A bracket breaker is defined differently for different states and sometimes differently by classification in the same state. Mostly it comes down to how large the bracket is as to what defines a bracket breaker and where they finish. So read each state first to understand how I have chosen to define it. Broadly speaking … it is a wrestler that comes in under the radar and goes on to win matches they either “shouldn’t” win (according to their previous weeks finish).

---

ALABAMA BRACKET BREAKERS

Alabama is the only state on the SE that truly “seeds” their tournament. If you are unfamiliar with the term a “seed” (and this isn’t just wrestling is

A seed is a competitor or team in a sport or other tournament who is given a preliminary ranking for the purposes of the draw. Players/teams are "planted" into the bracket in a manner that is typically intended so that the best do not meet until later in the competition.

Sometimes those seeds are correct - other times they are not. Below are the wrestlers that outwrestled their seed.

5A-6A - 32-man brackets meaning 448 wrestlers. 8 in each weight made the podium (112 wrestlers). 43 wrestlers outperformed their “seed” - meaning they were seeded below where they finished. That is a lot of names to capture below … so we have narrowed the list to wrestlers that outperformed their seed and were seeded out of the top 8 (meaning the seeding criteria did not believe they would make the podium when the tournament started).

NOTE: Several wrestlers outperformed their seeds that were seeded in the top 8 - for example; Rafael Hipolito was seeded #3 and won his weight, but he doesn’t really epitomize the idea of a bracket buster.

Italicized wrestlers were wrestlers that were not seeded in the top 20.

• Sean Arrington - Clay-Chalkville - SEEDED #25; FINISHED 8th at 160

• Cooper Brooks - Jasper -Seeded #10; Finished 8th at 138

• Chase Campbell - Springville - Seeded #9; Finished 8th at 106

• Quin Cotten - Lincoln - Seeded #10; Finished 8th at 145

• Jordan Cottrell - Homewood - Seeded #14; Finished 7th at 132

• Jax Cyrus - Ft Payne - Seeded #12; Finished 5th at 113

• Jacob Dease - Southside Gadsden - SEEDED #10; FINISHED 1st at 132 - Easiest bracket breaker I picked in the Fan’s Guide. Dease was a 2x State Champ before missing last year with an injury. Because of the seeding criteria he was put in as a #10.

• Myers Duncan - Pike Road - Seeded #12; Finished 8th at 120

• Riley Dunn - Gardendale - Seeded #12; Finished 8th at 285

• Tyler Easter - St Clair County - Seeded #13; Finished 8th at 182

• Harrison England - Mountain Brook - SEEDED #22; FINISHED 8th at 132

• Matt Franks - Gardendale - Seeded #12; Finished 8th at 195

• Jake Ingram - Pelham - Seeded #9; Finished 6th at 195

• Tristen Lathem - Oxford - Seeded #13; Finished 8th at 170

• Damien Lawry - Benjamin Russell - Seeded #14; Finished 2nd at 285 - Lawry was one of my 7 bracket breakers (that made this list) at the beginning. He was seeded low because he didn’t wrestle last year with Norris in the lineup. A real problem with the seeding criteria.

• Trace McCaleb - Benjamin Russell - SEEDED #21; FINISHED 8th at 220

• Caleb McCulley - Alexandria - Seeded #12; Finished 6th at 220

• Levi McGrew - Helena - Seeded #11; Finished 6th at 113

• Graham Miner - Homewood - Seeded #9; Finished 3rd at 120

• Eric Muse - Jackson-Olin - Seeded #11; Finished 7th at 195

• Derrick Orvik - Gardendale - Seeded #9; Finished 7th at 170

• Michael Robertson - Arab - SEEDED #22; FINISHED 4th at 220

• Arturo Rodriguez - Ft Payne - Seeded #9; Finished 5th at 152

• Logan Shell - Pell City - Seeded #17; Finished 7th at 113

• Gavin Strain - Robertsdale - SEEDED #24; FINISHED 5th at 145 - Strain was one of the bracket breakers I picked in the Fan’s Guide that made this list. He was seeded very low and his rise to a top 5 finish wasn’t a surprise to some of us.

• Chad Strickland - Wetumpka - Seeded #9; Finished 4th

• Cale Tucker - Chelsea - Seeded #10; Finished 2nd at 106 - Another wrestler I picked as a bracket breaker in the Fan’s Guide (and an easy pick if you watched the 106’s wrestle). Tucker got a tough draw but beat returning State Champ PJ Henderson on his way to taking 2nd.

• Jamarion Whetstone - Benjamin Russell - Seeded #11; Finished 7th at 145

• Keenan Wyatt - Gardendale - Seeded #10; Finished 3rd at 152 - Another bracket breaker pick … only loss came to 4x State Champ Jaden New in the quarters.

• Justin Yunke - Helena - Seeded #10; Finished 7th at 160

Seeding Accuracy: 5A-6A was seeded fairly well if we look at the overall error factor for the tournament (0.122). The 138 lb. weight class was seeded particularly well for a 32-man bracket. 4 wrestlers were seeded where they finished - Gilham (#4), Phillips (#5), Lawler (#3), and McCord (#6). The overall error factor at 138 was just 0.03. Other weights that were seeded well include:

• 170 and 126 - error factor of 0.052

• 182 - 0.078

• 106 - 0.092

Weights that were not seeded well according to the calculated error factor include:

• 132 - 0.214

• 113 and 220 - 0.21

• 145 - 0.175

A more detailed explanation of seeding accuracy and error factors is explained below in the 1A-4A section.

---

7A - 16-man brackets that placed top 6. In the Fan’s Guide I picked some bracket busters that were either the #7 or #8 seeds, but for the purposes on this list we are going with only those that were not seeded in the top 8. Seven wrestlers seeded #9 or lower made the podium.

• Carson Farris - Vestavia Hills - Seeded #14; Finished 2nd at 126

• Fischer Harrison - Spain Park - Seeded #10; Finished 3rd at 145

• Logan McMeans - James Clemens - Seeded #12; Finished 6th at 145

• Max Milazzo - Spain Park - Seeded #9; Finished 6th at 138

• Joseph Soto - Central Phenix City - Seeded #12; Finished 6th at 106

• John Turner - Foley - Seeded #11; Finished 4th at 220

• Evan Warren - Hoover - Seeded #9; Finished 5th at 170

Seeding Accuracy: 7A was - according to the error factors - significantly better seeded than 1A-4A. The weights with the lowest error factor …

• 195 and 113 - error factor of 0.049

• 132 and 160 - 0.086

The weights with the largest error factor …

• 126 - 0.283

• 220 - 0.246

• 145 - 0.222

Need an explanation of error factors and seeding accuracy? Jump down to the 1A-4A explanation of the 285 lb. weight class.

---

1A - 4A - 16-man brackets that placed top 6. In the Fan’s Guide I picked some bracket busters that were either the #7 or #8 seeds, but for the purposes on this list we are going with only those that were not seeded in the top 8. Eleven wrestlers seeded #9 or lower made the podium.

• Nathan Boone - Ranburne - Seeded #13; Finished 2nd at 126

• John Lexin Caldwell - Ranburne - Seeded #15; Finished 6th at 145

• Trevin Coheley - Pleasant Valley - Seeded #9; Finished 6th at 182

• Zeke Curvin - Pleasant Valley - Seeded #9; Finished 3rd at 170

• Zeke Dernlan - Bayshore Christian - Seeded #11; Finished 4th at 106

• Malachi Goble - Ohatchee - Seeded #12; Finished 6th at 138

• Camden Hamrie - Susan Moore - Seeded #12; Finished 5th at 113

• Ethan Hendrickson - New Hope - Seeded #9; Finished 3rd at 152

• Kanden Robertson - Susan Moore - Seeded #11; Finished 5th at 145

• Joseph Rodriguez - Montgomery Catholic - Seeded #9; Finished 3rd at 126

• Billy Vercher - American Christian - Seeded #10; Finished 4th at 220

Seeding Accuracy: It is always interesting to see what the accuracy is once everything plays out on the mat. According to the stats - 285 was seeded the best (or most accurate) with an error factor of 0.074. What does that mean? Well simply - every one of the wrestlers that made the podium were also seeded in the top 6 (and error factor of 0.000 would be the best). At 285 Carson was seeded #1 and finished 1st, Cole Dennis was seeded #2 and finished 2nd and Thomas Walls was seeded #4 and finished 4th … they all net a “perfect” zero. Mason Wilson and Taylor Penney outperformed their seeds - Wilson was seeded 5th and finished 3rd and Penney was seeded 6th and finished 5th. Nicholas Calderon was seeded 3rd and finished 6th. That yields a seed error of 6 … and an error factor of 0.074. If you find this particularly interesting you might want to read this dissertation by Jonathan Hennessy - it is not specifically related to the error factors we look at above, but gives you a general idea of the logic behind seeding.

Ultimately we expect “upsets” - we might even be programmed to hope they happen. Here are the most accurate weights (based on seeds and seed error) in 1A-4A:

• 285 - error factor of 0.074

• 120 - 0.098

• 160 - 0.148

• 170 - 0.148

and the “worst” seeds - or to put a positive spin on it - these are brackets that unseeded wrestlers had the pleasure of breaking:

• 106 - 0.432

• 138 - 0.382

• 126 - 0.345

• 220 - 0.308

One of the first things I look at when a state tournament finishes is … who was able to bounce back and fight their way back through to make the podium. If there is one attribute that epitomizes wrestling or wrestlers it is perseverance. And there are few better pieces of evidence than the ability to pick yourself up and fight back to make the podium when your goal was to win it all.

Each of the wrestlers below lost their first match and fought back to find a spot on the podium. Because each bracket is different (especially in Alabama 5A-6A) - being an “Ironman” or “Ironwoman” might be different from bracket to bracket. I like the term Ironman or Ironwoman because I think it captures in a single word what it takes - not only physical ability and determination, but also mental as well as psychological strength to battle back.

In Florida and Alabama 7A and 1A-4A - there were 16-man brackets and each places top 6. So to make the podium after losing your 1st round match you would need to win at least 3 in a row to make the podium (4 in a row to make top 4).

In Alabama 5A-6A - there were 32-man brackets and they placed top 8 … so to make the podium in Alabama 5A-6A you would need to win a minimum of 4 matches in a row to make the podium - 5 matches to make top 6 and 6 matches to make top 4. Just one wrestler lost in the 1st round and made the top 8 … none that lost that early made top 4 or top 6.

Congrats to each of the wrestlers below for finding a way to pick themselves up and fight back through the “backside”.

NOTE: South Carolina had 6-man brackets - too small to recognize an “Ironman” or “Ironwoman”.

---

Alabama

Andrew Allen (Prattville Christian) - 1A-4A 160 6th

Hayden Bradford (Huntsville) - 7A 285 6th

Zeke Curvin (Pleasant Valley) - 1A-4A 170 3rd

Malachi Goble (Ohatchee) - 1A-4A 138 6th

Baron House (Pleasant Valley) - 1A-4A 106 3rd

Jake Huff (St James) - 1A-4A 138 5th

Trace McCaleb (Benjamin Russell) - 5A-6A 220 8th

Ian McGowan (Cleburne County) - 1A-4A 126 6th

Max Morrow (Huntsville) - 7A 126 6th

Keane Robb (Sparkman) - 7A 170 6th

Joseph Soto (Central Phenix City) - 7A 106 6th

John Turner (Foley) - 7A 220 4th

Anthony Usry (Weaver) - 1A-4A 145 3rd

Billy Vercher (American Christian Academy) - 1A-4A 220 4th

Gavin Wright (Cleburne County) - 1A-4A 182 5th

---

Florida

Richard Albert (Cape Coral) - 2A 106 6th

Luis Bellon (Mater Lakes) - 1A 132 6th

Jackson Brockett (Boone) - 3A 182 6th

Davis Deal (Winter Springs) - 2A 145 6th

Maks Dimarov (East Lake) - 3A 182 5th

Bryce Dodge (Flagler Palm Coast) - 3A 170 5th

Sam Fleming (Hernando) - 1A 285 5th

Corey Gallivan (Miami Palmetto) - 3A 120 6th

Joe Gallo (Springstead) - 2A 138 5th

Emil Ganim (Florida High) - 1A 138 6th

Connor Hueck (Miami Southridge) - 2A 120 6th

Brayden Johnson (Newsome) - 3A 113 6th

Kobe Litov (East Lake) - 3A 120 5th

Elijah Ortiz (Palm Beach Gardens) - 3A 126 6th

Joe Santana (Jesuit) - 2A 182 6th

Tyler Savastano (Jensen Beach) - 1A 132 5th

Fletcher Small (Harmony) - 2A 138 4th

Seth Suvak (Colonial) - 3A 195 5th

Isaiah Wilson (Wakulla) - 1A 126 6th

Each state had some absolute hammers at their state tournaments. We routinely recognize hammers throughout the season (in fact we try to do it weekly in December and January). In that case, coaches are asked to submit a wrestler that exceeded their expectations - whether that was on the mat, in the classroom in a leadership position, etc. We believe “hammers” aren’t just those wrestlers that destroy their competition and it is important to recognize those wrestlers that are continuing to push their ceiling.

But in this case - we are looking for those wrestlers that really hammered their way to a state title. These are the wrestlers that left no doubt. Not all State Champs are listed … the names below met 3 criteria: 1) they won a state title, 2) each classification had representatives, and 3) they met the point cutoff. Honestly - some brackets were tougher than others and a wrestler that won 5-4 in the semis and then 3-2 in sudden victory to win a title might be more deserving even though he or she did not score as many team points … I fully recognize that. But to avoid confusion (and to make it as objective as possible) I went with the above criteria.

Point cutoffs for each:

• Alabama 7A: 27

• Alabama 5A-6A: 30

• Alabama 1A-4A: 30

• Florida (all classes): 27.5

---

Will Anderson (Athens) - Alabama 5A-6A 113 lb. State Champ

There were few wrestlers in Huntsville as impressive as Will Anderson of Athens. Anderson, the #2 seed, had 3 1st period falls before downing one of the top 113’s in the SE in Hudson Waldrop 4-1 in the semis. He then hammered #4 seed Daishon Powe 16-5 to claim the 113 lb. title.

Cade Atkins (Westminster Christian) - Alabama 1A-4A 170 lb. State Champ

Atkins ran through the Alabama 1A-4A 170 lb. bracket … securing falls of 34 seconds, 45 seconds, 1:46, and 2:20. He gave just 1 point the entire tournament - an escape to Dylan Harris in the finals.

Brodie Christmas (Mortimer Jordan) - Alabama 5A-6A 106 lb. State Champ

Christmas navigated the tough 32-man bracket with relative ease. The top seed had 3 falls before having to fight through a tough semifinal vs. David Miguel of Ft Payne for a 3-1 decision. He then downed Cale Tucker of Chelsea 9-1 to claim the 5A-6A 106 lb. title.

Jonathan Conrad (Carrollwood) - Florida 1A 170 lb. State Champ

Conrad outstanding en route to his 4th state title. He had 3 falls including a first period pin of Khalil Mitchell in the finals, but it was his relentless pressure in his semifinal win over Dylan Kohn 3-2 that pushed him through to the finals.

Marvin Collins (Winter Springs) - Florida 2A 285 lb. State Champ

Collins is a straight up beast. He also had 4 falls en route to the 285 lb. State Title. Pinning Magrinet, Foyem and Box before pinning Kathleen’ Jeremiah Jackson with 7 seconds remaining in their State Final.

Jack Crook (Jesuit) - Florida 2A 145 lb. State Champ

Crook, like his brother, dominated early with two falls before running into his tough challenge In Saturday morning’s semifinals. Crook downed Christian Moder 4-2 to punch his ticket to the finals where he easily dismantled Palmetto Ridge’s Carson Miller 21-6.

Jonny Dobbs (Jensen Beach) - Florida 1A 126 lb. State Champ

Dobbs showed a ton of grit a determination after getting two early falls. He beat Suwannee’s Tim Joliceur in a tight 3-0 semifinal and then got the fall over Tyler Reeve in the 3rd period in a match that was either tied or he was trailing.

John Edwards (Vestavia Hills) - Alabama 7A 170 lb. State Champ

Edwards rolled through his opening round match before having to fight through a tough Evan Warren of Hoover in the quarters (a match he ended up winning by fall in the 3rd period). He then hammered Will Conlon 16-2 to setup a final with #2 seed Joseph Grijalva of Florence. Edwards had 3 takedowns in the 1st period and led 6-2 before ultimately getting the win 12-8 for his 2nd state title.

Drake Ewing (Gulf Shores) - Alabama 5A-6A 195 lb. State Champ

Ewing makes the list after a controversial ending to his 2021 state tournament. Ewing had 3 falls before claiming a tough 4-2 Sudden Victory in the semis over Logan Thomas. His match versus John McKimmon was 1-0 in the 2nd period when McKimmon was disqualified (I believe the official ruled it a bite).

Will Garrett (Thompson) - Alabama 7A 152 lb. State Champ

Garrett finished his season a superb 40-1 and the 7A Alabama 152 lb. title. He had 2 falls, a 9-1 major decision over Jeffery Smith of Grissom and then a tough 5-0 win over Lucas Reaves of Hewitt-Trussville in the finals.

Christian Guzman (Columbus) - Florida 3A 106 lb. State Champ

Guzman looked like he was on a mission after coming up just short a year ago. He opened with a 14-0 major before pinning Evan Martinez in the quarters. A 11-1 major over Ethan Vugman put him in the finals opposite a phenom freshman in Anderson Heap of Osceola. The match was close in the second when Guzman locked up a crossface cradle and got the fall.

Cooper Haase (Osceola) - Florida 3A 120 lb. State Champ

Like some of the others on this list - Haase cruised the in the early rounds before running into his toughest match in the semis. He got up early on returning State Champ Danny Martinez, but had to hold on for a 7-6 win to advance to his 2nd state final. Haase easily controlled Bryce Taranto in the finals (up 11-2) before getting to fall in the 2nd period for his 2nd title.

Carson Hall (Ranburne) - Alabama 1A-4A 285 lb. State Champ

Hall absolutely destroyed the 285 lb. bracket … and this might be something we need to get used to since he is just a sophomore. Hall had 4 falls and just the final vs. Cole Dennis went to the 2nd period.

Jaekus Hines (Osceola) - Florida 3A 138 lb. State Champ

Hines was unstoppable all weekend. He had a 17-1 tech fall and a 2nd period fall before downing Frank Lopez 16-0 in the semis. In the finals Hines had returning 120 lb. State Champ Alex Couto of South Dade - but the App State commit was spectacular. He had 3 takedowns and a 3 pt nearfall in the 1st period to build a 9-2 lead and followed that up with a 2nd period that had a reversal and two more takedowns. He capped it off with a takedown in the 3rd to cruise to an 18-5 win.

Warren Hoyt (Grissom) - Alabama 7A 182 lb. State Champ

Hoyt was named the OW of the 7A tournament after blitzing the 182 lb. bracket. He is the only champ to get 4 falls on his way to the top step including a 1st period fall of JT Foster of Hoover in the finals. Hoyt was superb on his feet - securing 9 takedowns and yielding none.

Joshua Johannson (Weaver) - Alabama 1A-4A 152 lb. State Champ

Johannson - like every other Alabama 1A-4A Champ to make this list - had 4 falls on his way to the top step. Johannson pinned Blain Hines in the 2nd period to claim the 152 lb. title.

Riley Kuhn (Ft Payne) - Alabama 5A-6A 220 lb. State Champ

Kuhn had 3 1st period falls, but also two very close matches as he took the 220 lb. title. He survived a close 8-7 decision to Micah Burrow in the quarters and fought through a 7-3 decision over Abe Preston in the finals to claim the 5A-6A title.

Cory Land (Moody) - Alabama 5A-6A 126 lb. State Champ

Land was 2nd only to Isaiah Powe in terms of team points in the Alabama 5A-6A State Tournament. Land had 3 falls and 2 tech falls including a 21-6 win over Sam Sutton in the finals at 126. Land had an amazing 34 takedowns over the 5 matches and did not surrender a single offensive point (all points were escapes).

James Latona (Thompson) - Alabama 7A 145 lb. State Champ

Latona was superb all season and came into the tournament with a perfect 29-0 record and the top seed. He had a forfeit, 2 1st period falls before hammering Conner Cole 18-1 to take the 145 lb. title.

Tylynn Lukens (Manatee) - Florida 3A 182 lb. State Champ

Lukens steamrolled through the first 3 rounds with falls and the outcome never in doubt. He drew Ethan Lopez of Hagerty in the finals … the only wrestler he had lost to all season. In a great match the two battled back and forth before Lukens was able to get the takedown in sudden victory to claim his 2nd title with a 5-3 SV1 decision.

Kyle McGill (Chiles) - Florida 2A 195 lb. State Champ

McGill came in unbeaten at 30-0, but a little under the radar coming from Region 1. He did what he had done all season … very workmanlike in getting takedowns and falls through the first 3 rounds of the tournament. He drew fellow 2020 State Placer Greg Dennard of Ft Myers in the final. McGill used a 2nd period takedown and a 3rd period escape to claim the first state title for Chiles.

Dylan Melendez (Piedmont) - Alabama 1A-4A 120 lb. State Champ

Melendez had 4 falls on his way to the top step at 120. He pinned Torres in 48 seconds, Arboneaux in 2:38, Champion in 3:23, and Tennison Norton in 3:15 in the finals. Melendez was dominant throughout - yielding just one point (an escape to Champion) in 4 matches.

Will Miller (Thompson) - Alabama 7A 160 lb. State Champ

Miller capped off his senior campaign in style. Finishing the season unbeaten at 38-0 with 2 falls and a 21-5 tech fall before having to battle through being behind in the finals to returning State Champ Jack Lamey of Vestavia. Miller found himself behind 4-2 after the 2nd period (giving up 3 points in the 2nd period) - he got a takedown with about a minute left to tie it up 4-4. Miller then gave the escape and was behind 5-4 before getting the final takedown with 25 seconds left to win another title.

Adrian Morales (South Dade) - Florida 3A 113 lb. State Champ

I will be the first to admit - I got this one wrong. Morales was superb en route to the 3A 113 lb. title. I didn’t doubt him at all throughout … he had 3 falls and cruised to the finals. He got Angelo DeDona in the finals - a wrestler he had lost to earlier this season - but this is where I was 100% wrong. Morales was in full control. He scored an takedown to close out the 1st period, a takedown to start the 2nd period and a reversal in the 3rd after DeDona realized his best shot was on top and to get a turn. Morales would have none of it and won with a comfortable 6-0 decision.

Jaden New (Alexandria) - Alabama 5A-6A 152 lb. State Champ

Jaden had 2 falls to start things off before downing Keenan Wyatt 8-2 in the quarters and Kendrick Young 3-1 in the semis. New put an exclamation point on another Alabama State title as he pinned Gabe Sweat in the 2nd period to claim the 152 lb. title.

Isaiah Powe (Gardendale) - Alabama 5A-6A 120 lb. State Champ

Powe was the only wrestler to pin his way through the 5A-6A State Tournament. Not only did he get 5 falls, he outpointed his opponents by a score of 56-13 before getting the falls.

Melton Powe (Gardendale) - Alabama 5A-6A 138 lb. State Champ

Powe nearly matched his brother in terms of team points and was a significant contributor to Gardendale claiming a second state team title. He had 3 falls, a 20-4 tech fall, before winning a thrilling 11-9 decision over returning State Champ Kyler Adams in the finals.

Matthew Rodriguez (Ridgeview) - Florida 1A 132 lb. State Champ

Rodriguez scored 30 team points this weekend … the most a wrestler could score at the state tournament. He had falls of 17 seconds and 34 seconds in the opening two rounds before being pushed into the 2nd period in his semifinal match with Brandon Cody of the Master’s Academy. Rodriguez pinned Ronald Thielacker of Palm Bay at 3:22 to claim his first state title.

Caleb Roe (Arab) - Alabama 5A-6A 170 lb. State Champ

Roe, the top seed at 170, rolled through the first 4 opponents - getting falls in 18 seconds, 3:36, 2:59, and 5:11 (only trailing for a short time in his semifinal match with Luke Jasper). Roe downed Seth Branham 7-2 to claim the 170 lb. title in a very deep 170 lb. bracket.

Cody Souder (Weaver) - Alabama 1A-4A 160 lb. State Champ

Souder was one of the best in Alabama this past season - regardless of classification. And he showed that skill in recording 3 1st period falls and a 2nd period fall on his way to the 160 lb. title.

Jaylen Thomas (White Plains) - Alabama 1A-4A 145 lb. State Champ

Thomas had 4 falls on his way to 145 lb. title, but two of his matches .. his semifinal vs. JT Weathington and his final vs. Xander Stewart were close before Thomas got the fall.

Yanni Vines (Thompson) - Alabama 7A 126 lb. State Champ

Vines, the top seed at 126, had two falls, and 21-6 tech fall over Austin Buird, and a 17-5 major decision over Carson Farris of Vestavia to claim the 126 lb. state title.

Tyler Washburn (Palmetto Ridge) - Florida 2A 106 lb. State Champ

Washburn has to be one of the best 106’s in the SE. He had 2 falls to begin his state tournament and followed that up with a 6-2 decision of Dominic Nardini in the semis. In the finals - Washburn was on fire. He had a takedown in the 1st period and a takedown in the 2nd period before getting the fall.

Lucas Willis (Charlotte) - Florida 2A 160 lb. State Champ

Few have ascended to the top step at the state tournament a record 5 times in their career. On Saturday evening, Willis became just the 7th Floridian to do so. Willis left no doubt as to the best 160 lb. wrestler in 2A was this past weekend. He had under a minute falls in the first round and the semi as well as a 1:04 fall of Sergio Desiante of Jesuit in the finals. Lake Gibson’s Frank Solorzano was the only wrestler to take him the distance - losing 10-2 in the quarters.