Girls: Team effort powers Freedom to second girls team title | Weight class breakdowns
BY BRANT PARSONS —Freedom’s girls wrestling program had already made history once in Florida, winning the first-ever team title after the sport was officially sanctioned by the FHSAA.
Last weekend, the Patriots made history again, becoming the first team to win the girls state team title twice.
“We’re the first to do it twice we were promoting girls wrestling before it was being promoted and that makes this moment even more special,” Freedom head coach David Bush said. “There were a lot of good girls teams here and we showed our power on how we handled adversity and bounced back after losses.”
The historic win was achieved without a single individual state champion. An accomplish last achieved by the 2002 St. Cloud boys wrestling team.
“With the effort and attitude on this team and how they support each other, we knew we could win a team title here and not have one champ,” Bush said. “We have the depth and talent through the whole team to win matches on the backside of the brackets and I think it says a lot when you can win a team title that way.”
And Freedom did just that, placing eight wrestlers and getting points for 10 of their 11 athletes in Kissimmee.
Paola Ramirez was the highest placer for the Patriots. The senior reached the 130-pound final where she dropped a major decision loss to two-time state champion Willow White.
Three Freedom wrestlers bounced back from a loss to finish third. Hananeel Gregoire (105), Gabriela Kerber (110), and Mekialla Mauvais (235)
“We preach to them all that they are there to get their title, but then you’re there for your team after that,” Bush said. “When that first goal falls, you have to go get the next best thing and that’s to step up for your teammates and that’s what defines your character and who you are as a wrestler.”
Ceajah Brown (5th, 145), Aimar Donastorg (6th, 190), Josie Reeves (8th, 100), and Kamila Alvis Rosa (140) also finished on the podium for the Patriots.
“It’s hard to come by teams like this,” Bush said. “It’s hard to have the kind of season we’ve had and it has been a pleasure to coach every one on the team. I hope there’s a team that can follow it up, but I’d put this team up against anyone — it’s a special group.”
G-100
Champion: Paola Perez dec. Rebecca Marin 9-6. Perez rolled through the tournament, not getting scored on in her first three matches and then rallied for a state title in the third period of the final.
How they placed:
1. Paola Perez (Mater Lakes Academy)
2. Rebecca Marin (Doral Academy)
3. Sayuri Caceres (Lincoln)
4. Aniyah Whayne (Kissimmee Osceola)
5. Ashlie Schlegel (Palmetto)
6. Rylee Beville (Cocoa Beach)
7. Sophie Booe (Palm Harbor University)
8. Josie Reeves (Freedom)
Best non-finals match: Whayne dec. Lydia Gonzalez (South Dade) TB-1 3-2. Whayne scored on an escape with 11 seconds left to force extra time in their match to reach the podium.
Bracket buster: Reeves. She was the lowest ranked wrestler in the bracket to have placed. After losing her first-round match, the Freedom junior rallied with two-straight pins to reach the podium.
What we’ll remember most: Perez and Marin met four times during the season and their fifth meeting didn’t disappoint. Defending state champion Caceres showed her grit after losing to Marin in the quarterfinals, the Lincoln senior rolled four straight wins to finish third.
Final bracket:
Kabra’s picks:
G-105
Champion: Kiera Partello dec. Grace Jawulski 12-6. Partello was on the offensive all night and scored three takedowns and a reversal to win her first state title.
How they placed:
1. Kiera Partello (Barron G Collier)
2. Grace Jawulski (Brandon)
3. Hananeel Gregoire (Freedom)
4. Emerson Webber (Hernando)
5. Tiffany Francisco (Western)
6. Hadassa Majano Herrera (Winter Springs)
7. Gabi Nathan (Park Vista)
8. Sophia Wojnar (Bartram Trail)
Best non-finals match: Wojnar p. Francisco 4:58. Wojnar was down 5-0 in the third period of this opening round match when she took the lead 6-5 and finished the comeback with a win by fall.
Bracket buster: Webber. Webber proved that Kabra had it wrong with her and she placed fourth after entering the tournament ranked No. 9 in Kabra’s rankings.
What we’ll remember most: Partello became the first daughter of a Florida state champion to win a state title at the same high school. Tony Partello won two state titles for Barron Collier in 1993 and 1994.
Final bracket:
Kabra’s picks:
G-110
Champion: Camdyn Elliott p. Jordan Deglace 3:24. After a scoreless first period, Elliott scored a takedown and then won her second straight state title by fall.
How they placed:
1. Camdyn Elliott (Gulf Breeze)
2. Jordan Deglace (Strawberry Crest)
3. Gabriela Kerber (Freedom)
4. Jazlyn Diaz (Riverdale)
5. Elizabeth Pinto (Viera)
6. Memphis Moses (Middleburg)
7. Scarlett Huaman (Winter Springs)
8. Melanie Loynaz (Mater Academy)
Best non-finals match: Deglace dec. Kerber SV-1 17-14. This one was of the best semifinals on Friday. Kerber jumped out to a 6-1 lead in the first and then Deglace rallied in the second to take an 11-9 advantage into the third. The two exchanged points with Kerber tying it up with 29 seconds left on a reversal before Deglace booked a spot in the finals with a takedown just 17 seconds into sudden victory.
Bracket buster: Scarlett Huaman. After finishing fourth in her region, the Winter Springs senior entered the weekend as our No. 15 in the state. After losing her first round match, Huaman won three of her next four to finish in seventh place, including an upset win over #3 in the placing round. Honorable mention to Deglace, who reached the state final after finishing third in her region and being ranked #8.
What we’ll remember most: Elliott has become a mainstay for the state finals in Florida, reaching them in all four seasons.
Final bracket:
Kabra’s picks:
G-115
Champion: Melissa Gallo p. Nova Estrada 3:43. Gallo was dominant in the final and was leading 6-0 when she won by fall in the second period.
How they placed:
1. Melissa Gallo (Florida Christian)
2. Nova Estrada (North Bay Haven)
3. Fallon Dames (Middleburg)
4. Mackenzie Allcroft (Ft Pierce Central
5. Natalia Sanchez (Winter Springs)
6. Catalina Kenney (Viera)
7. Isabella Hull (North Ft Myers)
8. Isabella Tellez (Doral Academy)
Best non-finals match: Dames dec. Maya Alvarado (Freedom) 8-7. In the quarterfinals, Dames jumped out to a big lead and then held off a late rally to reach the semifinals.
Bracket buster: Estrada. The North Bay Haven eighth grader tore through the bottom half of the bracket to reach the finals.
What we’ll remember most: Gallo caught the state’s attention with her performance last season as a sixth grader, this year she confirmed she will be a tough one to beat the next five seasons.
Final bracket:
Kabra’s picks:
G-120
Champion: Kendal Haynie p. Caitlin Bohrer 2:35. Haynie ended a back-and-forth match with a pin just 25 seconds into the second period. The two wrestlers exchanged three reversals in the second period before Haynie sealed her first state title.
How they placed:
1. Kendal Haynie (Wakulla)
2. Caitlin Bohrer (Ft Pierce Central)
3. Anabella Junco (Florida Christian)
4. Carmen Moya (Miami Palmetto)
5. Vanessa Whitelock (Admiral Farragut Academy)
6. Kailea Villavicencio (Archbishop McCarthy)
7. Mary McKinney (Choctawhatchee)
8. Ariel Walker (Belleview)
Best non-finals match: Bohrer dec. Villavicencio 5-4. With a spot in the finals on the line, Bohrer scored a match-winning reversal in the start of the third period and then held on to reach the finals.
Bracket buster: Bohrer. All of region four ended up on the podium here, so placing fourth in the region was not a shocker. But the Fort Pierce Central junior than won three straight matches to reach the final.
What we’ll remember most: Haynie finished the year undefeated as was the heavy favorite coming into the weekend and while she secured the expected title, she and Bohrer put on a great show in the finals from the first whistle to the pin.
Final bracket:
Kabra’s picks:
G-125
Champion: Arianna Ruiz maj. Sophie Simons 12-0. Ruiz punctuated a dominant weekend with a shutout win in the final to win her first state title.
How they placed:
1. Arianna Ruiz (Mater Lakes Academy)
2. Sophie Simons (Naples)
3. Caly Rodriguez (Brandon)
4. Ryauna Nepomuceno (Viera)
5. Cameron Lord (Sunlake)
6. Cora Hayes (North Ft Myers)
7. Samantha Tobia (Park Vista)
8. Claudia La Costa Perez (Oviedo)
Best non-finals match: Simons dec. Leilah Carter (Fleming Island) SV-1 19-16. A memorable quarterfinal saw Carter build up a 16-9 lead in the third period before Simons rallied. Simons final points of the period were two nearfall points as the clock expired to force sudden victory. She sealed her spot in the semifinals with a takedown 40 seconds in.
Bracket buster: Tobia. She was ranked #11 by Kabra and finished on the podium, winning the seventh place match.
What we’ll remember most: In her fifth trip to the state tournament (she’s only a sophomore), Ruiz punctuated a fantastic season with a command performance.
Final bracket:
Kabra’s picks:
G-130
Champion: Willow White maj. Paola Ramirez 14-5. White earned her second state title with championship performance all weekend. The South Dade senior scored four takedowns and a reversal in the final.
How they placed:
1. Willow White (South Dade)
2. Paola Ramirez (Freedom)
3. Kami Rice (Charlotte)
4. Jordan Herron (Chiles)
5. Alyssa Doolittle (North Ft Myers)
6. Rose Karakolis (Park Vista)
7. Kaja Williams (Parrish)
8. Katrina Smith (Davenport)
Best non-finals match: Doolittle dec. Karakolis OT 10-7. With fifth place on the line, Doolittle secured a takedown with 10 seconds left in the third period to force the overtime and then won fifth place with a takedown in the extra frame.
Bracket buster: Smith. The Davenport senior finished fourth in her region and third in her district before having a memorable weekend at Silver Spurs, finishing in eighth place.
What we’ll remember most: White danced through a tournament and weight class that featured tough wrestlers.
Final bracket:
Kabra’s picks:
G-135
Champion: Kailani Barrientos dec. Eysis Estes-Brinson 8-2. Barrientos controlled a tight match before blowing it open before a six point move in the third period to clinch her first title.
How they placed:
1. Kailani Barrientos (Oakleaf)
2. Eysis Estes-Brinson (Miami Palmetto)
3. Sarah Walsh (Middleburg)
4. Shamari Smith (South Dade)
5. Gabrielle Asabi (Sunlake)
6. Alexis Hutter (Braden River)
7. Kylee Hopkins (Baker County)
8. Gracie Austin (Charlotte)
Best non-finals match: Asabi dec. Hopkins SV-1 3-0. This quarterfinal match was 0-0 after regulation. Neither could score in the first period and then each wrestler rode the other the entire two minutes. A takedown 23 seconds into sudden victory advanced Asabi to the semifinals.
Bracket buster: Austin. A stretch to find a bracket buster but the Charlotte senior was ranked #11 after region weekend and earned a spot on the podium here.
What we’ll remember most: Barrientos winning her first state title after two third-place finishes was the perfect end to her story. She was tops in a weight class that featured some of the most experienced wrestlers here with seven of the eight on the podium being seniors.
Final bracket:
Kabra’s picks:
G-140
Champion: Kiiaana Gavere dec. Ennis Coakley 14-7. The Pace senior blew open a laser-tight match in the third period with a takedown and three nearfall points in the final minute to win her first state title.
How they placed:
1. Kiiaana Gavere (Pace)
2. Ennis Coakley (Sunlake)
3. Zoe Delgado (Florida Christian)
4. Julianna Caisse (St. John Neumann)
5. Jayla Sanders (Bartow)
6. Maryellen Wingate (Lake Mary)
7. Naomi Luna (Aquilla J. Morgan)
8. Kamila Alvis Rosa (Freedom)
Best non-finals match: Gavere dec. Delgado 10-9. Gavere controlled this highly-anticipated semifinal match from the gun, building a 9-3 lead. Delgado’s furious comeback fell short with the Pace senior advancing to her second straight state final with the win.
Bracket buster: Luna. The Morgan junior was ranked #11 by Kabra after region weekend, where she placed fourth. She ended up on the podium in seventh place here.
What we’ll remember most: Pace’s Gavere was the best wrestler in one of the deepest weight classes. Her win in the semifinals was a suitable punctuation to her state title weekend.
Final bracket:
Kabra’s picks:
G-145
Champion: Ailee Briggs p. Taylor Pelchat 0:50. Briggs achieved perfection with a quick pin after a dominating first minute of the final.
How they placed:
1. Ailee Briggs (Lemon Bay)
2. Taylor Pelchat (St Augustine)
3. Alisha Vilar (Flagler Palm Coast)
4. Sariah Forgione Franco (Cypress Creek)
5. Ceajah Brown (Freedom)
6. Lineshka Joseph (North Miami)
7. Shreevidya Rohini (Chamberlain)
8. Allison Blanco-Cruz (Olympic Heights)
Best non-finals match: Franco dec. Rohini SV-1 18-11. This was a thrilling quarterfinal match with each wrestler owning the lead at different points. In the overtime period, Franco took Rohini down and scored four nearfall points with seven seconds left to advance.
Bracket buster: Vilar. After a third place finish in her region tournament, the Flagler Palm Coast junior turned it on this weekend, beating the #2-ranked wrestler along the way to reach the semifinals and finish third in the state. Another bracket buster was Blanco-Cruz. The Olympic Heights senior finished on the podium after being ranked too low by Kabra at #15.
What we’ll remember most: Briggs will graduate from Lemon Bay as one of the most decorated girls wrestlers in state history. She won three titles in four finals appearances.
Final bracket:
Kabra’s picks:
G-155
Champion: Arianna Antoniou p. Zaria Slater 4:38. The East Lake senior jumped out quick and never stopped with the pressure, finally winning by a pin while up 12-5.
How they placed:
1. Arianna Antoniou (East Lake)
2. Zaria Slater (Lake Mary)
3. Christal Desir (Forest Hill)
4. Emily Mccormack (Windermere)
5. Veronica Madrid (Destin)
6. Bailey Beechler (Charlotte)
7. Loghan Anzualda (St. John Neumann)
8. Sarah Branch (Bay)
Best non-finals match: Branch dec. Marelin Soriano-Vasquez
(Lake Brantley) 14-11. Branch held on to advance in this opening consolation round match. The Bay junior jumped out to an 11-2 lead in the first period and then fought off a valiant comeback to move on and eventually reach the podium.
Bracket buster: Branch. The Bay junior bounced back from a fourth place finish in her region to reach the podium here - beating the opponent who had placed third above her two weeks ago.
What we’ll remember most: This one was a tough weight class coming in with a Kansas state champion and an undefeated wrestler who was the highest returning placer and neither reach the final here. Antoniou’s steadiness and Slater’s big time run to the final were the highlights here.
Final bracket:
Kabra’s picks:
G-170
Champion: Isabella McFarlane dec. Alexa Calidonio TB-1 2-1. These two put on a tightly-battled contest between two great wrestlers. They had to go to the second overtime for McFarlane to capture the title with an escape.
How they placed:
1. Isabella McFarlane (King)
2. Alexa Calidonio (Flagler Palm Coast)
3. Riley Lancaster (Admiral Farragut Academy)
4. Brooke Arbic (Niceville)
5. Savanah Nazario-Darnell (Viera)
6. Jada Haughton (Dr. Krop)
7. Ariana Blanc (Douglas)
8. Tor`Rina Rushing (Mosley)
Best non-finals match: McFarlane dec. Lancaster 4-3. An exciting semifinal match, McFarlane pulled off the win with a takedown with 28 seconds left.
Bracket buster: Arbic. The Niceville senior was one of the biggest bracket busters on the weekend. Arbic finished fourth in her region and then placed fourth in the state after reaching the semifinals.
What we’ll remember most: McFarlane found that magic she had at the Knockout and walked out of Silver Spurs for the second time this season with a big prize, this time the state championship. We’ll also remember the brave no-quit effort given by Rushing. Seriously injured in her region semifinal match, the Mosley junior battled hard all three days and finished on the podium.
Final bracket:
Kabra’s picks:
G-190
Champion: Paisley Murphy p. Arheanna Bryan 5:45. Murphy finished her undefeated season with a fantastic battle with Bryan, finally earning her fourth pin of the weekend with 15 seconds left in a 5-4 match.
How they placed:
1. Paisley Murphy (Sunlake)
2. Arheanna Bryan (Taravella)
3. Makayla Ocean (Archbishop McCarthy)
4. Amirah Williams (South Dade)
5. Hazuki Sykes (Sumner)
6. Aimar Donastorg (Freedom)
7. Aliyah Hodge (Northeast)
8. Eva Kavaja (Hagerty)
Best non-finals match: Alexandra Marcano (Innovation) dec. Bella Wall (Harmony) 8-7. This opening round match saw Marcano jump out to a 4-0 lead in the second before Wall followed up a takedown with four nearfall points. With one second left, Marcano won the match with a takedown and advanced to the quarterfinals.
Bracket buster: Hodge. The St. Pete Northeast senior finished third in her region and was ranked 11th entering the state tournament. She finished on the podium and won her final match to finish seventh.
What we’ll remember most: Murphy going 29-0 and winning her title in exciting fashion after trailing 4-2 as time was winding down. And Bryan battling all the way to the end in the final after he monster win in the semifinals over the Knockout champion.
Final bracket:
Kabra’s picks:
G-235
Champion: Kenzie Barrett dec. Zeinab Mourad 7-1. South Dade sophomore Barrett patiently wrestled her match and scored points when given the chance to win her first state title.
How they placed:
1. Kenzie Barrett (South Dade)
2. Zeinab Mourad (Douglas)
3. Mekialla Mauvais (Freedom)
4. Makayla Brianvil (Lincoln Park Academy)
5. Camila Halaby-Bravo (Florida Christian)
6. Ky`Mari Riley (Tampa Freedom)
7. Katelynn Holt (Harmony)
8. Sabrina Richards (Boca Ciega)
Best non-finals match: Mauvais p. Halaby-Bravo 5:49. In a rematch of their quarterfinal round meeting, the Freedom junior led 5-4 late in the third before she turned her for the win, avenging her loss and earning the third place finish.
Bracket buster: None. The podium consisted of wrestlers ranked in the Top 9 and only one wrestler finished two spots ahead of their ranking. This was a bracket that really didn’t get crazy.
What we’ll remember most: This was one of the most competitive weight classes all season and it didn’t let us down in Kissimmee with thrilling matches and big time pins.
Final bracket:
Kabra’s picks: