Region 1A-4: Preview and Predictions
FRIDAY-SATURDAY FEBRUARY 27-28, 2026 - at Cardinal Gibbons
Friday: Weigh-in: 12 p.m. | Wrestling starts: 1:30 p.m.
Saturday: Weigh-in: 8 a.m. | Wrestling starts: 9 a.m.
Welcome to one of my favorite traditions - the region previews.
For those that are reading one for the first time, here's a quick summary of what the region preview is.
I look at each bracket notate where wrestlers are ranked in the Kabra Wrestling Rankings and then start to break it down even more. You can find those rankings marked on the bracket images in the previews this year.
I look for head-to-head matchups, common opponents, and how each wrestler has been trending in the stretch run. I then question my rankings - and myself - and play out the entire bracket.
What follows is my best guess for how 1A-4 will play out.
You can print the 1A-4 region bracket here. (PDF)
I've carefully predicted the four state qualifiers in the order that I think they will finish. I've also listed wrestlers that could prove me wrong and make it to Kissimmee.
I will be wrong with these picks, and I'm okay with that. In fact, I love when kids prove me wrong (or prove me right). We even have the stickers to hand out.
These previews and predictions are meant to bring excitement to one of the most exhilarating and heartbreaking weekends in sports.
I assure you that I have no bias in my picks and truly wish the best for every wrestler competing this weekend.
And as always, these picks are for entertainment purposes only.
Now onto the preview:
Picks made based on current brackets at 10:00 p.m. on February 25, 2026.
Check out Kabra Wrestling’s Region Previews
Girls: Region 1 preview | Region 2 preview | Region 3 preview | Region 4 preview
Class 3A: Region 1 preview | Region 2 preview | Region 3 preview | Region 4 preview
Class 2A: Region 1 preview | Region 2 preview | Region 3 preview | Region 4 preview
Class 1A: Region 1 preview | Region 2 preview | Region 3 preview | Region 4 preview
Kabra's Picks
1. #4 Ryan Rojo (Miami Christian)
2. #7 Joel Henning (King's Academy)
3. #5 Jack Cabrera (Mater Lakes Academy)
4. #19 Jason Goff (Florida Christian)
Wrestlers who could prove me wrong: #20 Parker Young (True North); #23 Christopher Carbajal (Coral Springs Charter)
Opening round match to watch: P. Young vs. #24 Jaydn Young (Lincoln Park)
Kabra says: Rojo burst onto the scene late here and gets the nod as our favorite because of his wins over 3A wrestlers as we do not have any results against his competitors here. Cabrera being on the same side of the bracket gives us a chance to see early Saturday which one is the true favorite here.
Kabra's Picks
1. #3 Adrian Rojas (Miami Christian)
2. #4 Andres Garcia (Cardinal Gibbons)
3. #9 Dylan Presman (Miami Carol City)
4. #10 Ronn Steph Flores (Mater Lakes Academy)
Wrestlers who could prove me wrong: Peyton Keane (King's Academy); Dylan Andrea (Westminster Christian)
Opening round match to watch: Donald Kirkpatrick (Key West) vs. Flores
Kabra says: Another weight class with an up-and-coming seventh grader who has made his name by beating 3A competition and this time potentially facing a veteran who has two state tournaments on his resume. If Rojas and Garcia meet in the final, it’s safe to say that it could go either way. Of course we do have to pick one so we can be proved wrong.
Kabra's Picks
1. #5 Jake Margolis (Mater Lakes Academy)
2. #9 Sebastian McCoy (Coral Shores)
3. #15 Logan Bajor (Cardinal Gibbons)
4. #17 Jace Ferrer (Miami Sunset)
Wrestlers who could prove me wrong: #20 Luke Piedrahita (True North); #21 Miguel Ramirez (SLAM Miami)
Opening round match to watch: #25 Jacob Locatelli (King's Academy) vs. Piedrahita
Kabra says: Margolis has been a perfect fit into the Bears lineup, if only in limited use so far. The sophomore is our pick in a deeply talented weight class that could have as many as seven different wrestlers who are podium worthy.
Kabra's Picks
1. #1 Kellen Mesina (Mater Lakes Academy)
2. #11 Jake Arnesen (Cardinal Gibbons)
3. #7 Case Gustafson (Miami Christian)
4. #13 Leonardo Trejos (Florida Christian)
Wrestlers who could prove me wrong: #15 Jacob Ferguson (Key West); #17 Christian Escalante (Jupiter Christian)
Opening round match to watch: #23 Thomas Rudd (Clewiston) vs. Brycen Munz (Westminster Christian)
Kabra says: Defending state champion Mesina is the one to watch here and we’ll get to see his main competition earlier than expected as Gustafson is in the same side of the bracket. The Miami Christian wrestler is one of the top middle school wrestlers around and could give us a thrilling semi.
Kabra's Picks
1. #1 Keagan Mesina (Mater Lakes Academy)
2. #3 Elijah Castanon (Miami Christian)
3. #5 Gavin Matheis (Coral Shores)
4. #12 William Bussott (Clewiston)
Wrestlers who could prove me wrong: #15 Jason Ciano (Cardinal Newman); #20 Maverick Peugh (Cardinal Gibbons)
Opening round match to watch: Peugh vs. Jonathan McKenzie (Coral Springs Charter)
Kabra says: Two state champions in the final? Yes, please. This might be the only one that has this potential in all of the regions. They’ve not met, this will be worth your ticket price, no matter what it is. Don’t forget about Matheis in here too.
Kabra's Picks
1. #3 Chris Greene (Mater Lakes Academy)
2. #7 Roberto Linares (Westminster Christian)
3. #13 Willie'd White (SLAM Miami)
4. #22 Ethan Rega (Jupiter Christian)
Wrestlers who could prove me wrong: #14 Skyler Barreto (Cardinal Gibbons); Kyle Condella (Key West)
Opening round match to watch: Alfie Pretel (King's Academy) vs. Fransico Suarez (Miami Jackson)
Kabra says: Greene didn’t wrestle in his district final, but if he’s close to 100% this weekend, he’s still the one to beat here. The returning state finalist leads a solid bracket that could see a Top 15 wrestler stay home.
Kabra's Picks
1. #3 Bruce Li (Mater Lakes Academy)
2. #8 Dominick McGarry (King's Academy)
3. #11 Andy Diaz (True North)
4. #13 Dylan Munz (Westminster Christian)
Wrestlers who could prove me wrong: #15 Enzo Amado (Cardinal Gibbons); #25 Zayne Yawar (Coral Springs Charter)
Opening round match to watch: Munz vs. Derwin Brown (Miami Carol City)
Kabra says: Dan Ward’s favorite wrestling name is a favorite in this region. He wasn’t at full strength when he placed 8th at state last year and is looking to move up the podium. The group chasing the final two spots is formidable and while we’ve gone with district champions McGarry and Diaz to lead the way, Munz and Amado could take one or two of the spots.
Kabra's Picks
1. #1 Mason O'Dell (Mater Lakes Academy)
2. #11 Ryan Winters (King's Academy)
3. #14 Elijah Perez (Coral Springs Charter)
4. #21 Caden Cagiano (Cardinal Gibbons)
Wrestlers who could prove me wrong: #23 Andres Linares (Westminster Christian); #25 Stefano Delafuente (SLAM Miami)
Opening round match to watch: Nathaniel Tristram (Coral Shores) vs. Miles Deal (St. Andrews)
Kabra says: O’Dell is back to form this season after winning the state title in 2023. He’ll be one of the favorites next weekend and certainly is here this weekend.
Kabra's Picks
1. #5 Jacob Lobis (Pine Crest)
2. #6 Matyas Dercsar-Kovacs (Cardinal Gibbons)
3. #9 Landyn Munz (Westminster Christian)
4. #11 Sterling Keefe (Coral Shores)
Wrestlers who could prove me wrong: #13 Lucas Santiago (True North); #14 Kevin Pena (SLAM Miami)
Opening round match to watch: #21 Matheus Honigman (Miami Carol City) vs. Pena
Kabra says: This bracket not only has eight ranked wrestlers, but also the possibility to see a #6 vs. #9 bout in the quarterfinals. Lobis earned the top spot on our podium after a major decision triumph over Dercsar-Kovacs in the 1A-14 district final.
Kabra's Picks
1. #1 Kalias Nazario (Mater Lakes Academy)
2. #5 Andrew Chen (Pine Crest)
3. #6 Isaac Fayer (Cardinal Gibbons)
4. #9 Michael Guzman (Key West)
Wrestlers who could prove me wrong: #20 Lonnie Clanton (Miami Carol City); Parker Sullivan (Cardinal Newman)
Opening round match to watch: Parker Sullivan (Cardinal Newman) vs. Clanton
Kabra says: Defending state champion Nazario is looking to end his career with a second title and should earn his third region title here. Chen’s district final win over Fayer gives him a shot to reach the final here.
Kabra's Picks
1. #7 Ibrahim Gowon (Miami Central)
2. #8 Brandon Simmons (Miami Carol City)
3. #10 David Beltran (Coral Shores)
4. #19 Langdon Ramey (Cardinal Gibbons)
Wrestlers who could prove me wrong: #15 Ethan Stone (Pine Crest); #21 Jeremiah Hill (Lincoln Park)
Opening round match to watch: Hill vs. Reginald Jones (Miami Northwestern)
Kabra says: Three district champions in the top 10 and they haven’t faced each other. Who would you pick to win this one? Is it different than ours?
Kabra's Picks
1. #7 Juan Mars (Miami Central)
2. #10 Darian Vargas (Mater Lakes Academy)
3. #11 Tyce Porcher (King's Academy)
4. #12 Andrew Lopez (Westminster Christian)
Wrestlers who could prove me wrong: #25 Braeden Silva (Florida Christian); Sebastian Ramirez (Cardinal Gibbons)
Opening round match to watch: Ramirez vs. Luan Herbst (St. Andrews)
Kabra says: In what is a theme in the region, we have four district champions on our podium and none of them have faced each other this year. They’re all also returning state qualifiers from a year ago, with Vargas placing 8th at 175 pounds. Mars has the biggest wins on paper, so he gets the nod from us here.
Kabra's Picks
1. #1 Peter Mocco (Cardinal Gibbons)
2. #4 Duke Rimes (Jupiter Christian)
3. #7 Eric Hospedales (Florida Christian)
4. #14 Andre Hepburn (Miami Central)
Wrestlers who could prove me wrong: #15 Richard Lugo (Mater Lakes Academy); #16 Hamari Abraham (SLAM Academy)
Opening round match to watch: Abraham vs. #19 Elijah Olowu (Miami Carol City)
Kabra says: Mocco is the favorite to win here and the main thing to watch in this weight class is the battles between Hepburn, Lugo, Abraham, and Olowu as they compete for that final state tournament invite.
Kabra's Picks
1. #1 Michael Mocco (Cardinal Gibbons)
2. #4 Alexandre Allens (Key West)
3. #5 Galven Derilus (Lincoln Park)
4. #11 Maximilian Garzano (Mater Lakes Academy)
Wrestlers who could prove me wrong: #14 MichaelAngelo Alvarez (Ronald Reagan); Aundre Franklin (Miami Killian)
Opening round match to watch: Franklin vs. Shang Image (Cardinal Newman)
Kabra says: The best summation of this weight class is that you have four worthy wrestlers battling for three spots on the podium behind one of the top high school wrestlers in Florida state history.