By SHANNON HEATON
TWN Reporter Guy
Nearly a quarter of the state's wrestling programs were represented at either the George Jenkins IBT in
Lakeland or at the 31st annual Flagler Rotary Invitational in Palm Coast this past weekend.
In fact, more than half the state could be found at one of a handful of IBTs -- and a couple of duals
events, too -- this past weekend where results were searchable by TWN. Let's take a look inside...
George Jenkins IBT: At Lakeland, the biggest tournament of the weekend (47 teams) included a war of
team heavyweights, as 1A's top-ranked Lake Highland Prep and 3A's top-ranked South Dade squared up,
and the result was a Highlander margin of victory of 71.5 points, as LHP outpointed the Buccaneers, 391319.5.
Somerset Academy (3rd in 1A) was third with 213 points, with Freedom (Orlando) (T-16th in 3A) fourth
at 203.5 and Wellington (T-11th in 3A) fifth at 128.
106 -- 3A's top-ranked Bretli Reyna of South Dade won the title with a 16-3 major decision over Lake
Highland Prep's Jake Wohltman (6th in 1A) in the finals. Anthony Lopez (1st in 2A) rallied from a loss by
fall in the round of 16 to finish third, decisioning Mater Academy's Jonathan Ley, 7-5.
113 -- 1A's top-ranked Ryan Chauvin of Lake Highland Prep won a matchup of 2016 state champions,
downing 3A's top-ranked Elijah Varona of South Dade by a 3-1 count in the final. Strawberry Crest's
Manny Ramirez decisioned Somerset Academy's Darian Estevez (5th in 1A), 5-1, for third.
120 -- 1A's top-ranked Lucas Willis of Somerset Academy won the bracket with a 3-1 decision in the
championship match over South Dade's Tyler Orta (6th in 3A). The third-place match saw Jupiter
Christian's Eric Barnes (11th in 1A) win by fall in 1:38 over Freedom (Orlando)'s Smaill Saint Pierre.
126 -- Hector Candelaria of Somerset Academy (5th in 1A) made it back-to-back titles, downing
Wellington's Jared Abramson (5th in 3A), 7-2, for the bracket victory, as both took down 2016 state
champs in the semis. South Dade's Christian Morales decisioned Freedom (Orlando)'s Marcus Jean
Baptiste (6th in 3A), 6-3, for third.
132 -- 1A's top-ranked Joey Silva of Lake Highland Prep pinned his way through the bracket, with a thirdperiod fall in 5:26 over Tyler Difiore of Wellington (6th in 3A). For third, Buchholz's Gant Moore (6th in
3A at 138) pinned Sickles' Jacob Darr (12th in 3A) in 3:51.
138 -- 1A's top-ranked Mason Wohltman of Lake Highland Prep decisioned Chance Sharbono of Braden
River (2nd in 2A), 6-4, to win the title. Joel Ramirez of South Dade (8th in 3A) pinned Ryan Brown of
Lakewood Ranch in 3:11 to finish in third.
145 -- 1A's top-ranked Kai Bele of Lake Highland Prep took the Highlanders' third bracket in a row
(fourth overall) with a 4-2 decision over 3A's top-ranked Brevin Balmeceda for the title. Freedom
(Orlando)'s Stephon Halliburton (11th in 3A at 152) downed Freedom (Tampa)'s Alex Kiester (7th in 3A),
6-5, for third.
152 -- Tampa Prep's Anthony Artalona (2nd in 1A) won the championship with an 8-5 decision over
North Port's John Cruz (2nd in 3A) in the finals, with South Dade's Todd Perry (3rd in 3A) winning 1-0 in
the third-place match over Max Cosmides of Lake Highland Prep.
160 -- 1A's top-ranked Jake Brindley of Lake Highland Prep (at 152, wrestling up) teched Bishop Moore's
Brad Kata (5th in 1A), 16-1, for the championship. The third-place match saw Somerset Academy's
Nicholas Benton (3rd in 1A) decision Freedom (Orlando)'s Briso Aimable (6th in 3A at 170) by an 8-4
count.
170 -- 1A's top-ranked Erich Byelick of Lake Highland Prep (at 160, wrestling up) majored Somerset
Academy's Juan Vernaza (3rd in 1A at 182), 10-1, in the finals; meanwhile, South Dade's Mikael Fundora
(7th in 3A) pinned Sarasota Military's Mason Gordon in 1:45 for third.
182 -- 1A's top-ranked Bryce Rogers of Lake Highland Prep (at 170, wrestling up) made it back-to-back
for the Highlanders' seventh bracket, pinning Southeast's Stephen Kelle (4th in 1A) in 1:45 for the title.
Wellington's Eric Saber (8th in 3A at 170, wrestling up) took third with a fall in 1:31 over Somerset's Raul
Gierbolini (3rd in 1A at 170, wrestling up).
195 -- Freedom (Orlando)'s Justin Marotta took the title with a 7-3 decision in the finals over Lakewood
Ranch's Chase Sharp. For third, Palm Beach Gardens' Eric Jones (8th in 3A) decisioned Daniel Miranda of
Somerset Academy, ranked 5th in 1A, 7-5.
220 -- In another battle of top-ranked defending state champions, 3A's top-ranked Chei Hill of South
Dade outlasted 1A's top-ranked Ben Goldin of Lake Highland Prep for a 4-3 win. Southeast's Darrien
Grant (5th in 1A) pinned Jupiter Christian's Kyven Higgins (6th in 1A) in 48 seconds to take third.
285 -- 2016 defending state champion Dylan Meeks won the bracket with an 11-2 major over Curtis Ruff
of Lake Highland (11th in 1A). In the third-place match, Braden River's Brendan Bengtsson pinned North
Port's Schovelis Peterson in 1:05.
Flagler Rotary: At Palm Coast, in a two-day, 33-team IBT, fans got a taste of how the 3A-Region 1
tournament might go down, as Winter Springs (4th in 3A) -- behind five individual titles -- led wire-towire over the hosts (T-6th in 3A) and Fleming Island (2nd in 3A), scoring 243 points to Flagler Palm
Coast's 214.5 and Fleming Island's 213.5.
Jensen Beach (5th in 2A) edged Hagerty (T-11th in 3A), 175-172, for fourth in the event. Wakulla (7th in
1A) was the small schools' top team in the field, finishing sixth with 146 points.
Here's what happened at each weight class:
106 -- Fleming Island's Briar Jackson (2nd in 3A) pinned his way through the bracket, falling Hagerty's
Ryan Rowland (3rd in 3A) in 5:50 in the title match. Astronaut's Carson Kirk (8th in 1A) majored
Wakulla's Matthew Owen (15th in 1A) for third, 15-3.
113 -- Jayden Bradshaw of Boone (13th in 3A) beat three higher seeds en route to the title, including his
pin of Jensen Beach's Wyatt Kirkham (5th in 2A) in 1:27 in the final. Larry Smith of Wakulla (2nd in 1A)
shut out Oakleaf's Ryan Rosano, 5-0, for third.
120 -- The hosts' Michael DeAugustino (2nd in 3A) picked up his team's lone title, downing Fleming
Island's DeAndre Demus (4th in 3A), 5-2, in the finals. For third, Heritage's Seth Adeclat (12th in 2A)
edged Jensen Beach's Joey Tufo (10th in 2A), 3-2.
126 -- Boone's Lucas Rodriguez (2nd in 3A) dominated the final against Astronaut's Louis Cortez (3rd in
1A at 120, wrestling up), 12-1, for the title. Winter Springs' Matthew Phillips won by injury default in the
third-place match over Wakulla's Max Owen (8th in 1A).
132 -- Andrew Klopman of Jensen Beach (3rd in 2A at 132) won the bracket with a 4-2 decision in the
finals over Hagerty's Emauni Smithson (8th in 3A). The hosts' Damion Figuorea downed Fleming Island's
Trace Insalaco (11th in 3A) by an identical score in the third-place match.
138 -- Hagerty's Ethan Woods (5th in 3A) rolled to an 11-1 major decision over the hosts' Michael
Martins (8th in 3A) to take the championship, with Jensen Beach's Caelin Cascione taking an 18-4 major
in the third-place match over Matt Pickett of Bartram Trail (10th in 2A).
145 -- Dimitri Alicea (4th in 3A) of Winter Springs took home the Bears' first gold with a 5-2 decision over
Sandalwood's Cameron Bell (5th in 3A). In the third-place match, Hernando's Codey Maniates (8th in 1A)
downed Jensen Beach's Forest Boyland (11th in 2A at 138, wrestling up) by an 8-2 score.
152 -- Hagerty's Oliver Hart won the title with an 8-3 decision over the hosts' Tyrone Jones (14th in 3A at
145, wrestling up). In the third-place match, DeLand's Yoaquim Rios had a quick fall (46 seconds) over
Brendan Jones of Creekside.
160 -- Top-ranked (3A) Max Wohlabaugh of Winter Springs brought in the Bears' second title, teching
Jensen Beach's Blake Wiswell (8th in 2A), 22-7, in the finals. For third, 3A's sixth-ranked Will Hennessy of
DeLand edged Sandalwood's Chandler Bell, 3-1.
170 -- Cole Mitchell of Winter Springs (2nd in 3A) made it back-to-back titles for the Bears with a 6-4 win
over previously-unbeaten Brandon Dickman of Creekside (2nd in 2A). In the third-place match, Lake
Brantley's Nate Ferkovich (#5 in 3A) beat the fourth-ranked Steve Canidate for the hosts, 5-0.
182 -- Top-ranked Jason Davis (3A) gave Fleming Island its second title of the weekend, downing thirdranked Jason DeGroat of Winter Springs, preventing a threepeat by the Bears with a 3-0 decision in the
final. In the third-place match, New Smyrna Beach's Josh Brouillette pinned the hosts' Eddie Bryant (9th
in 3A) in 59 seconds.
195 -- In a matchup of 3A-District 1 rivals, Fletcher's Narek Stepanyan stopped Fleming Island's Ryan
Smenda (3rd in 3A), 3-1, in extra time for the title. DeLand's Raymond Haverty (2nd in 3A) won by forfeit
over Winter Springs' Jessiah Contreras to take third.
220 -- Winter Springs won its fourth title as Montana Lewis (4th in 3A) pinned Bartram Trail's Kolton
McDaniel (11th in 2A) in 2:40 in the finals. For third, Wakulla's Marlon Ng (12th in 1A) also won by fall, in
1:48, over Flagler Palm Coast's Tyler Irigoyen.
285 -- Second-ranked (3A) TJ Boyd of Winter Springs pinned Christian Gomez of Hagerty (7th in 3A) to
win the Bears' fifth bracket of the tournament. In the third-place match, Fleming Island's Jose
Concepcion won by forfeit over Josiah McCallum of Bishop Kenny (9th in 1A).
LCAC IBT: At Fort Myers, Riverdale (3rd in 2A) dominated the meet, picking up half of the individual
weight-class titles and rolling to a 135.5-point margin of victory, 322-186.5, over host Ft. Myers (4th in
2A).
Cypress Lake (7th in 2A) was third, outpointing North Fort Myers, 175-134.
The Raiders bagged seven weight-class brackets over the course of the two-day, 13-team IBT event,
placing no worse than third in any of the 14 weights.
Tajh Clayton (8th in 2A at 106), Lleyton Taylor (6th at 113), Nelson Ortiz (6th at 145), Jesse Martinez (2nd
at 152), top-ranked Hunter Weeks (160), Damion Garcia (182) and top-ranked Cole Schneider (285) all
were victorious for Riverdale.
The runnerup Green Wave had three LCAC champions to their credit, with Chris Rivera (#2 in 2A at 120),
Justin Rivera (top-ranked at 126) and Matt McQuinn (2nd at 195) all winning brackets of their own.
Cypress Lake finished with two champions -- Jalen Soto (#1 in 2A at 138) and Jermaine Teague (5th at
170).
Also picking up titles on the weekend were Mariner's Christian Minto (#1 at 132) and Dunbar's Judas
McKenzie (4th in 1A at 220).
Live Greco: At Lutz, Tampa Jesuit (T-14th in 2A) held off Palm Harbor University (13th in 3A), 165-159, to
win the 18-team, two-day IBT tournament hosted at Steinbrenner HS.
The tournament was created to honor youth wrestler Greco Roman Bouzakis, who lost his fight with
cancer in November of last year.
This year, 10 different schools had at least one champion, with Jesuit, third-place Riverview, sixth-place
Land O'Lakes (T-14th in 2A) and eighth-place Sarasota all collecting two.
Jesuit's champions were Matt Daner (5th in 2A at 126) and Ethan Basile (2nd at 132). Basile edged 4thranked (2A) Troy Nation of Land O'Lakes, 10-9, in the 132 final.
Riverview won at 106 behind Tyler Forrest (106) and Evan Akel (220), with Land O'Lakes taking titles
with Jarrett Kinney (120) and Josh Spears (9th in 2A at 152). Sarasota's champions were Michael Bush
(113) and Austin Gould (195).
Other champions in the tournament were Demetrius Anderson of St. Cloud (13th in 3A at 138), JaeKwon
Bryant of Hillsborough (160), Gabe Gonzalez of Deltona (170), Gaither's Brad Bolesta (3rd in 2A at 182)
and Palm Harbor University's Matthew Westbay (13th in 3A at 285), plus Southmoore, OK's Mason Ivey
at 145.
Wolfpack Invitational: At Orlando, Apopka -- behind back-to-back-to-back title efforts from 170 to 195 - overcame Melbourne, 220-161, in the 16-team, two-day IBT hosted by Timber Creek.
Lake Mary was third with 159 points, followed by the hosts in fourth at 130.5.
Quentin Wilson (170), Logan Celella (4th in 3A at 182) and Zach Gallon (4th at 195) were champions for
the Blue Darters.
By contrast, Melbourne picked off its victories in the middle, with Gabe Etienne (126), Chandler Holder
(15th in 3A at 132) and Owen Graham (145) all taking home brackets. Lake Mary had two champions in
Jordan Goldman (138) and Dan Lively (13th in 3A at 160).
Timber Creek and Lake Nona (fifth as a team) also each had two champions. The Wolfpack saw Corban
Arana (11th in 3A at 113) and Antonio Estrada (11th at 120) pick up brackets, with the Lions getting gold
from Christopher Navarro (106) and Christian Sosa (152).
Other champions in the event were Atlantic's Matt Whitehouse (2nd in 1A at 220) and Olympia's Mac
McNeilly (285).
5 Star Invitational: At Jacksonville, Florida High (6th in 1A) won three individual titles in successfully
defending its 2016 team crown.
Jake Richardson (4th at 145), Will Haigler (2nd at 182) and Cam Brown (3rd at 195) were all champions
for the Seminoles, which saw 13 of their 15 wrestlers place in the event.
Ridgeview narrowly outpointed Yulee for the runnerup spot, 156.5-154. The Panthers earned
championships behind Marcus Reid (1st in 2A at 120, wrestling up at 126) and Saeid Ejmali (8th at 138),
while Yulee's champions were Stevie Chopek (11th in 1A at 113) and Dylan Youmans (10th at 120).
Other champions in the 14-team, two-day IBT were Baker County's Cole Cushman (106) and James
Barnett (170), Raines' Jaquan English (7th in 1A at 126, wrestling up at 132), Westside's Delmontae Davis
(152) and Tariq Hookfin (10th in 1A at 285), Fernandina Beach's Joseph Helm (14th in 1A at 160) and
Atlantic Coast's Darius Idlebird (220).
Ryan Bidwell Memorial: At Englewood, Venice (T-10th in 2A) held off the hosts, 173-154, for the team
title. The Indians put together weight-class wins from Simon Ullrich (8th at 126), Dan Stone (7th at 132),
Hunter Moline (138), Jacob Mathis (6th at 152), Marc Towers (160), Luke Veigel (6th at 170) and Kyle
Johnson (4th at 220).
Lemon Bay picked up weight-class victories from Tyler Brady (10th in 1A at 113) and Albert Werden (6th
at 120) in the 11-team, one-day round-robin format.
Other champions on the day were Evangelical Christian's Matt Malavsky (4th in 1A at 106), Sebring's
Rich Silver (145) and Corey Harris (182), Pinellas Park's Scott Woodson (195) and Dixie Hollins' Jesse
Smith (2nd in 2A at 285).
Diamondback Duals: At Belleview, Lincoln (9th in 2A) and Springstead had quite a tussle on Friday night
during the two-day round-robin duals event, and their battle -- which resulted in a 36-33 victory for the
Trojans -- ultimately decided the team title in Lincoln's favor.
Otherwise, the Trojans rolled to victory, with an average margin of victory of 51.3 points in the other
seven duals on the weekend, as Lincoln defeated Citrus (57-18), Interlachen (72-10), Trinity Catholic (786), West Port (71-10) the host Diamondbacks (63-18), Villages (64-12) and Weeki Wachee (49-21).
Lincoln had four wrestlers go 8-0 on the weekend: Michael Crowder (120, five pins), Justin Grant (160,
five pins), Josh Martin (220, four falls) and Thomas Moss (285, 2 pins & 2 majors).
Parker Duals: At Jacksonville Parker, Harmony won 10 of 14 matches in the championship dual against
Orange Park, as the Longhorns scored maximum points in all 10 for a 60-22 victory over the Raiders in
the 12-team, two-day duals tournament.
Harmony defeated North Bay Haven (71-6), First Coast (57-19), The Master's Academy (72-11), Ponte
Vedra (75-6) and Mandarin (60-24) during pool play. The Longhorns had an average margin of victory of
51.2 points on the weekend.
Orange Park was not challenged much in its pool, with wins over Englewood (50-21), Wewahitchka (4224), Stanton (42-16), Terry Parker (42-24) and Bradford (42-17), despite having several starters out of
the lineup.
Mandarin defeated Englewood, 48-32, for third place, with First Coast edging Wewahitchka 27-25 for
fifth.