Category: STATE DUALS

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STATE DUALS

#Recap: Fleming falls to Lk Gibson In 2A Final

Fleming Island wrestlers and coaches applaud a strong effort during the Golden Eagles’ FHSAA 2A state final with Lake Gibson Saturday afternoon at Osceola HS (Photo by Brant Parsons, KabraWrestling.com)

By MATMEN, Saturday, 7:40 p.m.

KISSIMMEE — Going back to the drawing board is a lonely place to go on the third Saturday night in January.

But while it’s the result of many good things happening over time, and thus a better place to be than not getting the chance at all to come up short, it’s also become a familiar, frustrating place for Fleming Island to return to on the third Saturday night in January.

The Golden Eagles made their fourth FHSAA state duals final with a 51-18 victory over Merritt Island in the morning’s 2A semis at Osceola HS. But Lake Gibson, a four-time 2A duals champion and 2x defending champ going in, had the answers once again in the title dual against Fleming Island (18-1 in duals), taking a 37-19 dual win that had moments where it felt justthatclose for the taking.

The Braves opened with a 6-2 win, with Tristan Vann (2nd-195) grabbing that start, but the Golden Eagles erased that and ran out to a 16-3 gap on three straight bonus-point wins, with pins from Ethan Hoffstetter (2nd-285) and Matthew Newman (2nd-106), plus a 10-1 major from Jhoel Robinson (1st-220).

But Lake Gibson would then find way, after way, after frustrating way, to not only break its way back into the dual, but seize control of it, starting with a six-match, 25-0 win streak between 113 and 152.

Gaetano Tedesco (2nd-132)’s fall was the biggest point-grabber for Lake Gibson, but the Braves took pieces out of Fleming’s momentum behind Christian Fretwell (1st-120)’s 11-2 major and decisions from Elijah Lowe (5th-113, match score 8-2), Colt Brown (3rd-126, 7-5 in sudden victory), Ny’Travious Walker (6th-138, 12-7 match score), Hayden Whidden (1st-145, 7-2 count) and Gianni Maldonado (1st-152, 8-7 decision).

The Eagles’ Christopher Chop (10th-160) broke the run with a 1-0 win when Fleming Island needed a win most, and that made it 28-19 LGHS with two weights to go.

But the Braves showed why they’ve built a program capable of five dual titles, and three in a row, closing out the day with Jace Brownlow (6th-170)’s sudden-victory fall and Tito Solorzano (1st-182)’s 7-3 win.

No one in Region 1 has occupied the space Fleming has — with four finals losses (2018 and 2019 against South Dade, 2022 and this year to Lake Gibson, plus semifinal losses to Dade in 2020 and Riverdale in 2021) — but now it’s IBT time for Fleming, starting next weekend with the Colby Singletary Memorial Invitational at Palmetto Ridge.

Fleming Island 51, Merritt Island 18: The Golden Eagles never trailed in the morning against the Region 4 champs, thanks to a 15-6 start and an 18-0 run in the middle of the dual which largely put it away.

Pins from Joshua Sandoval (4th-182) and Robinson (220), plus a 5-1 win from Hoffstetter, helped overcome Seven Tornga’s pin at 195 to give the Golden Eagles a 15-6 lead.

Landon Quiroga (6th-106) would grab a 5-2 win to cut that lead to six, but pins from Shane Duhaylungsod (8th-113), Laird Duhaylungsod (2nd-120) and Jayce Paridon (2nd-126) allowed Fleming a chance to build a 33-9 lead.

The Mustangs would bag decisions from Kyle Mulley (132) and Judge Deyoung (8th-145, competing at 138), plus another one at 152 from Dylan Quiroga (8th-160), but the Golden Eagles finished off the dual on a high note, with pins from Kaden Schaefer (2nd-145), Chop (160) and Ronan Bozeman (4th-170).

Lake Gibson 40, Charlotte 28: In the Braves’ preliminary Saturday morning, they found themselves trailing by a 22-4 count before putting it on the Tarpons behind a six-match run that clinched Lake Gibson’s spot in the final.

After Solorzano opened the day with a 17-5 major at 182, Charlotte would collect pins from Cael Newton (2nd-220) and Nikko Frattarelli (11th-285), a 14-6 major from Nathaniel Box (3rd-195) and decisions from both Matthew Schuler (12th-106, match score 4-1) and Camren French (1st-113, match score 5-1).

The Braves, though, were all staged up for their stars to make it happen, and make it happen they would, with a 31-0 run that saw pins from Fretwell (120), Brown (126), Whidden (145) and Maldonado (dual-clinching pin at 152), plus a 15-7 major from Walker at 138 and a 4-3 win from Gaetano Tedesco at 132.

The semifinal closed out behind Charlotte’s James Baltutis (7th-160) winning by fall and Brownlow (170) taking a 20-5 tech fall.

Results from all three 2A duals can be found HERE. All rankings from https://www.kabrawrestling.com/rankings/class-2a

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STATE DUALS

#Recap: Jensen Too Strong For Bulldogs In 1A

By MATMEN, Saturday, 5:50 p.m.

KISSIMMEE — Not many teams have had a successful solution in dealing with Suwannee’s first 10-11 weights or so, from 106 on up. Many teams have tried and failed to find one.

But defending 1A state duals champion Jensen Beach isn’t like “many teams,” and the Falcons were able to dictate terms against the Bulldog lower half of the lineup in Saturday’s FHSAA 1A state semifinal at Osceola HS.

Jensen Beach, en route to a back-to-back 1A championship performance after taking down Zephyrhills Christian, 57-12, in the final round, won seven of the first eight matches from 106 through 152 against Suwannee — including six in a row — as the Bulldogs took just their fourth dual loss of the season, 49-19.

Jensen has some pretty solid uppers, too, and the Falcons put them to good use in seizing a 16-0 run to kick off the dual, on pins from Nate Sopotnick (3rd-195) and Toby Rooney (13th-220), plus a 19-10 major from Malachi Harriel (6th-182), before Suwannee’s Holden Corbin could put his team on the board with a second-period fall at 285.

The Falcons would get an 8-3 decision from Ben Norris (6th-106), but the Bulldogs would answer behind Justin Contreras (9th-113), who would get a second-period pin over #2 Gian Ortiz at that weight to make it 19-12 and a dual that stood at a crossroads for both teams.

Then Jensen Beach took over with its six-match win streak from 120 and 152, with pins from Charlie Armstrong (5th-132), Mikel Pierce-Walker (5th-138) and Dylan Fox (3rd-152), a 15-0 tech fall from Sebastian Degennaro (1st-120), a 14-5 major from Ryan Mooney (1st-126) and a 12-8 dual-clinching win from Jewell Williams (1st-145) against the traditional heart of the Bulldog lineup.

Suwannee (35-4) would close out the dual with a pair of wins, thanks to an 8-0 major from Austin Howard (3rd-160) and a 6-5 win from Dustin Wood (10th-170). The Bulldogs will return to competition on Thursday, traveling to Clay for an away dual.

Zephyrhills Christian 45, Hernando 32: The teams essentially traded points through the first four weights, with ZCA taking a 12-9 lead behind Jeremiah Chavis (16th-170)’ pin at 182 and a forfeit at 220, while the Foxes had a forfeit at 195 and a 2-0 decision for Devin Williams (2nd-285).

Hernando would go up, 21-18, after Reid Yakes (4th-106)’ pin for the Warriors, thanks to pins from Kyle Pearson (12th-113) and Jordyn Valle (8th-120), but Zephyrhills Christian would answer with a 15-0 run on pins from Kyle Gallo (19th-126) and Talon Maple (6th-132), plus a 10-4 win from Landen Holley (8th-138).

The teams then traded pins over the final four weights, with Javier Lopez (8th-152) and Ashton Liddington (170) each winning by fall for ZCA, while Hernando had pins from James Gadson (9th-145) and James Garrett (12th-152, competing at 160).

Championship: ZCA would take an early lead, 9-6, as the teams traded forfeits at 195 and 285 to sandwich Elijah Austin’s 7-6 win at 220.

But the dual irrevocably shifted in Jensen’s favor thanks to a 24-0 run from 106-132, as Ortiz (113), Degennaro (120) and Mooney (126) all had pins, with Norris taking an 11-5 win at 106 and Armstrong winning by a 5-1 count at 132.

Holley would slow the momentum, however briefly, with a 7-1 win at 138, but the Falcons closed out with a fury, stringing together five bonus-point wins, including pins from Colten Byrd (6th-160), Luke Krakoff (170) and Harriel (182), a 22-5 tech from Williams at 145 and a 10-0 major from Fox at 152 to finish off the dual.

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

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STATE DUALS

#Recap: DeLand Run Ends In 3A Semis

By MATMEN, Saturday, 4:50 p.m.

KISSIMMEE — As large as the jump in level that DeLand has made as a team in the past two seasons, it might have taken an even bigger one to get from where the Bulldogs are — 3A-Region 1 duals champions — to where they wanted to go Saturday.

And no better a team to remind them of that than five-time 3A state champion South Dade, which ended the Bulldogs’ dream tournament run in the state semifinals early Saturday afternoon at Osceola HS.

En route to a fifth state duals title by virtue of its 44-9 victory in the championship over Osceola, the Buccaneers put the hammer to the Bulldogs, 67-12, sending DeLand’s record to 14-7.

The Buccaneers ran out to an 18-0 lead on falls by Christian Sanchez (3rd-182) and Ansel Cervantes (1st-195), plus a forfeit at 220, before MJ Smokes (7th-285) put a stop to that run with a second-period pin to make it 18-6.

But where Smokes’ pin Friday caused a six-match DeLand deluge, it was Dade that responded with a six-match win streak in response to the pin, putting the dual away behind six bonus-point victories.

Bryan Morales (8th-106), Obby Encarnacion (113) and Tyree Graham (14th, dual-clinching victory at 132) all had falls for the Buccaneers, with Elvis Solis (1st-138) taking a 22-4 tech fall, and both Luis Acevedo (2nd-120, 9-1 score) and Nathaniel Williams (15th-126, 11-3 match score) adding majors.

The Bulldogs’ Joshua Folsom (17th-145) would add another pin to the Bulldog count, but that would be the last victory DeLand would enjoy, as South Dade pinned out in the final three weights, with Gavin Balmeceda (2nd-152), Cordell White (3rd-160) and Lawrence Rosario (2nd-170) all taking pins.

DeLand will return to the coverage area and get back to work in advance of Wednesday’s away dual at New Smyrna Beach.

Osceola 38, Ft Pierce Central 30: The host Kowboys reached the final behind an 18-0 run from their #1 hammers at 145, 152 and 160 to clinch the dual over the Cobras.

Ft Pierce Central won four of the first five weights, opening a 15-6 lead behind a pin from Alaq Dowd-Grant (12th-285) and decisions from Aidan Madden (15th-182, 5-4 match score), Hernan Ortiz (6th-220, 4-1 match score) and Myles Henkel (18th-106, 8-7 count) overcoming Jomar Sanchez (7th-195)’s fall for the Kowboys.

Osceola cut into the lead to 27-20 behind a forfeit at 126 and majors from Talyn Fisk (9-1 at 113) and Isfandier Sharipov (19th-126, 10-2 at 132), while the Cobras got pins from Daniel Echeverria (4th-120) and Jayden Romanello (138).

But the Kowboy elites — Anderson Heap (1st-145), Cooper Haase (1st-152) and Gunner Holland (1st-160) — all took pins in either the first or second periods, putting the dual away with their 18-0 run. FPC’s Colin Madden closed out the semi with a 5-4 win at 170.

Championship: Dade made sure there would be no late rush — or at least not enough of one — from the Kowboys, going on a 33-0 run to start the dual behind pins from Sawyer Bartelt (1st at 220, fall at 285) and Morales (106), a 17-1 tech from Solis (138), a 16-6 major from Guillermo Jaramillo (8th-113) and decisions from Acevedo (120) and Joshua Aviles (3rd-126).

Osceola would get on the board with decision victories in matches we could see again in six weeks’ time in the finals, with Heap winning in double-overtime, 10-7, at 145 and Haase taking a 6-3 win at 152.

Osceola bumped Holland to 170, and he held serve with a 3-1 win there for the Kowboys’ final victory. White (160) won by pin and Sanchez took a 15-0 tech at 182.

Results from all three 3A duals can be found HERE. All rankings from https://www.kabrawrestling.com/rankings/class-3a

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STATE DUALS

#Preview: 3A State Duals

By MATMEN, Friday, 10:20 p.m.

3A State Finals

When & where: Weighins at 9 a.m. Saturday at Osceola. 3A semis will be contested asmats from earlier 1A & 2A semifinal duals conclude, so there is no set time. Finals are scheduled for 2 p.m.
Teams: #13 DeLand (14-6) v #1 South Dade; #3 Osceola v #5 Ft Pierce Central, semifinals. Semifinal winners will meet for the title; there is no dual for third place.
Friday’s wrestling: DeLand put on a late run to turn back Hagerty, 48-23, and win the Region 1 championship, while — in the sixth straight region-final meeting — South Dade hammered #7 Cypress Bay, 68-3, to win the Region 4 final. Osceola defeated #6 Palmetto Ridge, the defending 3A champion, by a 42-25 count to win in Region 2, while Ft Pierce Central pushed past #15 Wellington, 34-30, to claim the Region 3 championship.
Projection: DeLand has defied our predictions all season, even when we have them winning, but this one is probably too big a hill to climb for the Bulldogs. South Dade has won four 3A titles and looked locked in, according to veteran observers, on Friday against Cypress Bay. I don’t think the Buccaneers will hold DeLand to just one weight-class win, but I would be very surprised if South Dade lets the Bulldogs be any closer than 30 points. I would project Osceola to handle business against Ft Pierce Central in the other semi, and while the Kowboys have home-mat advantage and some hammers, I expect South Dade to return to the top of the heap late Saturday afternoon.
State-ranked wrestlers remaining (listed by weight class in ranked order) —
106: Bryan Morales (South Dade, 8th); Myles Henkel (Ft Pierce Central, 18th).
113: Guillermo Jaramillo (South Dade, 8th); Connor Harris (Ft Pierce Central, 11th).
120: Luis Acevedo (South Dade, 2nd); Daniel Echeverria (Ft Pierce Central, 4th); Evan Martinez (Osceola, 5th); Phoenix Krauth (DeLand, 10th).
126: Joshua Aviles (South Dade, 3rd); Nathaniel Williams (South Dade, 15th); Isfandier Sharipov (Osceola, 19th).
132: Tyree Graham (South Dade, 6th); Luis Arboleda (South Dade, 14th); Ashton Hager (Ft Pierce Central, 20th).
138: Elvis Solis (South Dade, 1st); Kellen Chapman (DeLand, 16th).
145: Anderson Heap (Osceola, 1st); Misha Arbos (South Dade, 3rd); Joshua Folsom (DeLand, 17th).
152: Cooper Haase (Osceola, 1st); Gavin Balmeceda (South Dade, 2nd); JT Apicella (Ft Pierce Central, 5th); Mathias Franz (DeLand, 12th).
160: Gunner Holland (Osceola, 1st); Cordell White (South Dade, 3rd); Brian Melara (Ft Pierce Central, 13th); Zane Canada (DeLand, 18th).
170: Lawrence Rosario (South Dade, 2nd).
182: Christopher Sanchez (South Dade, 3rd); Gavin Rodriguez-Cayro (DeLand, 10th); Bryan Gari (Osceola, 14th); Aiden Madden (Ft Pierce Central, 15th).
195: Ansel Cervantes (South Dade, 1st); Jomar Sanchez (Osceola, 7th).
220: Sawyer Bartelt (South Dade, 1st); Hernan Ortiz (Ft Pierce Central, 6th); Elijah Vansickle (Osceola, 7th).
285: MJ Smokes (DeLand, 7th); Marcelo Rosario (South Dade, 11th); Alaq Dowd-Grant (Ft Pierce Central, 12th);
All rankings from https://www.kabrawrestling.com/rankings/class-3a

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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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STATE DUALS

#Preview: 2A State Duals

By MATMEN, Friday, 8:40 p.m.

2A State Finals

When & where: Semifinals start at 10 a.m. Saturday (weighin 9 a.m.), with finals scheduled for 2 p.m.
Teams: #2 Fleming Island (17-0) v #6 Merritt Island; #1 Lake Gibson v #4 Charlotte, semifinals. Semifinal winners will meet for the title; there is no dual for third place.
Friday’s wrestling: An early upper-weight run gave the Golden Eagles sufficient cushion for a 47-12 win over #9 Lincoln for their sixth-straight Region 1 title, while Merritt Island won its second Region 4 title with a 47-27 win over #19 Miramar. The Braves hammered unranked Springstead, 63-12, to win the Region 2 championship, while Charlotte’s run at the bookends of the lineup was enough for the Tarpons to turn back #5 Tampa Jesuit, 42-25, to win the Region 3 final.
Projection: While Merritt Island will give just as good a fight on Saturday as Lincoln did earlier today, Fleming’s strength in both the uppers and lowers will be too much for the Mustangs. Likewise, Charlotte will provide a stern test for Lake Gibson in the other semi, and that one will be closer, but the result should be a Braves victory. That will set up the Fleming v The Gib, 1 v 2 dual everyone wants to see in the final. While there is an immense amount of talent returning in the Fleming lineup, there are four seniors in the Golden Eagle upper weights, and for them, the past three seasons have been three years of come-close-and-fall-short at state duals. Lake Gibson showed, at least on Friday, they have a hole or two. For the Golden Eagles to finally reach that ring they’ve been striving for these six past years, they’ve got to exploit those small openings; I see the Braves winning, but the dual might be the best of the three finals matches.
State-ranked wrestlers remaining (listed by weight class in ranked order) —
106: Matthew Newman (Fleming Island, 2nd); Landon Quiroga (Merritt Island, 6th); Matthew Schuler (Charlotte, 12th); Jordan Mukaddam (Fleming Island, 13th).
113: Camren French (Charlotte, 1st); Elijah Lowe (Lake Gibson, 5th); Shane Duhaylungsod (Fleming Island, 8th).
120: Christian Fretwell (Lake Gibson, 1st); Laird Duhaylungsod (Fleming Island, 2nd); Kaiden Ballinger (Charlotte, 4th); Titus Deyoung (Merritt Island, 17th).
126: Jayce Paridon (Fleming Island, 2nd); Colt Brown (Lake Gibson, 3rd); Eric Clary (Charlotte, 5th).
132: Gaetano Tedesco (Lake Gibson, 2nd).
138: Ny’Travious Walker (Lake Gibson, 6th); Luke Davis (Charlotte, 7th).
145: Hayden Whidden (Lake Gibson, 1st); Kaden Schaefer (Fleming Island, 2nd); Judge Deyoung (Merritt Island, 8th).
152: Gianni Maldonado (Lake Gibson, 1st); Matthew Kotler (Fleming Island, 5th); Nicholas Gjerde (Charlotte, 14th).
160: Connor Hackett (Lake Gibson, 3rd); James Baltutis (Charlotte, 7th); Dylan Quiroga (Merritt Island, 8th); Christopher Chop (Fleming Island, 10th).
170: Ronan Bozeman (Fleming Island, 4th); Jace Brownlow (Lake Gibson, 6th); Jacob Pitcher (Merritt Island, 11th); Isaac Schaeffer (Charlotte, 12th).
182: Tito Solorzano (Lake Gibson, 1st); Joshua Sandoval (Fleming Island, 4th); Jett McCauley (Charlotte, 5th); Dominick Smith (Merritt Island, 8th).
195: Tristan Vann (Lake Gibson, 2nd); Nathaniel Box (Charlotte, 3rd); Seven Tornga (Merritt Island, 10th); Walter Poe (Fleming Island, 11th).
220: Jhoel Robinson (Fleming Island, 1st); Cael Newton (Charlotte, 2nd); Kaleb Ivie (Merritt Island, 11th).
285: Ethan Hoffstetter (Fleming Island, 2nd); Nikko Frattarelli (Charlotte, 11th).
All rankings from https://www.kabrawrestling.com/rankings/class-2a

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: 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.

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Categories
STATE DUALS

#Preview: 1A State Duals

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

1A State Duals

When & where: Semifinals start at 10 a.m. Saturday (weighin 9 a.m.), with finals scheduled for 2 p.m.
Teams: #8 Suwannee (35-3) v #1 Jensen Beach; #7 Hernando v #10 Zephyrhills Christian, semifinals. Semifinal winners will meet for the title; there is no dual for third place.
Friday’s wrestling: Suwannee led wire-to wire in defeating #11 Episcopal, 51-27, for the Region 1 title, while Jensen Beach did the same against #3 Mater Lakes Academy, with a 42-25 win for the Region 4 plaque. Hernando used a critical 27-0 run to push past #9 Palm Bay, 33-31, for the Region 2 championship, while Zephyrhills Christian closed out #3 First Baptist-Naples with an 18-0 run for the Region 3 finals win, 42-35.
Projection: The Bulldogs will scrap with anyone, and can beat almost anyone, knocking off Somerset Academy in December, but I think the Falcons are going to be too deep; Suwannee does have some younger kids in some weights where Jensen has some real horses. As for the other semifinal, it should be a real treat. Zephyrhills Christian isn’t afraid of anyone — they knocked off one of the state’s top squads, who’d themselves dispatched #2 Lemon Bay in the region semi. And they have additional motivation on their side. I like ZCA to make it out against Jensen Beach; the feel-good story would be the Warriors winning against the giants of the class, but that is often just a story. I look for Jensen Beach to repeat as champions.
State-ranked wrestlers remaining (listed by weight class in ranked order) —
106: Eli Jolicoeur (Suwannee, 2nd); Reed Yakes (Zephyrhills Christian, 4th); Ben Norris (Jensen Beach, 6th).
113: Gian Ortiz (Jensen Beach, 2nd); Justin Contreras (Suwannee, 9th); Kyle Pearson (Hernando, 12th); Jordan Lopez (Zephyrhills Christian, 16th).
120: Sebastian Degennaro (Jensen Beach, 1st); Topher Pearson (Suwannee, 2nd); Jordyn Valle (Hernando, 8th);
126: Ryan Mooney (Jensen Beach, 1st); Brody Boehm (Suwannee, 5th); Kyle Gallo (Zephyrhills Christian, 19th).
132: Charlie Armstrong (Jensen Beach, 5th); Talon Maple (Zephyrhills Christian, 6th); Kenneth Pritz (Hernando, 8th).
138: Mikel Pierce=Walker (Jensen Beach, 5th); Landen Holley (Zephyrhills Christian, 8th); TJ Rodier (Hernando, 11th); Ayden Kirby (Suwannee, 19th).
145: Jewell Williams (Jensen Beach, 1st); James Gadson (Hernando, 9th); Marshall White (Suwannee, 12th).
152: Dylan Fox (Jensen Beach, 3rd); Austin McKinney (Episcopal, 7th); Javier Lopez (Zephyrhills Christian, 8th); James Garrett (Hernando, 12th).
160: Austin Howard (Suwannee, 3rd); Colten Byrd (Jensen Beach, 6th).
170: Dustin Wood (Suwannee, 10th); Jeremiah Chavis (Zephyrhills Christian, 16th); Julius Eltzroth (Hernando, 17th).
182: Malachi Harriel (Jensen Beach, 6th); Benjamin Lewis (Suwannee, 19th).
195: Nate Sopotnick (Jensen Beach, 3rd); Jayshawn Nantce (Hernando, 10th).
220: Elijah Austin (Zephyrhills Christian, 5th); Toby Rooney (Jensen Beach, 13th).
285: Devin Williams (Hernando, 2nd).

All rankings from https://www.kabrawrestling.com/rankings/class-1a

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Categories
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

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Categories
STATE DUALS

#Preview: 3A-Region 1 Duals Final

By MATMEN, Thursday, 10:05 p.m.

3A-Region 1 Final

When & where: Friday at 6 p.m. (weighin 5 p.m.), Osceola HS.
Teams: #13 DeLand (13-6) v #18 Hagerty (7-4).
Prior duals events (regular-season): DeLand opened its duals at Hagerty, ironically enough, taking 6th (2nd among local teams); in January, the Bulldogs took nine double-digit wins to win the Bulldog Duals title. Hagerty’s only regular-season duals competition was hosting Rouse Duals, where the Huskies were 10th out of 11 teams.
Path to Friday: DeLand became a first-time district champ in winning District 2 on December 15, advancing to Osceola with victories at home over Bartram Trail and Buchholz. Hagerty won its 4th district title with three wins on January 4, then advanced to the region final by defeating Apopka and Timber Creek in the quarters and semis at Olympia.
At stake: Both teams are looking to become first-time region champs. Lincoln The winner will advance to the state semifinals against either #7 Cypress Bay or #1 South Dade. Saturday weighin is at 9 a.m., wrestling starts as soon as a mat opens after a 1A or 2A state semifinal concludes. Finals are scheduled for 2 p.m.
Synopsis: The extreme edges of the lineups are DeLand’s, and the middle should go to DeLand. Hagerty has 195 and 220 advantages and should have the upper hand in the 32/38 range. Which team will be able to perform above expectations tomorrow? The wrestlers who can find another level in their own game, the wrestlers who can dictate terms most effectively in weights that look like tossups, these will be the kids who decide this dual on Friday.
Projection: I can confidently state this will be the closest of the three area region finals. Hagerty has a little more room to play with its lineup — SOME — and maybe take advantage of a couple of spots against lesser-experienced kids with some lineup-bumping and make things very tight. It’s the fourth time in the last five years that the Huskies have been at Osceola, and that’s going to count. But DeLand has cultivated its returners carefully and progressively over the last two years, and I think the Bulldogs will pull through, but it will be a single-digit spread, and very well will be within six points or less.

State-ranked wrestlers (listed by weight class in ranked order) —
120: Phoenix Krauth (DeLand, 10th).
126: Benjamin Wolgamuth (Hagerty, 18th).
132: Nikolas Blake (Hagerty, 3rd).
138: Kellen Chapman (DeLand, 16th).
145: Joshua Folsom (DeLand, 17th).
152: Mathias Franz (DeLand, 12th).
160: Kamdon Harrison (Hagerty, 4th); Zane Canada (DeLand, 18th).
170: Connor Gilliam (Hagerty, 16th).
182: Gavin Rodriguez-Cayro (DeLand, 10th).
195: Hunter Tate (Hagerty, 9th).
285: Marion (MJ) Smokes (DeLand, 7th).
All rankings from https://www.kabrawrestling.com/rankings/class-3a

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