Region 2A-1: Preview and Predictions

FRIDAY-SATURDAY FEBRUARY 28-MARCH 1, 2025 - at Lincoln High School

Friday: Weigh-in: 12:30 p.m. | Gates open: 2 p.m. | Wrestling starts: 2:30 p.m.

Saturday: Weigh-in: 8 a.m. | Gates open: 9 a.m. | Wrestling starts: 9:30 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 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 2A-1 will play out.

You can print the 2A-1 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:

Kabra's Picks

1. #8 Ryder Cohen (Gulf Breeze)

2. #18 Benjamin Mitts (Clay)

3. #10 Jason Marsala (Chiles)

4. #21 Patrick Mayfield (New Smyrna Beach)

Wrestlers who could prove me wrong: #22 Andrew Arsenault (Beachside); Riley Thompson (Arnold)

Opening round match to watch: Enrique Santos (Ponte Vedra) vs. #23 Jovanni Carraturo (Deltona)

Kabra says: Cohen and Marsala are likely the two favorites in this weight class and are both in the top half of the bracket. Cohen owns a major decision win over Marsala this season. We’re going with the four district champions to end up on the podium but could see a wrestler or two sneak past some of them and find a ticket punched to Kissimmee.

Kabra's Picks

1. #1 Garrett Ferguson (Gulf Breeze)

2. #5 Joe Tucker (Lincoln)

3. #6 Nathan Harvey (Middleburg)

4. #21 Trenton Smith (Winter Springs)

Wrestlers who could prove me wrong: #24 Walter Howard (Beachside); Alexi McGowan (Tate)

Opening round match to watch: Noah Santiago (Pine Ridge) vs. Santiago Estrada (Gainesville)

Kabra says: Oh a Ferguson-Tucker final could be a treat to watch this weekend. When they met this season, Ferguson squeaked out an exciting 9-8 victory in their region duals encounter. The semifinal at the top should be fun to see also if Ferguson and Harvey meet there, the Gulf Breeze junior owns an 8-4 win from the season.

Kabra's Picks

1. #4 Jacob Bucci (Clay)

2. #6 Gavin Samons (Gulf Breeze)

3. #7 Zavian Chaves (Winter Springs)

4. #17 Juan Torres (Lincoln)

Wrestlers who could prove me wrong: #23 Cash Trujillo (Ponte Vedra); #24 Joshua Waring (Pace)

Opening round match to watch: #25 Jacob Jackson (Westside) vs. Codie Weese (New Smyrna Beach)

Kabra says: Bucci (2nd) and Samons (5th) were both state placers a year ago and could track to face each other in the finals here. Chaves would love to mess than plan up in the semifinals but he’ll have to improve on a major decision loss to Bucci during the season.

Kabra's Picks

1. #4 Zakary Jurado (Lincoln)

2. #6 Jaiden Zajni (Ponte Vedra)

3. #7 Vonte Burke (Clay)

4. #12 Tyson Horel (Winter Springs)

Wrestlers who could prove me wrong: #13 Devyn Hicks (New Smyrna Beach); #18 Keegan Deeds (Gulf Breeze)

Opening round match to watch: Langston Mills (St. Augustine) vs. Trevor Mitchell (Middleburg)

Kabra says: One of the highlights of this bracket is a potential #4 vs. #7 in the quarterfinals with Jurardo and Burke meeting up. There are potential landmines throughout this bracket for each of the three favorites, but a Jurardo-Zajni final should be a good one.

Kabra's Picks

1. #2 Sebastian Bonachea (Fleming Island)

2. #3 Rylan Herrera (Clay)

3. #14 Micah Thomas (Middleburg)

4. #21 Leyton Collazo (Gulf Breeze)

Wrestlers who could prove me wrong: #19 Rudley Villareal (Winter Springs); #24 Antonio Daquep (Choctawhatchee)

Opening round match to watch: #23 Luke Rodriguez (Lincoln) vs. Elijah Grant (Orange Park)

Kabra says: Bonachea has defeated Herrera twice in the past two postseasons and won their district final a week ago. Could we see another rematch of last year’s region final between the two? Thomas and Collazo would like to mess those plans up.

Kabra's Picks

1. #4 Brady Jackson (Lincoln)

2. #17 Daniel De Almeida (Ponte Vedra)

3. #14 David Crilly (Arnold)

4. #19 Roman Ortez (Fleming Island)

Wrestlers who could prove me wrong: #21 Christopher McKeel (Middleburg); #24 Jason Barrett (Ridgeview)

Opening round match to watch: Ortez vs. Cayden Torres (Winter Springs)

Kabra says: Jackson has settled in at Lincoln and enters this weekend as the favorite to win his first region title and book his third trip to Kissimmee.

Kabra's Picks

1. #3 Jonathan Bruner (New Smyrna Beach)

2. #4 Maeson Otwell (Pace)

3. #7 Braden Glavin (Clay)

4. #8 Spencer Timm (Seabreeze)

Wrestlers who could prove me wrong: #20 Brody Hines (Ponte Vedra); #21 Franco Macias (Gainesville)

Opening round match to watch: Christian McDonald (Arnold) vs. Hines

Kabra says: Two-time state placer Bruner is the slightest of slight favorites here. Otwell, who placed two seasons ago, is unbeaten but hasn’t seen any of the top wrestlers in this weight class this season. The top half of this bracket is loaded with three wrestlers in the Top 8 with Glavin and Timm in the mix with Otwell.

Kabra's Picks

1. #2 Gavin Cohen (Gulf Breeze)

2. #3 Laird Duhaylungsod (Fleming Island)

3. #8 Merrick Miller (New Smyrna Beach)

4. #9 Daniel Raines (Middleburg)

Wrestlers who could prove me wrong: #11 Jacob Johnston (Chiles); #20 Ayden Keys (Winter Springs)

Opening round match to watch: Keys vs. Dominic Iacobellis (Pace)

Kabra says: Cohen placed fourth in North Carolina last year and hopes to improve on that podium position this year in Florida. He’ll get a good test this weekend with a weight class that features four district champions in the Top 10. Miller would not be an easy semifinal if the two meet there.

Kabra's Picks

1. #3 Wyatt Leduc (Middleburg)

2. #10 Landon Burbidge (Fort Walton Beach)

3. #5 Drew Holmquist (Clay)

4. #11 Bradack Carroll (Choctawhatchee)

Wrestlers who could prove me wrong: #14 Casten Thacker (New Smyrna Beach); #17 Hayden Smith (Chiles)

Opening round match to watch: Gavin Emile (Ridgeview) vs. Aryaman Singh (Ponte Vedra)

Kabra says: The senior Leduc placed fourth in state last season and is poised to return to the podium again this season. He and Holmquist have not faced each other but the two highest ranked wrestlers in this bracket are lined up for a potential semifinal meeting. Seven wrestlers in the Top 17 make this one hard to pick 1-4 and the way the bracket lines up, we could see an 11 vs. 12 (Mason Obama, Matanzas) in the blood round.

Kabra's Picks

1. #5 Malachi Lewis (Niceville)

2. #8 Hector Torres (Pine Ridge)

3. #10 Logan Daley (New Smyrna Beach)

4. #11 Luis Gonzalez (Winter Springs)

Wrestlers who could prove me wrong: #16 Cooper Hill (Chiles); #22 Sean Blouin (Middleburg)

Opening round match to watch: #25 Tagg Strickenberger (Pace) vs. Charles Bosby (Leon)

Kabra says: Lewis is looking to head to Kissimmee for the second-straight year and this time as a region champion. Torres finished fifth in his district a year ago and this year the senior is 26-2 and coming off a district final win over Daley last week.

Kabra's Picks

1. #11 Landon Martin (Clay)

2. #7 James Opitz (Niceville)

3. #9 Michael Aker (Ponte Vedra)

4. #10 Zion Longmire (Fleming Island)

Wrestlers who could prove me wrong: #12 Christopher Porter (New Smyrna Beach); #13 Jeremiah Williams (Winter Springs)

Opening round match to watch: #24 Brandon Walsingham (Arnold) vs. Longmire

Kabra says: Six wrestlers are ranked 7-13 in this bracket, so to call it wide open would be a correct term. I’m going against my rankings and recent results and picking Martin to bounce back after a sudden victory loss in the semifinals to Longmire in the districts.

Kabra's Picks

1. #3 Jacob Rodriguez (Winter Springs)

2. #19 Michael Stepien (Lincoln)

3. #5 Matthew Sinclair (Fort Walton Beach)

4. #21 Terrion Butler (Orange Park)

Wrestlers who could prove me wrong: #22 Landon Dickerson (New Smyrna Beach); Andrew Londot (Leon)

Opening round match to watch: Jackson Marchman (Matanzas) vs. #25 Tajay Richards (Arnold)

Kabra says: The highlight of this region could be the semifinal with Rodriguez and Sinclair both in the top half of this bracket. Both reached the state tournament a season ago with Rodriguez finishing on the podium at 190 pounds.

Kabra's Picks

1. #2 Kyle Nilsson (New Smyrna Beach)

2. #5 Talan Babin (Ponte Vedra)

3. #3 Porter Loveland (Middleburg)

4. #6 Aaron Stacy (Clay)

Wrestlers who could prove me wrong: #14 Marco Gonzalez (Winter Springs); #15 Rome Kendrick (Fort Walton Beach)

Opening round match to watch: #23 Tristen Steele (Mosley) vs. James Battle (Riverside)

Kabra says: Four wrestlers in the top six will line up here, so potentially four state placers will fight it out here. A Loveland-Stacy quarterfinal should get the weight class hopping on Friday. Loveland is 2-0 between the two this season with one of them being a close 10-9 decision in their first meeting. In the semifinals, Nilsson earned an 8-4 win over Loveland during the season. If Babin and Loveland should reach the final, Loveland owns a sudden victory between the two. This weight class is going to be exciting.

Kabra's Picks

1. #3 Ryder Luck (Lincoln)

2. #4 Kevin Reyes (Fleming Island)

3. #6 Logan McAlister (Mosley)

4. #9 Ethan Toomey (Chiles)

Wrestlers who could prove me wrong: #7 Eric Strouder (Fort Walton Beach); #10 Isaiah McCloud (New Smyrna Beach)

Opening round match to watch: David Torres (Orange Park) vs. #24 Frankie Marquez (Winter Springs)

Kabra says: Things will not be easy for the defending state champion Luck. Six wrestlers in the Top 10 are in this bracket and as is always the case with heavyweights, anything can happen.

Next

2025 Region 2A-2 Preview