A Fan's Guide to the Florida 2A State Tournament
Sponsored by: Rankwrestlers.com
Welcome to the Fan’s Guide for the Florida 2A State Tournament
So what is a Fan’s Guide?
The Fan’s Guide is a look at the tournament as a whole and each individual weight class … from a fan’s perspective. But it is not a prediction of who will win or who will make the podium. In fact, a Fan’s Guide is a little different. It is a look at a few individual pieces from each bracket … they include:
Favorite: the wrestler that enters the tournament as a region champ and has the best shot to claim the top step.
Contenders: a wrestler that finishes 1st or 2nd at regions has a decent chance to make the podium.
Darkhorse: a wrestler that might be off the radar, but could make a run for the top step.
Bracketbuster: a wrestler that finished 3rd or 4th in their section, but could make a run for a spot high on the podium.
Isn’t that kind of a prediction?
Yes and no. I do identify the favorite, but beyond that I have no idea of who will march through the bracket and claim a title (don’t get me wrong - I’ve watched a lot of wrestling this season so I have an idea of what will happen). I could give you an educated guess about a possible finals match and who will make the podium, but in the world of high school wrestling that is dangerous territory. Few wrestlers (if any) are unbeatable … but we do have past results and past accomplishments on which to make a guess or two. In reality, I am as much of a fan as any of you and like to talk wrestling. I hope each athlete goes out and performs to her ability and we, as fans, get an opportunity to watch some great wrestling.
Remember the sole purpose of the website, twitter, instagram, fan’s guides, pictures, etc. is to promote the sport in the Southeast. Have a great time this weekend, enjoy the wrestling, and best of luck to everyone competing.
Brant Parsons at Kabrawrestling follows the action all season and any reference to rankings below are to those that he has published.
NOTE: ALL INFORMATION BELOW IS ASSUMING THAT THE INFORMATION INPUTTED INTO TRACKWRESTLING EITHER BY THE EVENT DIRECTOR OR THE COACHES AT THE BEGINNING OF THE SEASON IS CORRECT.
A Look Back to 2023
Team Race:
We will delve into some detail here that you may (or may not) find interesting. As a former coach, this is where I liked to understand our path to a title and what we needed from each qualifier. If you are a parent and are solely focused on your son or daughter’s individual success then this part might not be interesting. If you are interested in the path to a team title then you may find the way we break it down to be interesting. Getting the most from each of your qualifiers is huge and can be the difference between a title an finishing 2nd, 3rd, etc.
Easy to spot the difference between last year’s state champs, Lake Gibson, and the two teams chasing them in Fleming Island and Charlotte. All 3 teams had 9 placers … Gibson put 3 on the top step, Fleming Island and Charlotte had one champ each. And that was the difference. Yes bonus points played a role and a point here or there could make the difference, but ultimately it came down to champs vs. placers and Gibson had the champs (we will delve a little deeper into a few specifics below, but the big idea is still accurate). Keep that in mind as you continue reading. Remember qualifiers means opportunity … you can’t climb high on the podium as a team without qualifiers, but ultimately in a tight 2A race it comes down to champs vs. placers because champs score more points.
Region Success Predicts State Success
Nothing is given, everything is earned … but there is a strong correlation between how well someone does at their regional tournament and their success in Kissimmee. Ultimately team (and individual) success begins at regions (and honestly long before that). There is a direct relationship between being a Region Champ and eventually making the state podium. Keep that in mind when looking at our favorites, contenders, etc. further down the Guide.
Thirteen of the 14 State Champs won their region the week before. 47 of the 56 Region Champs (83.9%) ended up on the podium and the percent went down from there (although the difference between region runners-up and 3rd place wasn’t significant and we will talk about that in greater detail later). No Region Runners-up won a state title, but one 3rd place finished from Regions did (Roman Lermer of Jesuit who was 3rd in Region 3). What’s really interesting is that more #3’s finished in the top 4 than Region Runners-up … and that comes down to the FHSAA not seeding the region or state tournament. Keep that in mind as you read each weight below.
Region Champ vs. Region Champ occurred in 7 of the 14 finals matches … so winning the region still gives a wrestler the best shot to make the state finals. We could get into region strength here with Region 3 Champs scoring on average 20.04 points at the state tournament, Region 2 Champs scoring on average 18.32 points with Region 1 at 14.14 and Region 4 at 12.25. Region strength is certainly a consideration, but ultimately it is the non-seeding at region or state that has the greatest impact here. This discussion allows us to look a little deeper at the idea of relative value - because the teams that excel almost always have better relative value than their competition.
Path to a team title - Winning the battle of relative value
First, what is relative value? The simplest way to look at it is this … we already know that winning a region title puts you in the best position to win a state title (as evidenced by the table above). But not all State Champs earn the same number of points and certainly not all Region Champs earn the same number of points at the state tournament … so we make a comparison of the typical region champ and the average number of points they score and compare it to the actual number of points scored by individuals on the top teams. Being above the average gives you an advantage - being below the average means you are not getting the number of points you would expect to get based on your region place. And given the discussion above about region strength - we can assume that a region champ from Region 2 or 3 will likely exceed the expected number of points and have a positive relative value (let’s see if that holds true).
The first thing we look at is … what is the average number of points scored by a Region Champ in 2A (we could break this down into the average number of points by the 106 lb. Region Champs, etc. but let’s stick with the macro picture for this explanation). Whatever the value is - that is what we refer to as the expected value … we would like to exceed that number.
As you can see, a Region Champ scored (on average) 16.19 points at last year’s state tournament in 2A (this is taking the average number of points scored by every region champ regardless of weight class, but within 2A). And because there is a correlation between region place and state place (and points) then the values decrease as we move from 1st to 2nd, etc. The thing that stands out is the minimal difference between 2nd and 3rd place. And there are two reasons for this … 1) there is clearly a difference in the strength of different regions, and 2) the FHSAA doesn’t seed the region or state tournaments … as a result we sometimes get the best matchup in the semis and that means some #3’s are amongst the best in the state and score a lot of points. A closer look at the top 10 teams in 2A gives us a glimpse into the teams that exceeded the expectation for their team or not. Black blocks within the table are for cells from weights at particular schools where there was no state qualifier.
NOTE: The color corresponds to their region place and the relative position points are already calculated based on the above expected points.
NOTE: The last column entitled “value” is the value per qualifier … the higher the number the more the team as a whole outperformed their expected points.
So what does it mean? Lake Gibson was either very good at weights or not so good. The difference is that the two teams chasing them (particularly Fleming Island) couldn’t make up the ground. In fact, Fleming had a worse tournament (as compared to Lake Gibson) otherwise they might have beaten them. Paridon and Newman overperformed based on their region finish, but many of the others struggled to get to the expected number of points. Gibson got huge points from Ny’Travious Walker who was 4th in Region 2, but found a way to finish 4th in the state (overperforming the expectation of #4’s by more than 10 points). They got similar performances from Christian Fretwell (120 - 13.31 pts above expectation), Hayden Whidden (145 - 12.31 pts above expectation), and Gianni Maldonado (152 - 11.31 points above expectation). Jesuit and Mariner outperformed everyone, but when you only bring 5 and 3 to the party … it is hard to be in the hunt for a title. Charlotte got huge points from their upperweights, but struggled to match expectations from 106-126. We know all of this as the tournament is happening (a #4 beating a region champ, etc.) but it is hard to see all of the pieces come together until after everything is finished. Interested in how your team is doing this weekend? Look at the rough expected values for their region place and then see if they are either overperforming or underperforming that placement when things are happening in Silver Spurs.
Team Notes
The table below is a list of every qualifier by school, along with their place at regions. So we could talk about a number of different teams, but in reality there are just a handful that have enough to really make a run for a team title. They are discussed below the table.
Lake Gibson beat Jesuit by the smallest of margins at state duals … do they have that same magic to claim the traditional title as well? Well - it is going to be tough. Jesuit enters with the most qualifiers (12) and has an amazing 8 Champs and 2 Runners-up. If scores just the average number of points from each of those region spots … they will be very difficult to beat. If they overperform relative to their region place (like we talked about above) then they should win by a sizable margin. Regardless, they are the favorites coming into Silver Spurs this weekend. Lake Gibson and Merritt Island each bring 10 with several region champs (but less than half of what Jesuit got last weekend). Brandon, Charlotte, and Manatee bring 8 each. The thing that’s going to be interesting is … Brandon, Charlotte, Fleming Island, Winter Springs, and Heritage bring more region champs than Gibson and Merritt Island. You never count anyone out, but Jesuit holds all the cards after last weekend and someone else would need to something special in order to beat them. The battle for 2nd through 5th is going to be outstanding.
Schedule
106 lbs.
The Field:
Gavin Fisher (Middleburg) - Region 1 Champ
Noah Scribner (Brandon) - Region 2 Champ
Matthew Schuler (Charlotte Hs) - Region 3 Champ
Jake Giovino (Satellite) - Region 4 Champ
Garrett Ferguson (Gulf Breeze) - Region 1 2nd
Jason Perez (Gateway) - Region 2 2nd
Brock Glover (Jesuit) - Region 3 2nd
Solomon Peterson (Heritage) - Region 4 2nd
Preston King (Lincoln) - Region 1 3rd
Zavian Chavoz (Winter Springs) - Region 2 3rd
Joseph Obstaculo (Hollins) - Region 3 3rd
Gary Mendez (Mater Academy) - Region 4 3rd
Connor Barnes (Oakleaf) - Region 1 4th
Roderick Smith (Kathleen Senior) - Region 2 4th
Maynor Herrera (Immokalee) - Region 3 4th
Joshua Sanchez (Felix Varela) - Region 4 4th
Favorite: Jake Giovino (Satellite)
Contenders:
Solomon Peterson (Heritage)
Matthew Schuler (Charlotte Hs)
Gavin Fisher (Middleburg)
Noah Scribner (Brandon)
Darkhorse: Garrett Ferguson (Gulf Breeze)
Bracketbuster: Gary Mendez (Mater Academy)
Things to know:
Top side of the bracket:
Region Champs are Gavin Fisher and Noah Scribner - both dominated their way to region titles last weekend. Fisher is ranked #4 by Kabra, Scribner is #8.
Kabra #2 and Region 4 Runner-up Solomon Peterson of Heritage, 7th at this weight last year, sits in the 2nd quarter of the bracket with Scribner. Both of Peterson’s losses have come to Giovino - once in December and then last weekend 8-4 in the Region 4 finals.
Brock Glover is ranked #11 and Gary Mendez is ranked #6 - that could be an excellent first round matchup to watch
Bottom side of the bracket:
Region Champs are Jake Giovino and Matthew Schuler - Schuler is the highest returning placer in the field after taking 6th last year. Giovino has won some tough matches this year and enters as the favorite. Giovino is 25-4 with two losses at the Knockout to Quay Mills (Georgia State champ) and Eli Joliceur of Suwannee.
Keep an eye on Joshua Sanchez who was 4th in Region 4 - he lost to Giovino 12-9 in the semis last weekend.
Garrett Ferguson is our Darkhorse - ranked #5 by Kabra … he will should make a run for a spot on the podium.
113 lbs.
The Field:
Jacob Bucci (Clay) - Region 1 Champ
Erick Vargas (Lakeland Senior) - Region 2 Champ
Malachi Ortiz (Jesuit) - Region 3 Champ
Landon Quiroga (Merritt Island) - Region 4 Champ
Gavin Samons (Gulf Breeze) - Region 1 2nd
Pedro Sifuentes (East River) - Region 2 2nd
Matthew Ireland (Braden River) - Region 3 2nd
Gabriel MacVittie (Satellite) - Region 4 2nd
Matthew Newman (Fleming Island) - Region 1 3rd
Tyler White (Lake Gibson) - Region 2 3rd
Kael Seneca (Ft Myers) - Region 3 3rd
Ericson Coney (Mater Academy) - Region 4 3rd
Nathan Harvey (Middleburg) - Region 1 4th
Francesco Alagna (Cypress Creek (Wesley Chapel)) - Region 2 4th
Caden Moore (Charlotte Hs) - Region 3 4th
Rahsaan Robinson (Miami Norland Senior) - Region 4 4th
Favorite: Jacob Bucci (Clay)
Contenders:
Erick Vargas (Lakeland Senior)
Malachi Ortiz (Jesuit)
Landon Quiroga (Merritt Island)
Pedro Sifuentes (East River)
Darkhorse: Matthew Ireland (Braden River)
Bracketbuster: Kael Seneca (Ft Myers)
Things to know:
Top side of the bracket
Region Champs are Jacob Bucci and Landon Quiroga. Bucci was 3rd last year at 106, Quiroga is your returning State Runner-up at 106. Both dominated their Regions last weekend. Bucci beat Samons 9-0 in the Region 1 final and Quiroga downed MacVittie 11-0 in the Region 4 final. Bucci comes in 20-0. Quiroga has 4 losses - two at Knockout and two to Malachi Ortiz who sits on the other side of the bracket.
The #2’s and #3’s on the top side are tough … #5 Sifuentes vs. #6 Seneca and #7 Ireland vs. #13 White. Bucci and Quiroga will have to battle to get to the finals on the top side.
Bottom side of the bracket
Region Champs are Erick Vargas and Malachi Ortiz. Vargas is ranked #2 and finished 7th last year at this weight. Ortiz is ranked #3 and was 4th in 3A at 106. Vargas and Ortiz have split matches this season, but neither can look ahead to a possible semi showdown.
Newman is a returning State Placer that finished 3rd in Region 1 last weekend.
120 lbs.
The Field:
Jordan Mukaddam (Fleming Island) - Region 1 Champ
Elijah Lowe (Lake Gibson) - Region 2 Champ
Roman Lermer (Jesuit) - Region 3 Champ
Dully Brutus (Miramar) - Region 4 Champ
Grady Woodard (Middleburg) - Region 1 2nd
Vincenzo Lee (Springstead) - Region 2 2nd
D`angelo Gil (North Ft Myers) - Region 3 2nd
Kaden Barrial (Merritt Island) - Region 4 2nd
Zak Vosburgh (Ft Walton Beach H S) - Region 1 3rd
Kalob Williams (Winter Springs) - Region 2 3rd
Isaac Towenko (Cape Coral) - Region 3 3rd
Clayton Wolf (Okeechobee) - Region 4 3rd
Jaiden Zajni (Ponte Vedra) - Region 1 4th
Ryan St. Denis (River Ridge) - Region 2 4th
Sean Herlihy (Palmetto) - Region 3 4th
Timothy Rattiger (Sebastian River) - Region 4 4th
Favorite: Roman Lermer (Jesuit)
Contenders:
Elijah Lowe (Lake Gibson)
Jordan Mukaddam (Fleming Island)
Dully Brutus (Miramar)
Grady Woodard (Middleburg)
Darkhorse: D`angelo Gil (North Ft Myers)
Bracketbuster: Zak Vosburgh (Ft Walton Beach H S)
Things to know:
Top side of the bracket:
Elijah Lowe of Lake Gibson and Jordan Mukaddam of Fleming Island are the Region Champs. Lowe beat Mukaddam at State Duals, but both will need to win some tough matches to setup a showdown in the semis.
Clayton Wolf - ranked #15 by Kabra - was 3rd in Region 4 after losing his 1st round match - he is the only returning SQ other than Lowe (3rd at 113) that is on the top side of the bracket.
Bottom side of the bracket:
Features 2x State Champion and 3x Finalist Roman Lermer of Jesuit. Lermer is 41-4 on the season with a loss to Teague Strobel of South Carolina in the Knockout final as well as a loss to Acevedo at Cradle Cancer. He has a couple of wins over Lowe.
Dully Brutus is a returning SQ and won Region 4 last weekend with 4 falls.
The 2’s and 3’s on the bottom side could feature some of the best first round matchups with #4 Grady Woodard taking on #8 Kalob Williams and #5 Zac Vosburgh vs. #12 Vincenzo Lee .. both Woodard and Lee are returning SQ’s.
126 lbs.
The Field:
Sebastian Bonachea (Oakleaf) - Region 1 Champ
Luke Williams (Brandon) - Region 2 Champ
Camren French (Mariner) - Region 3 Champ
Gustavo Ferreira (Heritage) - Region 4 Champ
Rylan Herrera (Clay) - Region 1 2nd
Zavier Pennington (Leesburg) - Region 2 2nd
Reid Yakes (Jesuit) - Region 3 2nd
Quinton Brownlee (Miramar) - Region 4 2nd
Coby Shields (Gulf Breeze) - Region 1 3rd
Gaetano Tedesco (Lake Gibson) - Region 2 3rd
Kaiden Ballinger (Charlotte Hs) - Region 3 3rd
Falco Frank (Okeechobee) - Region 4 3rd
Jayden Brown (Arnold) - Region 1 4th
Jet Griffis (Land O`Lakes) - Region 2 4th
Isaac Cedeno (Manatee) - Region 3 4th
Yaisel O`farrill (Mater Academy) - Region 4 4th
Favorite: Camren French (Mariner)
Contenders:
Sebastian Bonachea (Oakleaf)
Luke Williams (Brandon)
Reid Yakes (Jesuit)
Gustavo Ferreira (Heritage)
Darkhorse: Gaetano Tedesco (Lake Gibson)
Bracketbuster: Kaiden Ballinger (Charlotte Hs)
Things to know:
Top side of the bracket:
Region Champs Camren French and Sebastian Bonachea (#1 and #2 by Kabra) sit up top. French’s only loss this year came to 2x Georgia State Champ Ty Murray in the Knockout quarters. French is another senior that has been on the podium for 3 consecutive years, but has yet to breakthrough for a title. He was 5th as a freshman and then 2nd twice. Bonachea was 5th last year as a freshman and won Region 1 with a 10-4 decision of Rylan Herrera.
Lake Gibson’s Gaetano Tedesco, 5th last year at 132, is the darkhorse after taking 3rd in Region 2 - losing to Williams 6-3 in the semis. He pulls Miramar’s Quinton Brownlee. The other 2 vs. 3 matchup features returning SQ’s Falco Frank and Zavier Pennington.
Bottom side of the bracket:
Region Champs are Luke Williams of Brandon and Gustavo Ferreira of Heritage. Williams was 3rd last year at 120, Ferreira was a SQ at 113. Keep in mind (if they both get there) that Bonachea has a win over Williams from early in the season.
Region 3 Runner-up Reid Yakes of Jesuit was 3rd in 1A wrestling for Zephyrhills Christian a year ago. He pulls Coby Shields of Gulf Breeze who was 8th at 120 … so a first round matchup of returning State Placers in the middle on the bottom side. The other 2 vs. 3 matchup is also stellar with Rylan Herrera of Clay and returning State Placer Kaiden Ballinger of Charlotte (4th at 120 in 2023; was also 4th at 113 in 2022).
132 lbs.
The Field:
Bryson Hubbard (Ponte Vedra) - Region 1 Champ
Charles Griffis (Land O`Lakes) - Region 2 Champ
Maximus Brady (Mariner) - Region 3 Champ
Gregory Mendez (Mater Academy) - Region 4 Champ
Pedro Masso (Crestview) - Region 1 2nd
Christian Bonilla (Lyman) - Region 2 2nd
Gavin Pozzie (Parrish High School) - Region 3 2nd
Anthony Dicks (Satellite) - Region 4 2nd
Zakary Jurado (Lincoln) - Region 1 3rd
Jaden Weisgal (Brandon) - Region 2 3rd
Luke Arthur (Manatee) - Region 3 3rd
Salaahddinn Hightower (Dillard) - Region 4 3rd
Micah Thomas (Oakleaf) - Region 1 4th
Travonte Burgess (Lakeland Senior) - Region 2 4th
Xavier Albo (Jesuit) - Region 3 4th
Ranzer Wallace (American Senior) - Region 4 4th
Favorite: Maximus Brady (Mariner)
Contenders:
Gregory Mendez (Mater Academy)
Anthony Dicks (Satellite)
Charles Griffis (Land O`Lakes)
Bryson Hubbard (Ponte Vedra)
Darkhorse: Gavin Pozzie (Parrish High School)
Bracketbuster: Luke Arthur (Manatee)
Things to know:
Top side of the bracket
Region Champs Bryson Hubbard of Ponte Vedra and Gregory Mendez of Mater Academy. Mendez was 8th last year at 126 and won Region 4 with a 10-6 decision over Anthony Dicks.
Region 3 is particularly deep at 132 and their #2 and #3 sit on the top side with Pozzie and Arthur. Pozzie beat Arthur in ultimate tiebreaker in the Region semis last week and as a result he gets Region 3 #3 Jaden Weisgal of Brandon. Arthur, a returning State Qualifier is our bracketbuster but gets a tough freshman in Christian Bonilla in the opening round.
Bottom side of the bracket
2x State Champ Maximus Brady is the clear favorite at the weight. He is 43-2 on the season and won Region 3 with ease last weekend. Region 2 Champ Charles Griffis shares the bottom side after claiming the Region 2 title.
Xavier Albo is a tough #4 out of Region 3 … he is actually ranked higher than Griffis (#6 vs. #7 by Kabra). Jesuit is already dangerous … if Albo comes through an gets a win they could be off to the races in the team race.
138 lbs.
The Field:
Laird Duhaylungsod (Fleming Island) - Region 1 Champ
Ryan Phillips (Winter Springs) - Region 2 Champ
Jayden Bowles (Jesuit) - Region 3 Champ
Luis Rosa (Archbishop Mccarthy Hs) - Region 4 Champ
Jonathan Bruner (New Smyrna Beach Sr H S) - Region 1 2nd
Yianni Marinis (River Ridge) - Region 2 2nd
Jeson Carbajal (Manatee) - Region 3 2nd
Judge DeYoung (Merritt Island) - Region 4 2nd
Caleb King (Lincoln) - Region 1 3rd
Christian Fretwell (Lake Gibson) - Region 2 3rd
Jake Wyatt (Palmetto) - Region 3 3rd
Famous Nealy (Miramar) - Region 4 3rd
Sammy Passetti (Chiles) - Region 1 4th
Kyle Yasses (Deltona) - Region 2 4th
Joseph Conrad (Ft Myers) - Region 3 4th
Kaden Wheeler (Sebastian River) - Region 4 4th
Favorite: Ryan Phillips (Winter Springs)
Contenders:
Jayden Bowles (Jesuit)
Christian Fretwell (Lake Gibson)
Yianni Marinis (River Ridge)
Laird Duhaylungsod (Fleming Island)
Luis Rosa (Archbishop Mccarthy Hs)
Darkhorse: Jeson Carbajal (Manatee)
Bracketbuster: Caleb King (Lincoln)
Things to know:
With Brady at 132 … 138 became very interesting and very competitive.
Top side of the bracket:
Region 1 and Region 2 Champs with Laird Duhaylungsod of Fleming Island and Ryan Phillips of Winter Springs. Phillips is another of the seniors that have come so close to winning a title, but have been just short (taking 2nd and 3rd). Duhaylungsod was a State Qualifier a year ago and is an impressive 47-4 this season. He beat Bruner 5-2 for the Region 1 title.
The 2 vs. 3 match to watch up top is a matchup of returning SQ’s in Jeson Carbajal of Manatee and Famous Nealy of Miramar … the winner could get Duhaylungsod in the quarters.
Bottom side of the bracket:
Region Champs are Jayden Bowles of Jesuit and Luis Rosa of Archbishop McCarthy, but neither is ranked higher than the #2 and #3 from Region 2 in Yianni Marinis (ranked #3 and 2nd in Region 2) and returning 120 lb. State Champion Christian Fretwell of Lake Gibson. Bowles was 4th last year at 132 and Rosa is a returning State Qualifier.
Fretwell, who lost to Phillips 3-2 in the semis last weekend, will wrestle returning State Placer Jonathan Bruner of New Smyrna Beach (8th at 132) with the winner likely getting Bowles (FYI … Fretwell and Bowles did not wrestle in the State Duals Finals - Fretwell was 132 and Bowles was 138).
Caleb King came down from 144 and gets Marinis in the opening round.
144 lbs.
The Field:
Wyatt Leduc (Middleburg) - Region 1 Champ
Jaydon Robinson (Winter Springs) - Region 2 Champ
Mason Basile (Jesuit) - Region 3 Champ
Jordan Pineda (Felix Varela) - Region 4 Champ
Michael Mancuso (Gulf Breeze) - Region 1 2nd
Austin Chung (Lake Gibson) - Region 2 2nd
Jake Samuels (Manatee) - Region 3 2nd
Lucas Boeker (Sebastian River) - Region 4 2nd
Keon Barrientos (Oakleaf) - Region 1 3rd
Gordon Watson (Brandon) - Region 2 3rd
Jonathan Martinez-Mercado (South Ft. Myers) - Region 3 3rd
Isaac Jacobs (American Heritage School) - Region 4 3rd
Merrick Miller (New Smyrna Beach Sr H S) - Region 1 4th
Simon Ortiz (River Ridge) - Region 2 4th
Carson Bennett (Charlotte Hs) - Region 3 4th
Kyle Mulley (Merritt Island) - Region 4 4th
Favorite: Jaydon Robinson (Winter Springs)
Contenders:
Austin Chung (Lake Gibson)
Mason Basile (Jesuit)
Wyatt Leduc (Middleburg)
Jordan Pineda (Felix Varela)
Darkhorse: Jake Samuels (Manatee)
Bracketbuster: Jonathan Martinez-Mercado (South Ft. Myers)
Things to know:
Top side of the bracket:
Wyatt Leduc and Mason Basile are the Region Champs. Leduc is a returning State Qualifier and Basile is a freshman phenom that will look to climb to the top step in his first state tournament. Both are ranked by Kabra in the top 5, but don’t get ahead of yourself in thinking that’s the semis.
Returning State Placer Austin Chung was second in Region 2 (to Jaydon Robinson) and he looks ready to run it back with Basile again in the quarters … obviously both have to get there, but if it happens - be sure to watch that match. They have wrestled several times before and the last one was a controversial takedown by Chung in the last 10 seconds to win it at State Duals. Expect another barnburner if the two cross paths again).
Bottom side of the bracket:
Illinois State Placer Jaydon Robinson came in and has been outstanding all season for Winter Springs. Robinson beat Chung 15-7 for the Region 2 title and is currently 47-2 with his two losses coming at the Walsh Ironman in Ohio in December. He shares the bottom side with Region 4 Champ Jordan Pineda. Pineda downed Boeker 4-2 to claim the title last weekend.
Jonathan Martinez-Mercado, who was 3rd in Region 3, after losing to Basile in semis 6-3 is a returning State Placer (5th at 132 in 2023). He draws #7 ranked and returning State Qualifier Michael Mancuso in the opening round. Samuels vs. Barrientos is a matchup of two top 8 wrestlers and could be one of the best opening round matches at 144.
150 lbs.
The Field:
Kaden Schaefer (Fleming Island) - Region 1 Champ
Thomas Gernhart (Brandon) - Region 2 Champ
Draven McCall (Jesuit) - Region 3 Champ
Keith Cole (Heritage) - Region 4 Champ
JJ Martinez (Ft Walton Beach H S) - Region 1 2nd
Leomany Casado (Land O`Lakes) - Region 2 2nd
Joseph Wilkinson (Barron G Collier) - Region 3 2nd
Dylan Sweeney (Felix Varela) - Region 4 2nd
Aidan Sutton (New Smyrna Beach Sr H S) - Region 1 3rd
LeAndre Campbell (Lake Gibson) - Region 2 3rd
Izaiah Zaitouni (Osceola Fundamental) - Region 3 3rd
Keanu Martin (Merritt Island) - Region 4 3rd
Arthur Vanderpool (Columbia) - Region 1 4th
Thomas Weissert (Lyman) - Region 2 4th
Julian Smith (Manatee) - Region 3 4th
Maddox Buth (St Thomas Aquinas) - Region 4 4th
Favorite: Draven McCall (Jesuit)
Contenders:
Kaden Schaefer (Fleming Island)
Thomas Gernhart (Brandon)
Keith Cole (Heritage)
JJ Martinez (Ft Walton Beach H S)
Darkhorse: Leomany Casado (Land O`Lakes)
Bracketbuster: Aidan Sutton (New Smyrna Beach Sr H S)
Things to know:
One of the best weights in 2A. Headlined by 4 Region Champs that all have the ability to make a run for the title. Here is how we see the bracket:
Top side of the bracket:
Kaden Schaefer and Keith Cole are your Region Champs. Cole was 2nd a year ago and Schaefer 3rd at 145 lbs. Both handled their regions with relative ease and both have put together outstanding seasons (Schaefer is 44-0, Cole is 28-7).
They are joined by a handful of 2’s, 3’s and 4’s but it would be surprising to see either not make the semis.
Bottom side of the bracket:
Very similar to the top. Draven McCall and Thomas Gernhart are the Region Champs. McCall is the defending 138 lb. State Champ and Gernhart was 7th at 138. Both dominated their region brackets. Gernhart is a perfect 56-0 on the season, McCall is 23-2 and is ranked #1 by Kabra.
Aidan Sutton, who was 3rd in Region 1, and Julian Smith, 4th in Region 3, are the only other returning SQ’s on the bottom side. I’d expect we will see all 4 of the Region Champs make their way to the semis - from there things get interesting.
157 lbs.
The Field:
Jeffrey Brown Jr. (Terry Parker) - Region 1 Champ
Gianni Maldonado (Lake Gibson) - Region 2 Champ
Kawayran Vazquez (Jesuit) - Region 3 Champ
Tre Driggett (Merritt Island) - Region 4 Champ
Landon Martin (Clay) - Region 1 2nd
Evan Martinez (Lakeland Senior) - Region 2 2nd
Judd Cole (Cape Coral) - Region 3 2nd
Gerson Alette (North Miami) - Region 4 2nd
Dylan Beck (Fleming Island) - Region 1 3rd
Landen Holley (Wesley Chapel) - Region 2 3rd
Bulko Pavel (St Petersburg) - Region 3 3rd
Isaac Fayer (American Heritage School) - Region 4 3rd
Matthew Sinclair (Ft Walton Beach H S) - Region 1 4th
Gustavo Osorio (Gaither) - Region 2 4th
Colton Sharrah (Port Charlotte) - Region 3 4th
Dylan Ibanez (Archbishop Mccarthy Hs) - Region 4 4th
Favorite: Gianni Maldonado (Lake Gibson)
Contenders:
Kawayran Vazquez (Jesuit)
Judd Cole (Cape Coral)
Tre Driggett (Merritt Island)
Jeffrey Brown Jr. (Terry Parker)
Darkhorse: Evan Martinez (Lakeland Senior)
Bracketbuster: Landen Holley (Wesley Chapel)
Things to know:
Top side of the Bracket:
Region Champs Gianni Maldonado and Jeffrey Brown Jr. Maldonado is the returning 152 lb. State Champion, won the Knockout, and is 61-5 this season with his losses all coming at either the Walsh Ironman or Doc B. He is the clear favorite after pinning his way to the Region 2 title last weekend. Brown won the Region 1 title last weekend with 3 hard fought decision wins.
Judd Cole was 8th last year at 145 and was 2nd in Region 3 after losing to freshman phenom KJ Vazquez in the finals. Gerson Alette was 2nd in Region 4 and is a returning SQ … but he pulls the same quarter as Maldonado (can’t afford to look ahead in trying to dethrone the defending champ and must focus on Pavel Bulko.
Bottom side of the Bracket:
We’ve already made reference to freshman phenom KJ Vazquez who has been outstanding this season. He is 27-2 with both losses coming to Maldonado (one In the State Duals finals and one in the semis at the Knockout). Tre Driggett is the Region 4 Champ - he beat Alette 7-6 to claim the title and now pulls a tough quarter.
The matchup of the 2’s and 3’s should be some good opening round matches … #7 Landon Holley vs. #11 Landon Martin in a battle of freshman hammers, and #4 Evan Martinez vs. #14 Dylan Beck.
165 lbs.
The Field:
Andrew Yeats (Mosley) - Region 1 Champ
Ty Rodriguez (Brandon) - Region 2 Champ
Brandon Cody (Jesuit) - Region 3 Champ
Kaleb Gabrielsen (Heritage) - Region 4 Champ
Malachi Lewis (Niceville) - Region 1 2nd
Vincent Contreras (Pasco) - Region 2 2nd
Gage Wiggins (Braden River) - Region 3 2nd
Carlos Almanza (Sebastian River) - Region 4 2nd
Jerimiah Baker (Oakleaf) - Region 1 3rd
Husam Mustafa (Lake Wales) - Region 2 3rd
Julian Gonzales (North Ft Myers) - Region 3 3rd
Jovany Franklin (Miami Norland Senior) - Region 4 3rd
Bryce Alli (Pedro Menendez H.S.) - Region 1 4th
Deshawn Romeo (Jones H.s.) - Region 2 4th
Hunter White (Manatee) - Region 3 4th
Adonis Severe (North Miami) - Region 4 4th
Favorite: Brandon Cody (Jesuit)
Contenders:
Gage Wiggins (Braden River)
Ty Rodriguez (Brandon)
Kaleb Gabrielsen (Heritage)
Andrew Yeats (Mosley)
Darkhorse: Carlos Almanza (Sebastian River)
Bracketbuster: Husam Mustafa (Lake Wales)
Things to know:
Top side of the Bracket:
Kaleb Gabrielsen and Andrew Yeats are your Region Champs. Gabrielsen was 7th last year at 160 and is currently ranked #3 by Kabra. Yeats won Region 1 and is ranked #10. Gabrielsen draws #2 and Region 3 Runner-up Gage Wiggins in his quarter. Wiggins was 2nd last year at 160 and is 57-1 on the season after losing to Cody 1-0 in the Region 3 final (keep in mind that Wiggins beat Cody in sudden victory at Districts).
Wiggins draws Kabra’s #5 Husam Mustafa in the opening round. Gonzales vs. Contreras is the other 2 vs. 3 match up top with two wrestlers ranked #6 and #7 - definitely one to watch.
Bottom side of the Bracket:
Brandon Cody comes in as the favorite after downing Wiggins 1-0 last weekend. He shares the bottom side with Region 2 Champ and returning State Placer Ty Rodriguez of Brandon.
The 2’s and 3’s should feature some excellent matchups, but it would be a surprise if we didn’t get Cody vs. Rodriguez in the semis.
175 lbs.
The Field:
Christopher Chop (Fleming Island) - Region 1 Champ
Elijah Penton (Winter Springs) - Region 2 Champ
Chancellor Haber (Jesuit) - Region 3 Champ
Ryan Beirne (Satellite) - Region 4 Champ
Edward Craig (Beachside) - Region 1 2nd
Jaden Rosebury (Tampa Bay Tech) - Region 2 2nd
Mason Miller (Manatee) - Region 3 2nd
Gary Bradley (Bayside) - Region 4 2nd
Anthony Kearney (Riverside) - Region 1 3rd
Jace Brownlow (Lake Gibson) - Region 2 3rd
Tyler Charette (Cape Coral) - Region 3 3rd
Maximiliano Munoz-lysius (Archbishop Mccarthy Hs) - Region 4 3rd
James Opitz (Niceville) - Region 1 4th
Austin Williams (Brandon) - Region 2 4th
Isaac Schaeffer (Charlotte Hs) - Region 3 4th
Jacob Pitcher (Merritt Island) - Region 4 4th
Favorite: Elijah Penton (Winter Springs)
Contenders:
Christopher Chop (Fleming Island)
Ryan Beirne (Satellite)
Chancellor Haber (Jesuit)
Mason Miller (Manatee)
Darkhorse: Jaden Rosebury (Tampa Bay Tech)
Bracketbuster: Austin Williams (Brandon)
Things to know:
Top side of the Bracket:
The top side should be outstanding. Chop and Beirne are the region champs. Chop was 5th last year at 160 and Beirne was a SQ at 160. Beirne pinned his way to the Region 4 title and comes in ranked #2 by Kabra. Chop had 3 falls and a 5-0 decision of Craig to claim the Region 1 title - he is ranked #3 by Kabra.
The 2’s and 3’s matchups are ones to watch up here … returning State Placer Jace Brownlow (4th at 170) takes on fellow State Placer Mason Miller (6th at 170) in the opening round with the winner likely getting Beirne. That path is the toughest in the bracket.
Bottom side of the Bracket:
Elijah Penton is the returning 170 lb. State Champ. He 48-5 on the season with losses at the Walsh Ironman and a loss to 2x Georgia State Champion Dominic Bambinelli in the semis at the Knockout. He is the favorite to win another title this weekend. Chancellor Haber got a huge win over Miller in the Region 3 finals and now sits in the bottom quarter of the bracket. He does pull returning State Placer (8th at 170) Austin Williams of Brandon off the scale.
190 lbs.
The Field:
Jordan Mills (Matanzas) - Region 1 Champ
Jacob Rodriguez (Winter Springs) - Region 2 Champ
Jett McCauley (Charlotte Hs) - Region 3 Champ
Jivari Milton (Miramar) - Region 4 Champ
Sawyer VanRider (New Smyrna Beach Sr H S) - Region 1 2nd
Landon Daugherty (East River) - Region 2 2nd
Dastan Chiketaev (Palmetto) - Region 3 2nd
Jonathan Tumblin (Sebastian River) - Region 4 2nd
Issac Waters (Pace) - Region 1 3rd
Brody Switzer (Pasco) - Region 2 3rd
Marvin Mendez (Jesuit) - Region 3 3rd
Dominick Smith (Merritt Island) - Region 4 3rd
Talan Babin (Ponte Vedra) - Region 1 4th
Matteo Lasorsa (Horizon) - Region 2 4th
Trey Hill (Naples) - Region 3 4th
John Williams III (Ft Pierce Westwood) - Region 4 4th
Favorite: Jordan Mills (Matanzas)
Contenders:
Jett McCauley (Charlotte Hs)
Sawyer VanRider (New Smyrna Beach Sr H S)
Jivari Milton (Miramar)
Jacob Rodriguez (Winter Springs)
Darkhorse: Dastan Chiketaev (Palmetto)
Bracketbuster: Issac Waters (Pace)
Things to know:
Top side of the Bracket:
Jordan Mills was a State Runner-up two years ago and missed last season due to injury. He is back and is 48-0 this season with big wins over Conor McCloskey and Lucas Szymborski at Knockout as well as returning State Placer Sawyer Vanrider (5th at 182) several times. Mills shares the top side with Region 3 Champ and returning State Placer Jett McCauley of Charlotte (3rd at 182).
Keep an eye on #9 Dominick Smith and #11 Landon Daugherty as a first round match to watch up top.
Bottom side of the Bracket:
Jivari Milton and Jacob Rodriguez are the Region Champs on the bottom. Milton is ranked #6 and Rodriguez is ranked #10 according to Kabra.
Region 1 and 3 were stacked at 190 - so that means we should get some quality 2 vs 3 matchups and some top notch quarters.
First round matchups of #2 Sawyer Vanrider and #7 Marvin Mendez and #4 Dastan Chikataev vs. #5 Isaac Waters are definitely the ones to watch (perhaps in all of 2A). The winners of each of those matches will give whoever they get in the quarters a run for their money.
215 lbs.
The Field:
Tucker Cody (Middleburg) - Region 1 Champ
Jared Apple (Zephyrhills) - Region 2 Champ
Viliam Piekh (Charlotte Hs) - Region 3 Champ
Harper Noel (Heritage) - Region 4 Champ
Aaron Stacey (Clay) - Region 1 2nd
Gabrial Solis (Lake Gibson) - Region 2 2nd
Damontez McDowell (Manatee) - Region 3 2nd
Kaleb Ivie (Merritt Island) - Region 4 2nd
Kyle Nilsson (New Smyrna Beach Sr H S) - Region 1 3rd
Aaron Kunna (Brandon) - Region 2 3rd
Frank Cornelison (North Ft Myers) - Region 3 3rd
Lucson Emile (Dillard) - Region 4 3rd
Raymond Goforth (Ridgeview) - Region 1 4th
Israel Thornton (Auburndale Senior) - Region 2 4th
Logan Ngo (Mariner) - Region 3 4th
Maxinot Mondesir (Miramar) - Region 4 4th
Favorite: Tucker Cody (Middleburg)
Contenders:
Harper Noel (Heritage)
Kaleb Ivie (Merritt Island)
Viliam Piekh (Charlotte Hs)
Jared Apple (Zephyrhills)
Darkhorse: Damontez McDowell (Manatee)
Bracketbuster: Frank Cornelison (North Ft Myers)
Things to know:
Top side of the Bracket:
Tucker Cody and Jared Apple are the Region Champs up top. Cody comes in 56-1 on the season and nearly made the podium last year at 285. His only loss this season came to Jordan Mills at Capital City Classic in early December. Apple won Region 2 and is also a returning 285 lb. State Qualifier. Apple beat Solis 7-4 to win the Region title.
The best first round matchup here is a matchup of returning 220 lb. State Placers … Cornelison (7th) vs. Ivie (5th). Ivie lost to Noel in the Region 2 finals last week and Cornelison lost to McDowell in the Region 3 semis.
Bottom side of the Bracket:
Harper Noel and Viliam Piekh are your region champs. Neither were qualifiers a year ago, but both had outstanding runs to region titles. Noel pinned Ivie and Piekh pinned McDoell. Piekh pulls Maxinot Mondesir in the opening round … Mondesir is a returning 220 lb. SQ who lost to Ivie in the semis and then was pinned for 3rd by Emile.
285 lbs.
The Field:
Kevin Reyes (Fleming Island) - Region 1 Champ
John Arellano (Lake Gibson) - Region 2 Champ
Jaxon Newton (Charlotte Hs) - Region 3 Champ
Wilson Saint-Fleur (Atlantic) - Region 4 Champ
Logan McAlister (Mosley) - Region 1 2nd
Chase Eckman (East River) - Region 2 2nd
DeAndre Berry (Palmetto) - Region 3 2nd
Nathan Greenfield (Merritt Island) - Region 4 2nd
Ryder Luck (Lincoln) - Region 1 3rd
Carmine Morton (Gaither) - Region 2 3rd
Seth Tshiams (North Ft Myers) - Region 3 3rd
Noel Guycen (Mater Academy) - Region 4 3rd
Demontra Burnett (Riverside) - Region 1 4th
Franklie Marquez (Winter Springs) - Region 2 4th
Triston White (Cypress Lake) - Region 3 4th
Samuel Boatwright (Archbishop Mccarthy Hs) - Region 4 4th
Favorite: Kevin Reyes (Fleming Island)
Contenders:
John Arellano (Lake Gibson)
Jaxon Newton (Charlotte Hs)
Carmine Morton (Gaither)
Wilson Saint-Fleur (Atlantic)
Darkhorse: Ryder Luck (Lincoln)
Bracketbuster: Seth Tshiams (North Ft Myers)
Things to know:
Chaos. 285 in 2A could be straight up chaos. So many of the top 285’s have beaten one another this season.
Top of the Bracket:
Kevin Reyes and Jaxon Newton are the region champs. Reyes is currently ranked #1 by Kabra with Newton being #4. Neither were at the state tournament last year, but both have had good wins this season. Reyes avenged an earlier loss to Ryder Luck with a 3-1 decision in the Region 1 semis before downing McAlister 10-4. Newton had to go to ultimate tiebreakers in the Region 3 semis to down Makendy Jean (who then didn’t qualify for state - losing to eventual 3rd place finisher Seth Tshiams).
Keep an eye on Carmine Morton of Gaither. Morton lost by fall in the Region 2 semis to Arellano last weekend, but is ranked #5 by Kabra and is 41-3 on the season.
Bottom side of the Bracket:
John Arellano and Wilson Saint-Fleur are the region champs. Arellano pinned Morton and Eckman to win the Region 2 title. He comes in ranked #3 by Kabra and was a State Qualifier in 3A a year ago. Wilson Saint-Fleur won Region 4 with an 8-2 decision of Greenfield.
The only State Placer in the field was 3rd in Region 1. Ryder Luck lost to Reyes in the semis in Region 1. He draws Region 3 Runner-up DeAndre Berry who is ranked #7 by Kabra with the winner likely getting Arellano in what is the best quarter in the bracket.
