Class 1A state wrestling preview and predictions

NOTE: Due to timing, we are making these live and will continue to fill in “Kabra Says”

BY BRANT PARSONS —Welcome to our 2026 state tournament preview and predictions.

This is yearly tradition that is meant to be both a viewing guide and fun way to look ahead to the best three days of the season.

We’ve changed it up a bit this year and given you an inside peek into how the picks are made.

In the past, we’d print out the brackets and make notes on it, use the Kabra Wrestling rankings, and then make a pick for each match. Then a summary would be written for each weight class.

Those note-stained pages are now graphics you will see at the top of every weight class in the preview.

This preview is a snapshot in time on what I felt would happen in this tournament when I wrote the preview. If I was to go through and write it again, I’m sure there are some that would be different. There does tend to be a good deal of scratching out on my brackets when I do this.

As always, there is no bias that goes into these picks and they are meant for entertainment purposes only. I don’t cheer for my bracket to be right, in fact, the most memorable moments related to these previews are the kids that proved me wrong and then told me that they did.

In fact, when I’m covering the state tournament, I often don’t even remember the picks that I made. I’m too excited just watching the great action.

Best of luck to each of the state qualifiers that will compete this weekend. Just reaching the state tournament is such a tremendous accomplishment and no matter what you do this weekend at Silver Spurs Arena, you are a success that has accomplished great things through this powerful sport.

And if you prove Kabra wrong, please let me know, we have a sticker for you.

The Picks

Team Race

Final standings

1. Mater Lakes

2. Cocoa Beach

3. St. John Neumann

4. Merritt Island

5. Cardinal Gibbons

Predicted total state champions

4 - Mater Lakes

2 - Cardinal Gibbons, Cocoa Beach, St. John Neumann

1 - Florida High, Merritt Island, St. Johns Country Day, Wewahitchka

Predicted state placers

9 - Cocoa Beach, Mater Lakes Academy

8 - St. John Neumann

6 - Merritt Island

5 - Aubrey Rogers, Cardinal Gibbons, Florida High

4 - Wakulla

3 - Miami Christian, North Bay Haven

2 - Bishop Kenny, Bishop Verot, Citrus, Dunedin, Fort Myers Evangelical, Hernando, Lemon Bay McKeel Academy South Walton St. Johns Country Day Stanton Prep Weeki Wachee

1 - Admiral Farragut Astronaut Baldwin Bayshore Bell Creek Bishop Moore Bolles Cardinal Mooney CCC Chamberlain Cocoa Coral Shores Crystal River Episcopal Florida Christian Jefferson Jupiter Christian Key West LaBelle Liberty County Miami Carol City Miami Central Mount Dora Palm Bay Pine Crest Robinson SLAM Tampa Suwannee The Villages Titusville Wewahitchka

Kabra's Picks

1. Jett Johnson (Cocoa Beach)

2. Corbin Helm (Hernando)

3. Thiago Finuff (Liberty County)

4. Jack Cabrera (Mater Lakes Academy)

5. Ryan Rojo (Miami Christian)

6. Greyson McDonald (St. John Neumann)

7. Jason Goff (Florida Christian)

8. Soren Bakkar (Bishop Kenny)

Wrestlers who could prove me wrong: Bradley French (Admiral Farragut); Mason McLemore (Robinson)

First round matches you can't miss: French vs. Cabrera; VinDarious White (Palm Bay) vs. Bakkar

Kabra says: Johnson is the lone state placer returning in this bracket and is joined by fellow returning state qualifiers Finuff and Bakkar. The highlight of this bracket might be how many 7th and 8th graders have legit shots for the title (including Johnson). The action heats up quickly here with a possible meeting between Helm and Rojo in the quarterfinals.

Kabra's Picks

1. Bryce Fiore (St. Johns Country Day)

2. Asher Cabral (Cocoa Beach)

3. Adrian Rojas (Miami Christian)

4. James Sanders (St. John Neumann)

5. Andres Garcia (Cardinal Gibbons)

6. Malik Leonard (Florida High)

7. Isaac Reynolds (Citrus)

8. Logan Dean (Lemon Bay)

Wrestlers who could prove me wrong: Gavin Najera (Bell Creek); Ronn Stephen Flores (Mater Lakes Academy)

First round matches you can't miss: Flores vs. Reynolds; Andrew Makeev (Bolles) vs. Dean

Kabra says: Three seventh graders lead the way in this weight class with Fiore, the top-ranked middle school wrestler in the country, leading the way.

Kabra's Picks

1. Benito Barnhart (St. John Neumann)

2. Koa DeLoach (North Bay Haven)

3. Anthony Acquafredda (Cocoa Beach)

4. Everett Stephens (Aubrey Rogers)

5. Jake Margolis (Mater Lakes Academy)

6. Makana Tieri (Merritt Island)

7. Hudson Sweitzer (Bishop Verot)

8. Isaiah Hench (Bell Creek)

Wrestlers who could prove me wrong: Sebastian McCoy (Coral Shores); Wyatt Feltgen (Florida High)

First round matches you can't miss: Tieri vs. Sweitzer; Logan Bajor (Cardinal Gibbons) vs. Feltgen

Kabra says:

Kabra's Picks

1. Kellen Mesina (Mater Lakes Academy)

2. Erik Perez (St. John Neumann)

3. William Harvey (Wakulla)

4. Lukah Zherka (Aubrey Rogers)

5. Leonardo Torres (Stanton Prep)

6. Dylan Lunsford (Bishop Kenny)

7. DJ Dunn (The Villages)

8. Jake Arnesen (Cardinal Gibbons)

Wrestlers who could prove me wrong: Case Gustafson (Miami Christian); Louden Grooms (Lake Weir)

First round matches you can't miss: Gustafson vs. Grooms; Lunsford vs. Zherka

Kabra says: While the top spot seems more cut and dry with returning state champion Mesina the favorite here, there are some big matches early that will shape this bracket and we likely will have at least one Top 8 matchup to reach the podium.

Kabra's Picks

1. Keagan Mesina (Mater Lakes Academy)

2. Jasper Croom (Florida High)

3. Elijah Castanon (Miami Christian)

4. Bekim Zherka (Aubrey Rogers)

5. Gavin Matheis (Coral Shores)

6. Jalal Naghib (St. John Neumann)

7. Leland Flaherty (Fort Myers Evangelical)

8. Jackson Bennett (Citrus)

Wrestlers who could prove me wrong: Jacob Justice (Freeport); Tiago Passos (Bishop Verot)

First round matches you can't miss: Naghib vs. Matheis; Luke Snyder (Crystal River) vs. Lincoln Brehmer (Yulee)

Kabra says:

Kabra's Picks

1. Timmy Boda (Merritt Island)

2. Broc Dahlin (Bayshore)

3. Chris Greene (Mater Lakes Academy)

4. Adrian Day (Cocoa Beach)

5. Brady Jackson (Wakulla)

6. Mikah Ikeda (Episcopal of Jacksonville)

7. Damien Zherka (Aubrey Rogers)

8. Diego Torres (Stanton Prep)

Wrestlers who could prove me wrong: Michael Rodriguez (Dunedin); Russ Haas (St. John Neumann)

First round matches you can't miss: Day vs. Rodriguez; Skyler Barreto (Cardinal Gibbons) vs. Torres

Kabra says:

Kabra's Picks

1. Lincoln Sledzianowski (St. John Neumann)

2. Bruce Li (Mater Lakes Academy)

3. Landon Quiroga (Merritt Island)

4. Sterling Hollingsworth (Florida High)

5. Jack Mulnix (North Bay Haven)

6. Kealan Sieni (Cocoa Beach)

7. Aaron Robinson (Wakulla)

8. Giovanni Perez (Dunedin)

Wrestlers who could prove me wrong: Dominick McGarry (King's Academy); Andy Diaz (True North)

First round matches you can't miss: Eric Williams (Titusville) vs. Perez; McGarry vs. Robinson

Kabra says:

Kabra's Picks

1. Mason O'Dell (Mater Lakes Academy)

2. Howard Hill (St. Johns Country Day)

3. Jacob Reber (McKeel Academy)

4. Wyatt Crouser (Cocoa Beach)

5. William Buckley (St. John Neumann)

6. Elliot Sear (Lemon Bay)

7. Nolan West (Merritt Island)

8. Noah Leota (SLAM Tampa)

Wrestlers who could prove me wrong: Taz Kinghorn (Baker County); Troy Thaxton (Wakulla)

First round matches you can't miss: Ryan Winters (King's Academy) vs. West; Kinghorn vs. Leota

Kabra says:

Kabra's Picks

1. Gustavo Ferreira (Cocoa Beach)

2. Jason Schiavello (CCC)

3. Thiago Vianna (Admiral Farragut)

4. Titus DeYoung (Merritt Island)

5. Kevion Williams (Palm Bay)

6. Sterling Keefe (Coral Shores)

7. Terence Hinson (Florida High)

8. Cesar Aguilar (Mater Lakes Academy)

Wrestlers who could prove me wrong: Lucas Santiago (True North); Chase Justice (Freeport)

First round matches you can't miss: Williams vs. Schiavello; Santiago vs. Justice

Kabra says:

Kabra's Picks

1. Kalias Nazario (Mater Lakes Academy)

2. Aaron Horr (Cocoa Beach)

3. Andrew Chen (Pine Crest)

4. Isaac Fayer (Cardinal Gibbons)

5. Garry Woessner (Dunedin)

6. Levi Chancey (Weeki Wachee)

7. Randy Wallace (LaBelle)

8. Sam Madden (South Walton)

Wrestlers who could prove me wrong: Braeden Mills (St. John Neumann); Michael Guzman (Key West)

First round matches you can't miss: Chancey vs. Mills; Pericht vs. Woessner

Kabra says:

Kabra's Picks

1. Jordan Haigler (Florida High)

2. Bennett Sweitzer (Bishop Verot)

3. Jacob Bacon (Aubrey Rogers)

4. Angel Prieto (Bishop Moore)

5. Bear Siegal (North Bay Haven)

6. Brandon Simmons (Miami Carol City)

7. Jonathan Moder (St. John Neumann)

8. Caleb Causey (McKeel Academy)

Wrestlers who could prove me wrong: Desmond Valdes (Menendez); Brandon Valdes (Miami Killian)

First round matches you can't miss: Causey vs. Heiu Roberts (South Walton)

Kabra says:

Kabra's Picks

1. Calvin Ross (Wewahitchka)

2. Tre Driggett (Merritt Island)

3. Arron McCarty (Robinson)

4. Nathan Pond (Cocoa Beach)

5. Kian Blyss (Hernando)

6. Koletin Washington (Chamberlain)

7. Colton Fickett (Mount Dora)

8. Juan Mars (Miami Central)

Wrestlers who could prove me wrong: Darian Vargas (Mater Lakes Academy); Ari Rupe (SLAM Tampa)

First round matches you can't miss: Landon Slater (Suwannee) vs. Atticus Randall (Lemon Bay); Blyss vs. Vargas

Kabra says:

Kabra's Picks

1. Peter Mocco (Cardinal Gibbons)

2. Brett Bearden (Bolles)

3. Blake Barodte (Wakulla)

4. Duke Rimes (Jupiter Christian)

5. Jashaun Contegiacomo (Weeki Wachee)

6. Blake Roulund (Cardinal Mooney)

7. Cody Johnson (South Walton)

8. Zaid Moore (Crystal River)

Wrestlers who could prove me wrong: Elijah Willis (Anclote); Quinn Enguita (Bishop Verot)

First round matches you can't miss: Mangum vs. Roulund; Johnson vs. Willis

Kabra says:

Kabra's Picks

1. Michael Mocco (Cardinal Gibbons)

2. Holden Corbin (Suwannee)

3. Tyce Cole (Jefferson)

4. Alexandre Allens (Key West)

5. Lennox Washington (Fort Myers Evangelical)

6. Taylor Davenport (Baldwin)

7. Elijah Cardwell (Astronaut)

8. Jeremy Priest (Titusville)

Wrestlers who could prove me wrong: Nathanael Lovelace (Berkeley Prep); MichaelAngelo Alvarez (Ronald Reagan)

First round matches you can't miss: Lovelace vs. Allens; Priest vs. Hardy

Kabra says:

Brant Parsons is the founder and executive editor of Kabra Wrestling. He has been covering high school wrestling in Florida since 2004.

He can be reached at brant@kabrawrestling.com.

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