with three more South Dade wins on a pin from Bryan Morales (106), a 10-0 major from Guillermo Jaramillo at 113 and a 5-4 win from Luis Acevedo at 120 before the Lightning’s Gabriel Herrero found a takedown in sudden victory for a 7-5 win.

South Dade then closed out the dual with two pins in 92 seconds, on falls from Tyree Graham (132) and Elvis Solis (138).

Region 2: While host Osceola led wire-to-wire in its 45-29 victory over defending state champ Palmetto Ridge, the #3 Kowboys needed a 15-0 run late to finally put the #6 Bears away.

After racing out to an 18-0 lead on falls from Anderson Heap (145) and Gunner Holland (160) plus a forfeit, Palmetto Ridge began chipping away at the gap with a pin from Roman Garcia (182) and a 7-4 win from Owen Pratt at 170.

The Kowboys then got a 12-0 mini-run behind pins from Jomar Sanchez (195) and Elijah Vansickle (220), but the Bears answered again, with a 16-0 gap fueled on pins by Austin Foye (285) and Tyler Washburn (113), plus an 11-1 major at 106 from William McGowan. That cut the Osceola lead to 30-24.

But Osceola mustered one more charge, and pins from Evan Martinez (120) and Davian Rivera (132), plus a dual-clinching 7-4 decision from Isfandier Sharipov, secured things for the Kowboys; Palmetto Ridge’s Jean Valoria closed out the night with a 19-4 tech at 138.

Region 3: #5 Ft Pierce Central gave itself a chance with a 22-0 run from 170-285, but it might have been Brittney Vincens that was most critical in the Cobras’ 34-30 win over #15 Wellington, last year’s 3A runnerup.

After a 2-1 win for the Wolverines’ Randy Lancaster at 145, followed by a trading of pins by FPC’s JT Apicella (152) and Wellington’s Mac Andrews (160), it was time for the Cobras to strike, and they did, with pins from Hernan Ortiz (220) and Alaq Dowd-Grant (285), a 12-4 major from Malankov Daceus (195) and decisions from Colin Madden (3-2 at 170) and Aidan Madden (7-2) at 182.

But Wellington’s best strength was in the lower bookend, and Cameron Gibson showed it with a fall at 106 to cut the FPC lead to 28-15 and five weights left. However, it was Vincens’ time to show her quality, with an 11-9 win at 113, and she was followed up by Daniel Echeverria’s additional ability to win close, with a 2-1 win at 126 that clinched the dual in the Cobras’ favor.

Wellington finished off the dual with a fall by Evan Pena (132) and a 9-5 decision from Mario Trigazis.

Results from all four duals Friday can be found HERE.

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REGION DUALS STATE DUALS

#Recap: 2A-Region 1 Duals Final

With the referee looking on intently, Fleming Island’s Jayce Paridon (top) looks to secure a pin in 132-lb competition Friday afternoon at Osceola in the 2A-Region 1 Duals final. Paridon got the pin and Fleming Island defeated Lincoln for the region title (Photo by Brant Parsons, KabraWrestling.com).

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.

JOIN us on Facebook at North Florida Matmen (you can also friend me on my personal page) or on Twitter at @NorthFLAMatmen, or on Instagram at nflamatmen. Please support our independent journalism! We’re on Venmo now: Shannon-Heaton-6. Or if you prefer PayPal, search me at Shannon Heaton (use the site email account to find the correct me).
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REGION DUALS STATE DUALS

#Recap: 1A-Region 1 Duals Final

Suwannee sophomore Eli Jolicoeur (top) looks for a fall during 1A-Region 1 finals action Friday afternoon at Osceola HS in Kissimmee. Jolicoeur would collect a pin at 106 pounds and the Bulldogs would defeat Episcopal, 51-27, for their first FHSAA region duals title in the sport (Photo by Brant Parsons, KabraWrestling.com).

By MATMEN, Friday, 6:05 p.m.

KISSIMMEE — Establishing the early momentum and setting a tone were critical for both Suwannee and Episcopal, both first-time 1A-Region 1 duals finalists, Friday afternoon at Osceola HS.

Suwannee middles Marshall White, Austin McKinney, Austin Howard and Dustin Wood understood the assignment.

Their building of a 21-0 lead gave the #8 Bulldogs a lead that they would never relinquish, as Suwannee picked up its 35th dual victory of the season, claiming an FHSAA region duals title by defeating the #11 Eagles, 51-27.

Suwannee (35-3) will face top-ranked Jensen Beach in Saturday’s 1A state semifinals at 10 a.m. (weighin 9 a.m.). Jensen Beach advanced with a 42-25 win in the Region 4 final over #3 Mater Lakes Academy.

Pins from White (12th at 145), McKinney (7th at 152) and Wood (10th at 170), plus Howard (3rd at 160)’s 9-2 win over the Eagles’ #14 John Fernandez, gave Suwannee (35-3) a 21-0 lead it would not give up.

Episcopal (22-6) did make the Bulldogs try, though, winning three of the next four between 182 and 285, thanks to pins from Matt Salek (220) and Mark Rinaman (285), a 7-6 win from the Eagles’ #12 Christian McGarity over #19 Benjamin Lewis at 182, cutting the lead to 27-15.

But Torynn Johns’ pin at 195 gave the ball to the Bulldog hammers down low, and they did their job against young ESJ wrestlers, with Eli Jolicoeur (2nd at 106), Justin Contreras (9th at 113) and Topher Pearson (2nd at 120) all winning by fall, Pearson’s pin effectively clinching the dual as Suwannee was up 45-15 with three weights left.

The Eagles kept scrapping, though; at 126, #17 Scott Busey falled #5 Brody Boehm in a senior matchup, and #13 Nicholas Pressley (132) would add another pin before Suwannee’s Ayden Kirby (#19 at 138) would end the dual as it began, with a Bulldog pin, this time over #13 Cohen Chesser.

Region 4: Jensen Beach won six of the first seven matches and was not closely challenged against Mater Lakes Academy, though there were several tight individual weights.

Jewell Williams (5-4 at 145), Dylan Fox (5-2 at 152) and Colten Byrd (4-0 at 160) got the Falcons out to a lead they would not lose; though the Bears’ Calogero Mazzrillo racked up a 17-0 tech at 170, Jensen Beach would max-point at 182, 195 and 220, with Malachi Harriel (182) winning by fall and Toby Rooney (220) by injury default.

The teams traded points at 106 and 113, with the Falcons’ Ben Norris (10-9 at 106) and Bears’ Kellen Mesina (14-9 at 113) taking decisions, but Jensen would lock up the dual on pins from Sebastian Degennaro (120) and Ryan Mooney (126).

MLA won by forfeit at 285 and also at 132 and 138, after Jensen Beach didn’t send out starters.

Region 2: #7 Hernando roared off the deck with a 27-0 run from 285 through 126 to push past #9 Palm Bay, 33-31, and win its first Region 2 title.

After trading points through three weights, with decisions from James Gadson (7-4 at 145) and James Garrett (8-1) at 160) equalizing the fall from the Pirates’ Nathan Furman at 152, the Foxes couldn’t stop a four-match Palm Bay run.

The Pirates got a fall from Octavion Osby (195), a 12-1 major at 170 from Brycen Turner, and decisions from Elliott Bell (10-6 at 182) and Christopher Brunson (10-4 at 220) to establish a 22-7 lead at the halfway point.

But the Foxes had Palm Bay at bay despite the deficit, kicking it off with a 6-0 win from Devin Williams, followed by back-to-back-to-back-to-back pins from Savannah Valle (106), Kyle Pearson (113), Jordyn Valle (120) and Vitaliy Boyer (126 in extra time) to go up 34-22. When Palm Bay’s Roman Maldonado couldn’t get a necessary pin at 132, winning instead by 6-2 decision, Hernando had the dual clinched and forfeited to the Pirates at 138.

Region 3: Third-ranked First Baptist (Naples) came in as the higher “seed” and fresh off a win over #2 Lemon Bay in the region semis, but it was 10th-ranked Zephyrhills Christian that will get a chance to wrestle for the 1A state title after a 42-35 win.

An 18-0 close for the Warriors, with Talon Maple (132) winning by fall, proved to be enough, as Zephyrhills Christian took advantage of two First Baptist forfeits at 126 and 138.

A largely back-and-forth first half of the dual saw Zephyrhills Christian get pins from Jeremiah Chavis (170), Kashaun Christopher (195) and Elijah Austin (220), plus a 5-3 win from Javier Lopez at 152 and 6-1 decision from Reid Yakes at 106.

The Lions got early pins from Gavin Patton (160), Christian Moder (182) and Caleb Rodriguez (285), plus a 17-2 tech from Michael Kersey at 145 that kicked off the dual. First Baptist had back-to-back pins from Asher Bacon (113) and Jonathan Moder (120) that put it up by 11, 35-24, the Lions’ biggest lead of the dual.

Results from all four duals Friday can be found HERE. All rankings from https://www.kabrawrestling.com/rankings/class-1a

JOIN us on Facebook at North Florida Matmen (you can also friend me on my personal page) or on Twitter at @NorthFLAMatmen, or on Instagram at nflamatmen. Please support our independent journalism! We’re on Venmo now: Shannon-Heaton-6. Or if you prefer PayPal, search me at Shannon Heaton (use the site email account to find the correct me).
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REGION DUALS

#Recap: 1A-R1 Duals (Union County)

By MATMEN, Sunday, 7:05 p.m.

LAKE BUTLER — For five years you could pencil it in, almost as early as March after the season ended.

1A-Region 1. Clay. Wakulla. Let the rematch commence!

But not this year. Reclassification made sure of that, sending Clay to 2A. So which teams would emerge? Would anyone, outside of the two schools’ teams — and parents of wrestlers on those teams — themselves, have had Suwannee and Episcopal on their bingo card?

Last Thursday at Union County, the District 3-champion Eagles — just two years being removed from being a group of largely scrappy and unpolished kids (several still in middle school) under the direction of a then-1st year, newly-moved-to-Florida head coach — added another milestone to their resume, reaching the 1A-Region 1 region final after defeating Baker County (48-30) and Yulee (42-35).

The 11th-ranked Eagles (18-3) will face #8 Suwannee (34-3) at 11 a.m. (10 a.m. weighin) in the first round of wrestling at Osceola on Friday, with the region title and a berth in Saturday’s 1A state semifinals on the line.

Below follows a summary of each dual wrestled at Suwannee —

Quarterfinal 1 — Yulee 50, Union County 30: The Hornets (9-6) got out to a 12-0 start against the host and District 4 champion, thanks to a fall from Braylen Ricks (7th at 285) and forfeit at 106, but Union County would answer that behind pins from Kale Waters (113) and Gage Howard (120). … The teams would trade pins twice more at 126/132 and essentially so at 138/145, with Logan Pugh (126) winning by pin and Austin Adamson (11th at 138) by 17-2 TF for Yulee, while Union County got pins from Ian Halfacre (18th at 132) and Rodney Barnett (145) to take a 24-23 lead. … Union (10-7) took its biggest lead of the dual (7 points, 30-23) after Dante’ Johnson’s fall at 152 over #20 Samuel Sahrphillips, but the Hornets would close the dual out on a 27-0 run on pins from Michael McNair (160), Dylan Johns (4th at 170), Alex Smith (4th)’s dual-clinching fall at 195, and Cayden Ricks (20th at 220), plus an 8-6 win for Christopher Aud (14th at 182).

Quarterfinal 2 — Episcopal 48, Baker County 30: While the District 4 champs stumbled on the other mat, the Eagles made sure they would not suffer the same fate, although the Wildcats (15-7) did roar out to a 24-6 lead after Mark Rinaman’s pin for ESJ at 285, with falls from Brayden Martin (106), Jareb Lauramore (14th at 113), Taz Kinghorn (120) and Jonathon Walker (126), who pinned #10 Scott Busey. … Episcopal, however, was just getting warmed up, with eight wins in a row between 132 and 195, including pins from Nicholas Pressley (15th at 132), Cohen Chesser (10th at 138), Baylor Maurer (145), Brennan Doherty (11th at 170) and Christian Faucheaux (195), plus decision wins from Chance Wolffe (152, 7-6 over #16 Keith Ratliff) and John Fernandez (16th at 160, 3-1 win). Baker’s Joseph Stronko (220) won by fall to close out the dual.

Semifinal — Episcopal 42, Yulee 35: Two key Eagle runs (120-132 and 145-160) fueled the difference in the dual. … After the teams traded points on pins from Episcopal’s Thomas Coppedge (106) and Yulee’s Josh Harris (9th at 106, competing at 113), the Eagles put up 18 in a row on falls from Turner Glenn (10th at 120), Busey and Pressley to go up 24-6. … The teams would trade pins again at 138 and 145, with Adamson by fall for Yulee and Baylor Maurer (145) with a pin for the Eagles; the Maurer pin touched off a 15-0 run, as Wolffe pinned Sahrphillips at 152 and Fernandez had a 6-4 win at 160. … Johns’ 16-0 tech over Doherty kept the Hornets alive, but McGarity’s 4-2 win over Aud at 182 clinched the Episcopal victory, as they were up 25 with three weights to go. … Pheonix Barbour-Yerka (195), Smith (220, fall over #9 Lawson Perry) and Braylen Ricks (285) finished the night with pins for Yulee.

You can find full results for this site’s quarterfinal and semifinal rounds HERE.

JOIN us on Facebook at North Florida Matmen (you can also friend me on my personal page) or on Twitter at @NorthFLAMatmen, or on Instagram at nflamatmen. Please support our independent journalism! We’re on Venmo now: Shannon-Heaton-6. Or if you prefer PayPal, search me at Shannon Heaton (use the site email account to find the correct me).
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REGION DUALS

#Recap: 1A-R1 Duals (Suwannee)

By MATMEN, Sunday, 6:20 p.m.

LIVE OAK — For years, and certainly ever since the FHSAA dual series began six seasons ago, Suwannee has been chasing.

First, it was Florida High. Then, it was Wakulla. Now, the Bulldogs are the ones being chased, and in their first taste of the role, they’ve not cracked under it.

And they proved it last Thursday at home in 1A-Region 1 quarters and semifinals, hammering Bay (65-15) and bottling up District 2 rival Wakulla (39-18) to reach their first Region 1 final on January 20 at Osceola.

Suwannee (ranked 8th, 34-3 in duals after weekend competition) will face 11th-ranked Episcopal (18-3), a team that has also recently its fair share of chasing, at 11 a.m. (10 a.m. weighin) with the region title and berth in Saturday’s state semifinal on the line.

Below follows a summary of each dual wrestled at Suwannee —

Quarterfinal 1 — Suwannee 65, Bay 15: The District 2-champ Bulldogs jumped out to an 18-0 lead on pins from Topher Pearson (3rd at 120, fall over #15 Leonardo Sanchez), Brody Boehm (5th at 126) and Colt Abersold (132) before the Tornadoes (10-10) scored on Elijah Stillgess’ fall at 138 over #19 Ayden Kirby. … The Bulldogs then clinched advancement behind a 47-0 run fueled by seven pins and one tech. Marshall White (13th at 145), Austin McKinney (7th at 152), Dustin Wood (10th at 170), Benjamin Lewis (182), Christian Harrell (195), Holden Corbin (220) and Sam Ballard (285) all won by fall during that run, while Austin Howard (3rd at 160) added a 15-0 TF. … Suwannee forfeited to Bay at 106, and the Tornadoes’ Derrick Williams (1st at 113) ended the dual the way it began (with a matchup of two ranked wrestlers), turning back #13 Justin Contreras by a 9-4 count.

Quarterfinal 2 — Wakulla 69, North Bay Haven 5: The War Eagles (9-5) put a dent in any upset hopes that the District 1-champion Buccaneers (13-12) might have had, putting up a 48-0 lead before North Bay Haven got on the board. … Troy Thaxton (14th at 120), David Culley (126), Caleb Orr (132), Nate Jacobs (152) and Alex Akins (182) all had falls during that opening barrage, with Jae T Thaxton (8th at 145) taking a 16-0 TF over #11 Bear Siegal and Zabdiel Garcia-Esquilin (160) winning by 13-5 major. … North Bay Haven’s lone points came by tech fall from #2 David Mercado (195), who took a 19-3 win at that weight. … The War Eagles finished up the dual with pins from Sultan Ellington (220) and Connor Brown (3rd at 106), plus a 7-6 decision at 113 from #18 Anthony Fondo.

Semifinal — Suwannee 39, Wakulla 18: The War Eagles did lead for the first quarter or so of the dual thanks to a Culley pin at 126 and decisions for Brady Jackson (#17 at 138, 8-6 over Kirby and Jae T Thaxton (6-0 over White) that built a 12-3 start. … But Suwannee would rally; in addition to Boehm’s 9-3 win at 126, the Bulldogs put on a 27-0 run on pins from McKinney (152), Howard (160), Wood (170), Harrell (this time at 182) and a 7-3 win from Lewis at 195. … Wakulla would cut the lead to 12, 30-18, behind decision wins from Kohl Pippin (#11 at 220) and Aaron Caquimbo (285). … With the region-final berth still very much in play at 106, Eli Jolicoeur (2nd at 106) slammed the door shut on Wakulla with his 8-6 win over Brown; Contreras (7-1 over Fondo at 113) and Pearson (7-0 over Troy Thaxton at 120) finished up the night in Suwannee’s favor.

You can find full results for this site’s quarterfinal and semifinal rounds HERE.

JOIN us on Facebook at North Florida Matmen (you can also friend me on my personal page) or on Twitter at @NorthFLAMatmen, or on Instagram at nflamatmen. Please support our independent journalism! We’re on Venmo now: Shannon-Heaton-6. Or if you prefer PayPal, search me at Shannon Heaton (use the site email account to find the correct me).
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REGION DUALS

#Recap: 2A-R1 Duals (Fleming Island)

By MATMEN, Sunday, 5:25 p.m.

FLEMING ISLAND — In Fleming Island’s pressure-is-a-privilege world, even the extraordinary can look, sometimes, rather commonplace.

Consider that no other team in Region 1 — that’s a quarter of the state — can lay claim to six region finals appearances like Fleming Island can. And, on Friday in the first day of the FHSAA state duals tournament, the Golden Eagles (ranked 2nd statewide, 17-0 after weekend competition) could add another accolade — six-time region champion — if they can get past #9 Lincoln (12-4).

Then again, the Golden Eagles put on a workmanlike clinic last Thursday at home, hammering a pair of Clay County rivals in Oakleaf (78-0) and Middleburg (62-9) to reach the 2A-Region 1 final for that sixth straight time.

Fleming Island and Lincoln did have some interaction during the first day of competition at the Golden Eagles’ Keystone Memorial last weekend, but the Trojans only stayed for Friday’s callout rounds.

Below follows a summary of each dual wrestled at Fleming Island —

Quarterfinal 1 — Fleming Island 78, Oakleaf 0: The District 4-champ Golden Eagles filled and won every weight class against the Knights (10-8), with 12 pins in the dual. The biggest ones came from Jhoel Robinson (1st at 220, falled #5-195 Isaiah Shevchook in 3:31) and Matthew Newman (2nd at 106, pinned #20 Connor Barnes in 1:29). The Golden Eagles also got pins from Kaden Schaefer (2nd at 145), Matthew Kotler (4th at 152), Christopher Chop (9th at 160), Ronan Bozeman (4th at 170), Joshua Sandoval (4th at 182), Walter Poe (16th at 195), Ladarius Jackson (285), Shane Duhaylungsod (7th at 113), Laird Duhaylungsod (2nd at 120) and Jayce Paridon (2nd at 126). The decisions mattered, too, though, particularly for Cooper Beck at 132, who knocked off the Knights’ Sebastian Bonochea (8th at 126) by a 9-2 count; brother Dylan Beck (9-7) at 138 also won by decision.

Quarterfinal 2 — Middleburg 45, Clay 33: The teams traded pins at the first two weights, with the Broncos’ Logan Moore (11th at 145) and Clay’s DJ Williams (152) opening the scorebook. … Middleburg (15-4) opened up its first double-digit lead with pins from Aden Thornton (160) and Keensdee Roseme (170), and it took the Blue Devils (12-3) a bit to cut into it even semi-permanently, as Bronco pins from Porter Loveland (195) and Tucker Cody (285) offset a Clay win by forfeit at 220 and Dominic Martin (5th at 182)’s fall. … The Blue Devils did tie the dual at 33 with three of four wins at the lower end of the lineup, winning by forfeit at 106, plus Brady Glavin (9th at 126)’s 21-5 tech and Rylan Herrera’s 12-4 major at 120 over #18 Grady Woodard offsetting Bryan Davis’ 11-7 win at 113 for Middleburg. … But the Broncos had the right closing weights, as both Wyatt Leduc (6th at 132) and Joseph Forte (138) won by pins to help the group reach their first Sweet 16 as well as District 3 title.

Semifinal — Fleming Island 62, Middleburg 9: The Golden Eagles made sure there would be no upset potential building from the Broncos, many of whom train with Fleming offseason, rolling off the first 58 points on 11 wins. … That streak included seven pins from Kotler (152), Bozeman (170), Sandoval (182), Poe (195), Jordan Mukaddam (13th at 106), Newman (competing this time at 113) and Paridon (126), plus majors from Laird Duhaylungsod (11-1 over Woodard) and Schaefer (13-2 over Moore), as well as decisions from Chop (7-4 at 160) and Robinson (8-4 at 220). Middleburg would take wins, eventually, but not until Fleming had far put the dual out of reach, as Leduc took a 4-1 win at 132 and Forte won by fall at 138, with Schaefer’s win by major closing out the dual.

You can find full results for this site’s quarterfinal and semifinal rounds HERE.

JOIN us on Facebook at North Florida Matmen (you can also friend me on my personal page) or on Twitter at @NorthFLAMatmen, or on Instagram at nflamatmen. Please support our independent journalism! We’re on Venmo now: Shannon-Heaton-6. Or if you prefer PayPal, search me at Shannon Heaton (use the site email account to find the correct me).
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REGION DUALS

#Recap: 2A-R1 Duals (Lincoln)

By MATMEN, Sunday, 3:05 p.m.

TALLAHASSEE — For the first three seasons of the FHSAA state dual series, Lincoln was a fixture at Osceola, with two region titles.

Only the Class of 2023 wrestlers on the Trojan squad, however, were part of that fixture, as Lincoln fell in the region semis in 2021 and did not make the region round last year.

This year, after winning the 2A-District 2 title by the narrowest of margins, the Trojans (ranked 9th-2A for duals) had another scare in the Region 1 quarters last Thursday at home, as District 1 rivals Ft Walton Beach and Gulf Breeze pushed them hard before falling by 35-34 and 39-30 counts, respectively.

Things won’t get much easier in the 2A-Region 1 final at Osceola, as the Trojans (12-4) will face second-ranked Fleming Island (16-0; records for both teams following weekend wrestling) at 2 p.m. (1 p.m. weighin) Friday, for the region title and a berth in Saturday’s state semifinals.

Below follows a summary of each dual wrestled at Lincoln —

Quarterfinal 1 — Lincoln 35, Ft Walton Beach 34: The teams traded punches early on, with Lincoln’s Zaire Fernanders-Jackson (138) and FWB’s Steven Banfield (9th at 145) trading pins; after a brief Viking lead thanks to a Matthew Sinclair 11-9 decision at 152, the teams would do it again at 160 & 170, with Connor Edwards (3rd at 152, competing at 160) pinning for Lincoln and Alexander Davidson (7th at 160, competing at 170) falling for Ft Walton Beach. … The Vikings (8-6) would extend to a double-digit, 24-12 lead behind a pair of bonus-point wins from Connor Roberts (18th at 182, 17-2 tech) and Darius Brundidge (19th at 195, 13-3 major), but Lincoln would string together four in a row at the bookends to take a six-point lead with pins from Ryder Luck (13th at 285) and Joe Tucker (8th at 106), plus decisions from Jakob Nowak (4th at 195, competing at 220; 6-4 win over #7 Carter Tobik) and Vaniel Caceres (10th at 113, 5-2 win). … Ft Walton would cut the lead on Zak Vosburgh (10th at 120)’s 13-4 major, but the teams would trade pins, with Jashawn Washington (14th at 126) providing the clinching pin for the Trojans and Landon Burbidge closing the dual with a fall at 132.

Quarterfinal 2 — Gulf Breeze 45, Chiles 30: After Garrett Marschka (4th at 138) drew first blood for the Timberwolves (6-2), the District 1-champion Dolphins (13-6) put out three pins in a row from Michael Mancuso (20th at 138, competing at 145), Colson Elliott (7th at 152) and Brennden Nita (160). … Chiles then strung together four wins in succession to take a 27-18 lead, with Luke Pickels (170), Langston Tillman (182) and Dillon Elliott (8th at 195, competing at 220) all by fall for the Timberwolves, plus Cody Elliott’s 8-7 win at 195. … However, Chiles had no answers as the Dolphins put on a 27-3 run to close out the dual; after Gulf Breeze took a forfeit at 285, it added pins from Garrett Ferguson (11th at 106), Aiden Macken (8th at 113) and Nathan Weber (13th at 132), plus a key 7-2 win from Coby Shields (14th) over 16th-ranked Sam Tolomeo at 120. … Chiles’ Ethan Jackson (9-1 major at 126) had the Timberwolves’ final win.

Semifinal — Lincoln 39, Gulf Breeze 30: After some early back-and-forth with a pin from Lincoln’s Vincent Crump (145) and the Dolphins’ Elliott (152) and Nita (160), the Trojans would put on five straight wins to race out to a 33-12 lead, with pins from Edwards (this time at 170), Israel Williams (182) and Luck (285), a 22-7 tech fall from Kendrick Scott (220) and Nowak’s 11-3 major at 195. … The Dolphins would take six back on decisions from Ferguson (4-1 over Tucker) and Macken (9-2 over Caceres), but not getting extra points would hurt, as Zakary Jurado (120) clinched the dual with his 31-second pin, as Lincoln was up 27 (39-18) with three weights to go. … Gulf Breeze would win out the rest of the way, with Weber taking a pin at 132, while Shields (1-0 at 126) and Mancuso (5-2 at 138) grabbing decisions.

You can find full results for this site’s quarterfinal and semifinal rounds HERE.

JOIN us on Facebook at North Florida Matmen (you can also friend me on my personal page) or on Twitter at @NorthFLAMatmen, or on Instagram at nflamatmen. Please support our independent journalism! We’re on Venmo now: Shannon-Heaton-6. Or if you prefer PayPal, search me at Shannon Heaton (use the site email account to find the correct me).
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REGION DUALS

#Recap: 3A-R1 Duals (DeLand)

By MATMEN, Sunday, 1:55 p.m.

DELAND — The momentum continues to build in 2023 for DeLand. District duals title. 7-0 record, all double-digit wins, at Bulldog Duals.

Now, two wins in the FHSAA dual series’ region round, again by double digits.

Last Thursday at home, the Bulldogs (12-6) qualified for the 3A state duals tournament for the first time, nearly doubling up both their opponents with wins over Creekside (45-25) in the Region 1 quarterfinals and over Buchholz (47-25) in the semi.

DeLand now faces four-time region runnerup Hagerty (7-4) on Friday at 6 p.m. (5 p.m. weighin) at Osceola with the region title and berth in Saturday’s state semifinals on the line. Hagerty and DeLand have not met this year, but did meet for the effective championship match in last year’s Bulldog Duals, which the hosts won.

Below follows a summary of each dual wrestled at DeLand —

Quarterfinal 1 — DeLand 45, Creekside 25: Creekside (18-4) drew first blood with Alexavier Panganiban (16th at 106)’s pin, but the Bulldogs quickly responded with four straight wins to go up 15-6, behind a tech (16-0) from Phoenix Krauth (10th) over 14th-ranked Justin Umali, a 14-6 major from Peyton Senez (132) and decisions from Tyler Bracero (19th at 113, match score 6-3) and Grady Bryant (ranked 18th, 7-2 at 126). … Creekside got three back in a battle of ranked opponents at 138, as Conner Wright (15th) edged Kellen Chapman (18th at 132) by a 9-8 count, but the Bulldogs pushed it out to 27-9 as Joshua Folsom (15th at 145) won by fall. … Creekside got things within eight on a pair of bonus-point wins by Xavier Grimm (fall at 160) and Colton Leavell (9-1 major at 170), but back-to-back pins from Gavin Rodriguez-Cayro (10th at 182) and Garrett Perkins (195). … The teams traded pins to wrap up the dual, with Eli Pagan (220) pinning for Creekside and MJ Smokes (7th at 285) with the fall for DeLand.

Quarterfinal 2 — Buchholz 41, Bartram Trail 31: The Bobcats (4-3) raced out to a 23-0 lead behind a pair of forfeits, a fall from Jun Jie Zheng (106) and 18-2 tech from Jedidiah Brown (12th at 126). … Bartram Trail (16-8), the District 1 champ, cut that lead to four points behind a five-match run in the middle, with Nate Lacey’s fall at 160, an 11-0 major in a battle of state powerhouses Ethan Vugman (1st at 126, competing at 132) and Cavarius Liddie (2nd at 132), plus decisions from Gabe Betancourt (16-10 at 138), Grady Hutchinson (7-1 at 145) and Bryson Biddle (5-3 at 152). … The teams traded pins at 170 and 182, with Max Szabo (11th at 170) by fall for Buchholz and John McNames (9th at 182) by pin for the Bears. … Buchholz would close it out on pins from William Lancer (195) and Kason Nichols (4th at 195, competing at 220); Nichols’ fall over Shane Armstrong (5th at 220) clinched the dual; Buchholz then forfeited at 285.

Semifinal — DeLand 47, Buchholz 25: In the rematch of the District 2 final last month, the Bulldogs picked up an early 12-0 lead on pins from Bracero (113) and Krauth (120), and never trailed from there on. … The Bobcats cut that lead to 12-9 behind Liddie’s fall at 132 and Brown’s 8-6 win, but DeLand from there went on a 20-0 run behind pins from Mathias Franz (13th at 152) and Zane Canada (18th at 160), plus a Chapman tech (20-3 at 138) and Folsom decision (6-1 at 145). … The lead would not much move over the final six weights and never under double-digits, with Smokes (285) and Edwin Alsina (106) taking pins and Rodriguez-Cayro winning by a 6-2 count at 182; Buchholz had a pin from Nichols at 195, an injury-default win for Bryan Diehl at 220 and Szabo’s 11-3 major at 170.

You can find full results for this site’s quarterfinal and semifinal rounds HERE.

JOIN us on Facebook at North Florida Matmen (you can also friend me on my personal page) or on Twitter at @NorthFLAMatmen, or on Instagram at nflamatmen. Please support our independent journalism! We’re on Venmo now: Shannon-Heaton-6. Or if you prefer PayPal, search me at Shannon Heaton (use the site email account to find the correct me).
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REGION DUALS

#Recap: 3A-R1 Duals (Olympia)

By MATMEN, Sunday, 11:55 a.m.

ORLANDO — For the fourth time in the last five seasons, Hagerty will take aim at the FHSAA 3A state semifinals.

Three times, Fleming Island denied the Huskies. Last year, it was Flagler Palm Coast. On Friday of this coming week, Hagerty (7-4) rolled past Apopka, 69-11, but needed very point to survive its rematch with District 3 rival Timber Creek before advancing out with a 39-36 3A-Region 1 semifinal victory last Wednesday at Olympia.

The Huskies will face DeLand (12-6) for the region title. The pair were both at Johnny Rouse Duals, hosted by Hagerty, last month, but did not meet during competition there.

Below follows a summary of each dual wrestled at Olympia —

Quarterfinal 1 — Timber Creek 48, Olympia 33: Timber Creek (7-3) jumped out quickly against the Titans, District 4 champ, with an 18-0 run behind pins from Mohammad Davtalabsabet (106), Tiago Neves (113) and Keegan Clark (120), but Olympia (9-5) would charge back in, cutting that lead to 18-12 and 24-21 behind falls from Tony Ho (126), Roland Flynn (132) and Madison Bourst (152), plus a 6-4 win from Ethan Rivera-Mendez at 152. … Timber Creek would re-extend to double-digits behind pins from Andrew Wittenberg (14th at 152, competing at 160) and Micah Wittenberg (12th at 160, competing at 170). … Zack Winkelkotter’s fall at 182 got Olympia back down to a nine-point deficit, but the teams were essentially trading points by this point, as Timber Creek’s Rocco Jonigan (195) and Olympia’s Miles O’Toole (220) both put up pins to put the dual out of reach.

Quarterfinal 2 — Hagerty 69, Apopka 11: After the Huskies started off with a 12-0 lead on Blue Darter forfeits at 106 and 113, Hagerty extended that lead to 27-0 on pins from Benjamin Wolgamuth (14th at 126) and Nikolas Blake (3rd at 132), plus a 5-3 win from James Zena at 120. … Apopka (2-4) got on the board with 5th-ranked Tamarion Kendrick’s 20-4 tech at 138, but after the teams traded pins at 145 and 152, with Gavin Nelson for the Huskies (145) and Demetreez Ramsey-Booker for the Blue Darters (152) both pinning, it was all Hagerty the rest of the way against a short-handed Apopka side, thanks to four forfeits and pins from Hunter Tate (9th at 195) and Landon Revis (11th at 220).

Semifinal — Hagerty 36, Timber Creek 33: The Wolfpack seized early control, building a 9-0 lead behind Marlo Clark (12th at 113)’s fall and a 13-8 win for Keegan Clark at 120. … Hagerty answered with an 18-0 behind a fall from Wolgamuth at 126 and decisions from Logan Acey-Kriegshauser (7-3 at 132) and Nelson (5-2 at 145, over a 2022 state qualifier); Hagerty coach Scotty Diaz said in a social media post that both Acey-Kriegshauser and Nelson had to battle back from early deficits for their decisions. … Over the next four weights, momentum went back and forth, with the dual sitting at 27-21 after Timber Creek pins from the Wittenbergs (at 152 for Andrew this time and Micah at 170) and a Huskies fall from Kamdon Harrison (3rd at 160) and a 7-5 win for Connor Gilliam (18th at 182). … Hagerty clinched the dual with a 9-0 run at 195 and 220, with Tate’s pin setting the table, but Revis needed extra time before securing a 5-4 sudden-victory win at 220. … The dual closed out with Wolfpack pins from Peter Nesheiwat (5th at 285) and Davtalabsabet at 106.

You can find full results for this site’s quarterfinal and semifinal rounds HERE.

JOIN us on Facebook at North Florida Matmen (you can also friend me on my personal page) or on Twitter at @NorthFLAMatmen, or on Instagram at nflamatmen. Please support our independent journalism! We’re on Venmo now: Shannon-Heaton-6. Or if you prefer PayPal, search me at Shannon Heaton (use the site email account to find the correct me).
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REGION DUALS

#Recap: 2A-R2 Duals (Winter Springs)

By MATMEN, Sunday, 11:20 a.m.

WINTER SPRINGS — Deltona knew moving back up to 2A this year wasn’t going to be easy.

If they’d ever forgotten that this season, the Wolves got a sharp reminder of it last Thursday in the 2A-Region 1 dual quarterfinals, as defending state champion and top-ranked Lake Gibson ended their FHSAA tournament run with a 69-12 defeat.

The Braves got out to a 12-0 start on pins at 195 and 220, but Nathan Hatch (14th at 285) got the Wolves (8-4) on the board with a pin in 73 seconds to make it 12-6.

Lake Gibson would put up another run, this one 24 points on four pions between 106 and 126 to go up 36-6. At that point, Kevin Kerns (2nd at 132) was able to slow the bleeding with a second-period pin (3:55), but he wasn’t able to stop it for long.

Kyle Yasses (138) went toe-to-toe with the #7-ranked wrestler in 2A, taking a 5-4 loss, and that was Deltona’s last best chance for points, as the Braves put on a 33-0 run to close out the dual.

Deltona’s next competition was this weekend at Pinellas Park’s Jerry Mita two-day IBT.

Lake Gibson would go on to qualify out for the FHSAA state 2A dual tournament on Friday at Osceola, where it will face Springstead for the Region 2 championship. The Braves defeated District 8 champ Winter Springs, 51-19, to get back to state duals; the Bears had advanced to the semis with a 65-16 win over Gateway.

You can find full results for this site’s quarterfinal and semifinal rounds HERE.

JOIN us on Facebook at North Florida Matmen (you can also friend me on my personal page) or on Twitter at @NorthFLAMatmen, or on Instagram at nflamatmen. Please support our independent journalism! We’re on Venmo now: Shannon-Heaton-6. Or if you prefer PayPal, search me at Shannon Heaton (use the site email account to find the correct me).