Region 2A-2: Preview and Predictions

FRIDAY-SATURDAY FEBRUARY 27-28, 2026 - at Brandon High School

Friday: Weigh-in: 10 a.m. | Wrestling starts: 11:15 a.m.

Saturday: Weigh-in: 9 a.m. | Wrestling starts: 10 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 2A-2 will play out.

You can print the 2A-2 region bracket here. (PDF)

I've carefully predicted the four state qualifiers in the order that I think the 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).

These previews and predictions are meant to bring excitement to one of the 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.

Kabra's Picks

1. #3 Ethan Raley (Brandon)

2. #4 Jaxson Hackett (Lake Gibson)

3. #5 Robert Frijouf (Tampa Jesuit)

4. #12 Rylan Redfield (WC Cypress Creek)

Wrestlers who could prove me wrong: #13 Zach Baginski (River Ridge); #14 Daniel Abreu (Kissimmee Gateway)

Opening round match to watch: Redfield vs. Alejandro Mendoza (Auburndale)

Kabra says: Oh my goodness! This is a tasty bracket to start this exciting tournament off. You have the recently crowned district champion in Raley leading the way ahead of Lake Gibson’s Hackett and Tampa Jesuit’s Frijouf.

Kabra's Picks

1. #1 RJ Phelan (Lake Gibson)

2. #2 Zachary Leto (Tampa Jesuit)

3. #4 Jackson Stouffer (Brandon)

4. #14 Jason Perez (Kissimmee Gateway)

Wrestlers who could prove me wrong: #20 Luis Lugo Riccitui (Lyman); #24 Brayden Hoyt (Gulf)

Opening round match to watch: Gio Melendez (River Ridge) vs. Christopher Steveson (Auburndale)

Kabra says: Phelan and Leto could be on track for a second straight region final contest. The Lake Gibson defending state champion is 2-0 against Leto this season. An intriguing semifinal between Leto and Stouffer could be on the docket early Saturday.

Kabra's Picks

1. #4 Jarold Cervantes Beune (Lake Gibson)

2. #6 Yenzon Decastro (Brandon)

3. #13 Cash Cailliau (Tampa Jesuit)

4. #24 Joseph Carey (River Ridge)

Wrestlers who could prove me wrong: #25 Isaiah Rivera (East River); Oscar Castro-Cordero (Springstead)

Opening round match to watch: Tyson Warner (Lyman) vs. Cannan Woessner (Gulf)

Kabra says: Cervantes Beune made an emphatic statement in his district final match with Decastro, winning by a technical fall. He’s the favorite here and we expect him to return to the state tournament for the first time since 2024 as a region champ.

Kabra's Picks

1. #2 Tyler White (Lake Gibson)

2. #12 Daniel Delashaw (Brandon)

3. #13 Ethan Smith (Tampa Jesuit)

4. #20 Norris Mayo (East River)

Wrestlers who could prove me wrong: #22 Andrew Schleman (WC Cypress Creek); #25 Daniel Buford (Auburndale)

Opening round match to watch: Gabriel Gandulla (Tavares) vs. Buford

Kabra says: White enters the weekend as a the favorite here after a hard-fought 4-2 decision over Delashaw in the district final last week. The returning state placer is our pick as he also owns a 10-6 win over Smith.

Kabra's Picks

1. #3 Roberto De Jesus (Lake Gibson)

2. #12 Jaden Weisgal (Brandon)

3. #15 Marco DeMayo (Tampa Jesuit)

4. #22 Kevin Hannigan (River Ridge)

Wrestlers who could prove me wrong: #25 Matias Cuevas (Kissimmee Gateway); Harold Bermudez (Leto)

Opening round match to watch: Bermudez vs. Angel Castillo (Auburndale)

Kabra says: DeJesus and Weisgal, both fifth-place finishers a year ago, did not meet in their district final last weekend. We say that could both find themselves in the same spot on Saturday afternoon.

Kabra's Picks

1. #1 Reid Yakes (Tampa Jesuit)

2. #7 Jordan Harrison (Lake Gibson)

3. #12 Logan Duncan (Gulf)

4. #16 Nelson Copo (River Ridge)

Wrestlers who could prove me wrong: #19 Preston Thornton (Lakeland); #20 Jose Davalillo (Kissimmee Gateway)

Opening round match to watch: Dominic Canale Lyman) vs. #24 Aramis Alvarez (Tampa Bay Tech)

Kabra says: Three-time state placer Yakes won the one meeting this season with Harrison, a 7-1 decision. Duncan owns three wins over Copo, who beat Thornton 7-5 this season.

Kabra's Picks

1. #5 Isaac Lowe (Lake Gibson)

2. #6 Caden Krsul (Tampa Jesuit)

3. #16 Maxwell McKay (Brandon)

4. #24 Elijah Cineas (Tampa Bay Tech)

Wrestlers who could prove me wrong: Keith Gilbert (Springstead); Enzo Fernandez (Kissimmee Gateway)

Opening round match to watch: Cineas vs. Frank Muir (River Ridge)

Kabra says: Lowe and Krsul did not meet when Lake Gibson and Tampa Jesuit battled in the region final at state duals. It’s tough to get a read on this potential final and we could see an argument for either one to win here. McKay reached the blood round here last year and is looking to book his first ticket to the state tournament.

Kabra's Picks

1. #1 Mason Basile (Tampa Jesuit)

2. #3 Jayden Frey (River Ridge)

3. #4 Travonte Burgess (Lakeland)

4. #16 Connor Switzer (Pasco)

Wrestlers who could prove me wrong: #9 Spencer Timm (Lake Gibson); #23 Caleb Cole (Brandon)

Opening round match to watch: Khairi Coleman (Tavares) vs. Coles

Kabra says: This weight class has three of the top four in the state lucking in the bracket. Basile is the favorite here and has two technical fall wins over Frey. In the bottom half of this bracket, the River Ridge sophomore owns a 4-2 victory over Burgess in what could be a semifinal preview. The rest of the bracket is interesting and could see a top 10 wrestler miss out a a state tournament ticket.

Kabra's Picks

1. #10 Jaxon Arfaras (Lake Gibson)

2. #6 Cooper Garcia (Tampa Jesuit)

3. #13 Daniel Quinones (Springstead)

4. #18 Xaviar Aguirre (Zephyrhills)

Wrestlers who could prove me wrong: #19 Luis Bastardos (Brandon); #24 Dawson Mann (River Ridge)

Opening round match to watch: Mann vs. Javier Benitez (Gaither)

Kabra says: We could have another Lake Gibson-Tampa Jesuit final here. When they met in the state duals, Arfaras won by a major decision. A repeat performance would give the freshman a region title.

Kabra's Picks

1. #1 Kawayran Vazquez (Tampa Jesuit)

2. #3 Konstantin Khaspekian (Lake Gibson)

3. #10 Mateo Martinez (Lakeland)

4. #22 Isaiah Infante (WC Cypress Creek)

Wrestlers who could prove me wrong: Joshua Rakowski (Springstead); Dawud Exil (Brandon)

Opening round match to watch: Logan Ward (Gulf) vs. Bryce Tackett (Zephyrhills)

Kabra says: Another final where we could see the top two teams in the region battling it out. Vazquez is a two-time state finalist and owns a major decision win over Khaspekian this season. We feel comfortable filling the rest of the podium with our other two ranked wrestlers in this bracket.

Kabra's Picks

1. #2 James Garrett (Springstead)

2. #3 Andrew Bray (Zephyrhills)

3. #7 Paul Wright (Lake Gibson)

4. Jordan Bonacasa (River Ridge)

Wrestlers who could prove me wrong: #18 Andres Franqui (Brandon); Jiovanni Spencer (Gulf)

Opening round match to watch: Franqui vs. Spencer

Kabra says: Garrett and Bray have not met this season but the two seniors have both had great campaigns. Garrett gets the slight edge as the favorite as he is a two-time Class 1A state placer and three-time state qualifier. Wright has distanced himself from the field here and looks like a solid podium pick, but that fourth spot could be another hot area to watch in this bracket.

Kabra's Picks

1. #8 Parker Miller (Edgewater)

2. #10 Robert Bossowski (Tampa Jesuit)

3. #9 Sal Bonacasa (River Ridge)

4. #12 Mason Desandolo (Lake Gibson)

Wrestlers who could prove me wrong: #13 Gabriel Ceus (Tampa Bay Tech); #14 Innocent McGuire (Gaither)

Opening round match to watch: Ryder Osborn (Kathleen) vs. McGuire

Kabra says: This is a wild bracket. Six wrestlers ranked 8-14 will compete for four podium positions. Miller gets the nod among the four the district champions we’ve put on the podium, but he hasn’t faced any of the other three. Bonacasa has a win over Bossowski, but finds himself on the same side as Miller. That semifinal is a toss-up in our eyes. So is this entire weight class.

Kabra's Picks

1. #1 Jeremiah Chavis (Lake Gibson)

2. #2 Kaleb Johns (Springstead)

3. #6 Jelani Bentley (Tavares)

4. #9 Marvin Mendez (Tampa Jesuit)

Wrestlers who could prove me wrong: #12 Rome Freeman (Tampa Bay Tech); #15 Judah Miller (Edgewater)

Opening round match to watch: Freeman vs. Jeremiah Armstrong (Fivay)

Kabra says: Top-ranked Chavis is the clear favorite here. The two-time state placer has two wins over Johns this season and would be the pick if they meet again. Bentley and Mendez both have shown a skillset that would be rewarded with a state tournament appearance, but they’ll need to hold off Freeman and Miller.

Kabra's Picks

1. #3 Luis Jimenez (Brandon)

2. #5 Ari Bentley (Tavares)

3. #6 Leyland Callahan (Lake Gibson)

4. #8 Jakari Johnson (Lake Region)

Wrestlers who could prove me wrong: #11 Anthony Rametta (Tampa Jesuit); #13 Jerome Rivers (Sebring)

Opening round match to watch: Rametta vs. Rivers

Kabra says: If any heavyweight bracket in this region round can be classified with a “anything can happen at heavyweight,” this might be the one. We do have a sturdy favorite in Jimenez, who owns wins over Bentley, Callahan, and Johnson — but all of those matches have been close. This will be an interesting watch as the region tournament winds down.

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2026 Region 2A-1 Preview
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2026 Region 2A-3 Preview