State of the Program ... Matanzas (FL)
Matanzas (FL)
Head Coach: TJ Gillin (Fourth year head coach and eighth year with Matanzas)
Staff: Mike Fries- Head Girls Coach, Jeremiah Marschka, Sebastian Rizzo
Matanzas finished 9th a season ago in a tough 2A … well it might have gotten tougher this season with the addition of 1A top 10 Clay and others. Still - Matanzas is poised to make a run for another top 10 finish. The Pirates do lose State Runner-up Tyson Mills, but return the bulk of last year’s squad while picking up some additional firepower in the off-season. Jordan Mills returns after taking 2nd at 170 and he will be hunting the top step in 2023. Mills is joined by Flagler Palm Coast transfer (and 3A State Qualifier) TJ McLean and returning State Qualifier Landon Wright.
The Pirates also return a ton of wrestlers that were on the cusp of punching their ticket a year ago … and each will be counted on to make an impact this season. Christian Borgmann, Kyler Corley, Joel Douglass, Dylan Parkinson, Bradyn Cox, and Adyn Cox each won matches at regions a year ago. Add in Mainland transfer Kaden Golder who made region bloodround a season ago and the Pirates have 10 that have a legit shot at punching their ticket this season. Keep an eye on Andrew Kerek, Carter Wilder, Torylon Stallings, Mikey Fries, and Mason Obama on the bottom of the Pirate lineup. Samuel Ny, Carmine Lania, and Tyler Thomas should help solidify the top part of the lineup. Matanzas will be tough from top to bottom, but should be very tough to beat from 170 up.
“We are expecting our biggest year yet. Our district picked up Fleming Island and Clay High, which will make for a lot of big and exciting matches throughout the year. We are very excited for those match-ups and the push to wrestle at a high level every week. Last season, we broke through the top-10 at the traditional state tournament with a ninth place team finish. This year, our goal is to break the top-5. We return many wrestlers from last year, including four wrestlers with experience wrestling in March.”
NOTE: All mentions of placers and qualifiers in the body are based on the 2021-22 season. If a wrestler placed higher or lower in a previous year it is not captured above.