Class 1A: Mater Lakes roars to second straight team state title | Weight class breakdown
BY BRANT PARSONS — Mater Lakes left no doubt in the FHSAA State Wrestling Class 1A team tournament earlier this month.
The Bears comfortably put away the team title early in the weekend as they got big time performances from their stars — and the guys you may not have seen coming.
Mater Lakes finished the tournament with 210.5 points, 46 points more than runner-up St. John Neumann.
The Bears finished with two state champions with Kellen Mesina (126) and Kalias Nazario (165) repeating as title winners and 11 wrestlers finishing on the podium.
“I feel like our supporting cast, they really showed up,” Neufeld said. “There were some guys we weren't sure if they were in a place or where they were going to end up, and they placed top six, top four, and it's those guys that show a testament to our program. We get them ready and they peaked out here and they did a good job.”
Nazario finished the season undefeated and prompted his coach to remember his journey.
“We are getting these kids when they were in like, seventh grade, eighth grade and Kalias, he was my guy,” Neufeld said. “He was a seventh grader and didn't really have anything going for him. I took him in and told him ‘Hey, you're gonna do it, man, I believe in you’ and to watch his wrestling his last match was special,” Neufeld said while fighting back emotions.
Jack Cabrera (106), Keagan Mesina (132), Christopher Greene (138), and Bruce Li (144) finished in second while Mason O’Dell (150), Cesar Aguilar (157) and Richard Lugo (215) secured fourth. The medal haul was completed with Darian Vargas (fifth at 190) and Jake Margolis (sixth at 120).
“They surprised a lot of people, even us, not just you.”
1A-106
Champion: Ryan Rojo dec. Jack Cabrera 7-1. The Miami Christian seventh grader used takedowns in the first and second period to win his first-ever state title.
How they placed:
1. Ryan Rojo (Miami Christian)
2. Jack Cabrera (Mater Lakes Academy)
3. Jett Johnson (Cocoa Beach)
4. Greyson Mcdonald (St. John Neumann)
5. Vindaryus White (Palm Bay)
6. Soren Bakkar (Bishop Kenny)
7. Thiago Finuff (Liberty County)
8. David Serrano (Merritt Island)
Best non-finals match: Rojo dec. McDonald 10-7. In an exciting semifinal match, Rojo jumped out early with two first-period takedowns and then finished the match with a finals-clinching takedown in the third period.
Bracket buster: VinDaryus White (Palm Bay). The sophomore entered the weekend ranked #14 by Kabra after finishing third in his region tournament. White won three matches on the back side including his fifth place match.
What we’ll remember most: A loaded weight class filled with middle schoolers and high schooler put on a great show all weekend and it was another Miami Christian stud who won a state title.
Final bracket:
Kabra’s picks:
1A-113
Champion: Bryce Fiore dec. Adrian Rojas 4-2. One of the best middle school wrestlers in the country earned his state title with a close win over another Florida seventh grader.
How they placed:
1. Bryce Fiore (St. Johns Country Day)
2. Adrian Rojas (Miami Christian)
3. Asher Cabral (Cocoa Beach)
4. James Sanders (St. John Neumann)
5. Andres Garcia (Cardinal Gibbons)
6. Gavin Najera (Bell Creek)
7. Dylan Presman (Miami Carol City)
8. Logan Dean (Lemon Bay)
Best non-finals match: Garcia dec. Najera SV-1 8-5. Garcia scored a takedown 37 second into sudden victory to come out on top in this opening round match. They met again for fifth place with Garcia winning 1-0.
Bracket buster: Dylan Pressman (Miami Carol City). The 12th-ranked sophomore made it to the podium by winning two straight on the backside.
What we’ll remember most: The future of Florida wrestling looks solid as the top three kids in this weight class are seventh graders.
Final bracket:
Kabra’s picks:
1A-120
Champion: Benito Barnhart maj. Koa DeLoach 15-3. After a scoreless first period, Barnhart took control of the match with a takedown in the second and then poured it on in the third, outscoring his opponent 11-2 to secure the state title.
How they placed:
1. Benito Barnhart (St. John Neumann)
2. Koa DeLoach (North Bay Haven)
3. Anthony Acquafredda (Cocoa Beach)
4. Everett Stephens (Aubrey Rogers)
5. Hudson Sweitzer (Bishop Verot)
6. Jake Margolis (Mater Lakes Academy)
7. Makana Tieri (Merritt Island)
8. Logan Bajor (Cardinal Gibbons)
Best non-finals match: Acquafredda dec. Stephens 2-1. Acquafredda scored a match-winning reversal with just eight seconds in the match to snatch third place in the final moments.
Bracket buster: Bajor. The Cardinal Gibbons junior came into the weekend ranked #14 by Kabra and he earned his spot on the podium, beating #11 and #10.
What we’ll remember most: Barnhart missed most of the second-half of the season after a devastating injury back in December. He not only made it back for the postseason, he won a state title.
Final bracket:
Kabra’s picks:
1A-126
Champion: Kellen Mesina dec. William Harvey TB-1 6-3. These two met for the third time this season and all three times they ended regulation tied 1-1. The first two times went to the ultimate tie-breaker but this time Harvey scored a reversal before Mesina escaped and scored the winning takedown.
How they placed:
1. Kellen Mesina (Mater Lakes Academy)
2. William Harvey (Wakulla)
3. Erik Perez (St. John Neumann)
4. Case Gustafson (Miami Christian)
5. Lukah Zherka (Aubrey Rogers)
6. Leonardo Torres (Stanton Prep)
7. Dj Dunn (The Villages)
8. Chris Dominguez (Avon Park)
Best non-finals match: Perez dec. Dylan Lunsford (Bishop Kenny) SV-1 11-8. The eventual third place finishing Perez needed a takedown with 32 seconds left just to force overtime. In sudden victory, the St. John Neumann senior scored the winning takedown with 23 seconds left.
Bracket buster: Dominguez. A third place finish in his region had him ranked #12 coming into the state tournament. The Avon Park senior won two matches to reach the podium.
What we’ll remember most: Mesina and Harvey gave us three amazing meetings this season and the last one did not disappoint.
Final bracket:
Kabra’s picks:
1A-132
Champion: Jasper Croom p. Keagan Mesina 2:55. These two battled to a scoreless tie in the first period before Croom made his move in the second. After an escape, Croom scored on a takedown and then turned it into a pinning move to win his first title.
How they placed:
1. Jasper Croom (Florida)
2. Keagan Mesina (Mater Lakes Academy)
3. Elijah Castanon (Miami Christian)
4. Jalal Naghib (St. John Neumann)
5. Bekim Zherka (Aubrey Rogers)
6. Leland Flaherty (Evangelical Christian)
7. Gavin Matheis (Coral Shores)
8. Jackson Bennett (Citrus)
Best non-finals match: Croom dec. Castanon SV-1 5-2. One of the most anticipated semifinals did not disappoint. Croom got a late escape after a Castanon reversal in the third to force the match to sudden victory. The two battled hard in the extra frame with the eventual state champion Croom pulling off the win with nine seconds left.
Bracket buster: Bennett. The Citrus senior is technically a “bracket buster” because he is the lowest ranked wrestler on the podium. But we also picked him to finish in the same spot he did finish.
What we’ll remember most: This was a loaded weight class with two state champions in the way of Croom. The Florida High junior topped them both to win his first state title.
Final bracket:
Kabra’s picks:
1A-138
Champion: Timmy Boda dec. Christopher Greene 8-7. Boda leapt out to a 6-1 lead in the first period after two takedowns and then earned his second state title.
How they placed:
1. Timothy Boda (Merritt Island)
2. Christopher Greene (Mater Lakes Academy)
3. Adrian Day (Cocoa Beach)
4. Broc Dahlin (Bayshore)
5. Skyler Barreto (Cardinal Gibbons)
6. Brady Jackson (Wakulla)
7. Mikah Ikeda (Episcopal)
8. Russ Haas (St. John Neumann)
Best non-finals match: Barreto dec. Jackson 7-6. Barreto’s second takedown of the match was enough to win this fifth-place match. The Cardinal Gibbons junior scored the winning takedown with 41 seconds left.
Bracket buster: Barreto. We did not having the Cardinal Gibbons junior placing in our predictions and the district champion not only reached the podium, but place fifth in the state.
What we’ll remember most: Defending state champion Boda was tested along the way in the postseason by Greene and Day but showed the level he is at by winning a second-straight crown.
Final bracket:
Kabra’s picks:
1A-144
Champion: Lincoln Sledzianowski tech. Bruce Li 19-4. The St. John Neumann senior scored six takedowns to win his second Florida state title.
How they placed:
1. Lincoln Sledzianowski (St. John Neumann)
2. Bruce Li (Mater Lakes Academy)
3. Landon Quiroga (Merritt Island)
4. Sterling Hollingsworth (Florida)
5. Aaron Robinson (Wakulla)
6. Giovanni Perez (Dunedin)
7. Kealan Sieni (Cocoa Beach)
8. Ryan Hancock (Bishop Kenny)
Best non-finals match: Sieni dec. Hancock 4-3. Sieni wrestled five matches over the weekend each of them was decided by two points or less. The Cocoa Beach captain won his placing match on the strength of nearfall points in the third.
Bracket buster: Hancock. A week before, the Bishop Kenny freshman had placed fourth in his region tournament. In Kissimmee, Hancock won two straight matches by fall and reached the podium.
What we’ll remember most: Sledzianowski’s return to Florida got the proper sendoff after a state title season that saw him beat the other two state champions at this weight class.
Final bracket:
Kabra’s picks:
1A-150
Champion: Jacob Reber dec. William Buckley 5-4. Reber’s second period takedown gave him the lead and then the McKeel senior held off a flurry of attacks by Buckley down the stretch to win the title.
How they placed:
1. Jacob Reber (Mckeel Academy)
2. William Buckley (St. John Neumann)
3. Howard Hill (St. Johns Country Day)
4. Mason O`Dell (Mater Lakes Academy)
5. Noah Leota (SLAM Tampa)
6. Elliot Sear (Lemon Bay)
7. Troy Thaxton (Wakulla)
8. Nolan West (Merritt Island)
Best non-finals match: Buckley dec. Hill 6-5. A thrilling semifinal match went down to the wire with Buckley earning a takedown with 14 seconds left in the match to advance to the finals.
Bracket buster: Thaxton. The entire podium was filled with Top 10 wrestlers, but Thaxton is one that we missed out on, picking him to prove us wrong - which he did.
What we’ll remember most: A highly-competitive weight class delivered a final that wasn’t decided until the last moments.
Final bracket:
Kabra’s picks:
1A-157
Champion: Gustavo Ferreira p. Jason Schiavello 2:45. Ferreira controlled the match from the start, scoring three takedowns before putting it away with a fall in the second period.
How they placed:
1. Gustavo Ferreira (Cocoa Beach)
2. Jason Schiavello (CCC)
3. Kevion Williams (Palm Bay)
4. Cesar Aguilar (Mater Lakes Academy)
5. Jacob Lobis (Pine Crest)
6. William McKenzie (North Bay Haven)
7. Terrence Hinson (Florida)
8. Matthew Lopez-Rojas (Lemon Bay)
Best non-finals match: McKenzie dec. Richmerlens Cliferme (St. John Neumann) 13-12. McKenzie had to rally from being 10-0 down in the first period of this placing round match. The North Bay Haven sophomore rallied with three takedowns in the second period and then won the match with a reversal and stall call in the third.
Bracket buster: Lobis and McKenzie. Both wrestlers finished in fourth place in their region tournament and each advanced to the fifth-place match where they faced each other.
What we’ll remember most: In his fourth attempt at state, Ferreira proved to be the top wrestler in the bracket with a dominating weekend performance.
Final bracket:
Kabra’s picks:
1A-165
Champion: Kalias Nazario tech. Andrew Chen 22-6. The Mater Lakes senior won his second state title in impressive fashion, dominating the final with seven takedowns.
How they placed:
1. Kalias Nazario (Mater Lakes Academy)
2. Andrew Chen (Pine Crest)
3. Garry Woessner (Dunedin)
4. Sam Madden (South Walton)
5. Isaac Fayer (Cardinal Gibbons)
6. Aaron Horr (Cocoa Beach)
7. Braeden Mills (St. John Neumann)
8. Levi Chancey (Weeki Wachee)
Best non-finals match: Mills dec. Chancey SV-1 6-3. The seventh-place match was scoreless entering the third period when the action picked up. Heading to sudden victory tied at 3-3, Mills scored the winning takedown with just 2 seconds left.
Bracket buster: Madden. We felt that the South Walton senior might outperform his ranking - he did - and even more so than we though. Madden reached the third place match after a fantastic weekend.
What we’ll remember most: Nazario, who has been a fixture in the state finals that past four seasons, ends his high school career on top after winning his second straight state title and earning tears from his coach when talking about what Nazario has meant to him and his program.
Final bracket:
Kabra’s picks:
1A-175
Champion: Bennett Sweitzer dec. Jacob Bacon 5-2. In a tight battle, Sweitzer earned a state title with a takedown in the third period to win his school’s first-ever wrestling state title.
How they placed:
1. Bennett Sweitzer (Bishop Verot)
2. Jacob Bacon (Aubrey Rogers)
3. Angel Prieto (Bishop Moore)
4. Jordan Haigler (Florida)
5. Brandon Simmons (Miami Carol City)
6. Caleb Causey (Mckeel Academy)
7. Johnathan Moder (St. John Neumann)
8. Bear Siegal (North Bay Haven)
Best non-finals match: Bacon dec. Prieto SV-1 4-1. Bacon scored a takedown 27 second into sudden victory after the two wrestlers battled to a tough 1-1 tie in regulation.
Bracket buster: Nobody. The Top 8 wrestlers in our rankings finished on the podium, though in a slightly different order. No wrestler performed more than two spots better than their ranking.
What we’ll remember most: Bennett not only won arguably the hardest weight division in Class 1A, he also made school history. We’ll also look back on the successful wrestling career of Moder. A four-time state runner-up and state placer as a senior this year.
Final bracket:
Kabra’s picks:
1A-190
Champion: Tre Driggett maj. Arron McCarty 10-2. Driggett capped off an incredible season with a dominant performance in the state final.
How they placed:
1. Tre Driggett (Merritt Island)
2. Arron McCarty (Robinson)
3. Kian Blyss (Hernando)
4. Nathan Pond (Cocoa Beach)
5. Darian Vargas (Mater Lakes Academy)
6. Colton Fickett (Mount Dora)
7. Calvin Ross (Wewahitchka)
8. Tyce Porcher (The King`s Academy)
Best non-finals match: Ari Rupe (SLAM Tampa) dec. Ross SV-1 10-7. Both wrestlers scored seven points in a wild second period and then Rupe pulled off the big upset with a takedown 28 seconds into sudden victory.
Bracket buster: Porcher. After a third-place finish in his region, the King’s Academy senior was on the outside looking in on our predictions. He proved Kabra wrong and maybe a few others to reach the podium.
What we’ll remember most: In a weight class that was loaded with potential state champions, Driggett distinguished himself among the competition and showed his work paid off with a state title victory.
Final bracket:
Kabra’s picks:
1A-215
Champion: Peter Mocco tech. Blake Roulund 19-2. Mocco didn’t waste much time on the mat all weekend and won this final in 2:20.
How they placed:
1. Peter Mocco (Cardinal Gibbons)
2. Blake Roulund (Cardinal Mooney Catholic)
3. Duke Rimes (Jupiter Christian)
4. Richard Lugo (Mater Lakes Academy)
5. Brett Bearden (The Bolles)
6. Jayshaun Contegiacomo (Weeki Wachee)
7. Elijah Willis (Anclote)
8. Blake Barodte (Wakulla)
Best non-finals match: Contegiacomo dec. Eljiah Olowu (Miami Central). Contegiacomo rallied in the opening round to win 12-8 and advance to the quarterfinals.
Bracket buster: Lugo. Mater Lakes had that magic touch and Lugo was one of many to outperform our expectations.
What we’ll remember most: Peter Mocco will continue the family legacy in style as he dominated the state tournament for his second individual title.
Final bracket:
Kabra’s picks:
1A-285
Champion: Michael Mocco tech. Alexandre Allens 20-4. It was the end of an era for one of Florida’s best all-time high school wrestlers. Mocco won his fourth state title and ended his high school career with a bow and a flip.
How they placed:
1. Michael Mocco (Cardinal Gibbons)
2. Alexandre Allens (Key West)
3. Taylor Davenport (Baldwin)
4. Nathanael Lovelace (Berkeley Prep)
5. Holden Corbin (Suwannee)
6. Lennox Washington (Evangelical Christian)
7. Elijah Cardwell (Astronaut)
8. Jeremy Priest (Titusville)
Best non-finals match: Davenport p. Washington 5:59. These two battled for almost the entire six minutes. Davenport was leading 6-5 in the consolation semifinal match when he won by fall.
Bracket buster: Lovelace. Eight of our top nine reached the podium. The only one we didn’t pick to place who did was Lovelace, who ended up fourth in the state.
What we’ll remember most: Everybody in Silver Spurs will be able to talk about how they were there the night Mocco won his last Florida high school state title. The national champion wrestler is off to Iowa next but we’re all lucky to get one more viewing in the Sunshine State.
Final bracket:
Kabra’s picks: