Region 1A-2: Preview and Predictions
FRIDAY-SATURDAY FEBRUARY 23-24, 2024 - At Palm Bay High School
Welcome to one of my favorite traditions - the region previews.
This is the sixth season I've written these but for those that are reading one for the first time, here's a quick summary of what the region preview is.
I start first by printing out each bracket - yes, this is one of the things I'm old school on.
I notate where wrestlers are ranked in the Kabra Wrestling Rankings and then start to break it down even more.
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-2 will play out.
You can print the 1A-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:
Teams to watch
11. Palm Bay, 16. Crystal River, 17. Cocoa Beach, 19. Mount Dora
Kabra's Picks
1. #6 Anthony Acquafredda (Cocoa Beach)
2. Joseph Handley (Lake Region)
3. #12 Nick Guy (Weeki Wachee)
4. Aaron Spratt (The Villages)
Wrestlers who could prove me wrong: Scott Knight (Crystal River); Wyatt Lambert (Palm Bay)
Opening round match to watch: Lambert vs. Zackary Myers (Nature Coast)
Kabra says: Will the region title be won in the semifinals here? With just two ranked wrestlers in this group, it certainly seems like that could be a possibility. Don’t count out the bottom half of the bracket with Handley and Spratt.
Kabra's Picks
1. #7 Ethan Riley (The First Academy)
2. #16 Ashton Swanson (Space Coast)
3. #15 Cole Webb (Cocoa)
4. #18 Dominic Pace (Weeki Wachee)
Wrestlers who could prove me wrong: #19 Nadir Shalaby (Cocoa Beach); #20 Jesse Thomas (Hernando)
Opening round match to watch: Thomas vs. Myles Sellers (Lake Region)
Kabra says: Riley has looked like the favorite here all season as the eighth-grader continues to improve at The First Academy. Webb won the district title last week, but Swanson looks to be in a better place to reach the finals here.
Kabra's Picks
1. #8 Adrian Day (Cocoa Beach)
2. #20 Dominick Maldonado (Palm Bay)
3. #17 Dylan Dangle (Mulberry)
4. Christopher Nieves (Avon Park)
Wrestlers who could prove me wrong: Jonathan Overstreet (The Villages); Dante Sauter (Weeki Wachee)
Opening round match to watch: Ernest Long (Mount Dora) vs. Marcus Silas (Hernando)
Kabra says: The young Day brother could be the first of a 1-2 family punch with region titles here this weekend. His biggest test could come from Dangle in the semifinals.
Kabra's Picks
1. #11 Kyle Pearson (Hernando)
2. #9 Benjamin Goyeneche (Nature Coast)
3. #13 Raymen Jackson (Palm Bay)
4. #16 Aaron Horr (Cocoa)
Wrestlers who could prove me wrong: #17 Michael Bonanno (Avon Park); Gavin Shelley (McKeel)
Opening round match to watch: Hoff vs. Jean Cintron (Weeki Wachee)
Kabra says: We’ve seen this scenario a few times, a district top seed loses in the district final to a wrestler they had already beaten and then they come back in the regions and regain that top spot. If Pearson and Goyeneche both navigate treacherous waters, we think that scenario could play out here.
Kabra's Picks
1. #5 Tallon Widrick (Davenport)
2. #15 Wyatt Crouser (Cocoa Beach)
3. #17 Presten Pineiro (Astronaut)
4. #19 Dominic Buckwalter (Nature Coast)
Wrestlers who could prove me wrong: Karson Strange (The Villages); Cael Phillips (Hernando)
Opening round match to watch: Pineiro vs. Own O’Neil (Tavares)
Kabra says: This is Davenport’s first season in the FHSAA postseason series and Widrick could make some school history with a region title. Widrick’s three losses have all come to larger classification wrestlers and he’s an easy pick for our region champion. The three other ranked wrestlers all have paths to the podium and we think they’ll find their way - but watch out - there’s a few bracket busters in here.
Kabra's Picks
1. #6 William Day (Cocoa Beach)
2. #14 Cael Helm (Hernando)
3. #9 Jacob Reber (McKeel)
4. #20 Kahleal Henry (Nature Coast)
Wrestlers who could prove me wrong: Eric Williams (Titusville); Ethan Harris (Tavares)
Opening round match to watch: Coen Strickland (Mulberry) vs. Drayton Gamradt (Space Coast)
Kabra says: The second of the Day brothers could be winning a region title here. The Cocoa Beach senior was injured in the postseason last year and has spent the last 12 months getting ready for this moment. He is 2-0 against Reber, the highest other wrestler in the bracket and his possible opponent in the semifinals.
Kabra's Picks
1. #6 Ricky Bowermaster (Weeki Wachee)
2. #12 Zackery Wells (Avon Park)
3. #16 Cade Beke (McKeel)
4. #19 Jacob Fetzner (Hernando)
Wrestlers who could prove me wrong: #20 Kealan Sieni (Cocoa Beach); Robert Hunt (Palm Bay)
Opening round match to watch: Hunt vs. Tyler Mann (Nature Coast)
Kabra says: The junior from Weeki Wachee has the resume from the season to be the favorite here. There is a ranked wrestler that won’t advance here, and the blood round will be just as fun to watch as the finals.
Kabra's Picks
1. #6 Jean Benavidez (McKeel)
2. #11 Nicholas Bittner (The First Academy)
3. #9 Mason Cosgrove (Crystal River)
4. #12 Kaden Etheridge (Nature Coast)
Wrestlers who could prove me wrong: #16 Kevion Williams (Palm Bay); #20 Jaiden Fields (Lake Region)
Opening round match to watch: Kole Gamble (Space Coast) vs. Connor Berry (Mount Dora)
Kabra says: Not only is Benavidez the best ranked wrestler in the bracket, he has beaten Cosgrove (fall) and Bittner (major decision) this season. The McKeel senior was a state placer last season and looks to be able to move up the podium this year.
Kabra's Picks
1. #4 Shaw Garrett (Hernando)
2. #9 Zach Emery-Foster (Palm Bay)
3. #6 Angel Prieto (Bishop Moore)
4. #20 Jaden Carmona (Davenport)
Wrestlers who could prove me wrong: Caleb Causey (McKeel); Messiah Washington (Avon Park)
Opening round match to watch: Washington vs. Skylar Carroll (Astronaut)
Kabra says: A possible semifinal between Garrett and Prieto was the first thing that caught my attention in this bracket. They haven’t faced each other this season and both have impressive wins.
Kabra's Picks
1. #5 Alexander Roman (Avon Park)
2. #9 Shairon Green (Lake Region)
3. #6 Colton Fickett (Mount Dora)
4. #11 Deacon Warren (McKeel)
Wrestlers who could prove me wrong: #15 Peyton Godfrey (Crystal River); #16 Diego Maysonet (Weeki Wachee)
Opening round match to watch: Jesse Nelson (The Villages) vs. Warren
Kabra says: The word that sticks out when I look at this bracket is “intrigue.” Roman enters as the favorite and he owns a pinfall win over Green this season. But in the quarterfinal, you have sixth-ranked district champion Fickett possibly rematching with Maysonet. The Weeki Wachee sophomore won their meeting 8-7 this year.
Kabra's Picks
1. #6 Javarious Johnson (Lake Region)
2. #10 Anthony Dawson (Mount Dora)
3. #11 Jordan Jandro (Weeki Wachee)
4. #12 Morgan Johnston (Hernando)
Wrestlers who could prove me wrong: Joshua McGinnis (McKeel); Abdul Elftesi (Palm Bay)
Opening round match to watch: Benjamin Williams (Crystal River) vs. McGinnis
Kabra says: Two appealing semifinals are possible here with 6-11 and 10-12 pairings possible. Johnson looks to be the guy to beat here and in the bottom half of the bracket, we can compare results. Dawson has a win over Jandro and Johnston has a loss to the Weeki Wachee district champion.
Kabra's Picks
1. #3 Octavion Osby (Palm Bay)
2. #10 Mason Alsobrook (Space Coast)
3. #11 Nicholas Caudill (The Villages)
4. #20 Eryk Marcuccio (Weeki Wachee)
Wrestlers who could prove me wrong: Andrew Sapp (McKeel); Tayvon North (Tenoroc)
Opening round match to watch: Aiden Morillo (Mount Dora) vs. Jeramiah Rodriguez (Nature Coast)
Kabra says: Osby’s late season return to Palm Bay shook things up a bit as the returning state placer has set his mark back on this weight class. The top of the bracket could featured a 10 vs. 11 quarterfinal, with the winner having a legit path to the final. In comparative matches, Alsobrook owns a tie-breaker win over a wrestler who pinned Caudill.
Kabra's Picks
1. #4 Russell Fickett (Mount Dora)
2. #5 Chris Brunson (Palm Bay)
3. #10 Kian Blyss (Hernando)
4. #11 Omarion James (Lake Region)
Wrestlers who could prove me wrong: #15 Jelani Bentley (Tavares); Jhonerin Flores-Dominguez (Dunnellon)
Opening round match to watch: Dominic Berger (Space Coast) vs. Flores-Dominguez
Kabra says: A Top 5 final is possible here between Fickett and Brunson. The Mount Dora senior has a 13-9 win this season. Both will have to likely navigate past ranked opponents to get there.
Kabra's Picks
1. #1 Tim Gray (Crystal River)
2. #5 Leonard Christian (Palm Bay)
3. #6 Madden Fredenburg (Cocoa Beach)
4. #7 Blake Shaffer (Cocoa)
Wrestlers who could prove me wrong: #16 Jakari Johnson (Lake Region); #18 Joel Smith (Lake Weir)
Opening round match to watch: William Richardson (Dunnellon) vs. Jonathan Bennett (Tenoroc)
Kabra says: There is a real possibility that Gray could win this region and have to be the fifth, seventh, and sixth-ranked wrestlers to do it. Fredenburg sits a potential quarterfinal round for the Crystal River senior and then Shaffer in the semifinals.