Class 2A State Duals Preview

Region Finals

Friday, January 19, 2024 at 2:00 PM

at Kissimmee Osceola High School

NOTE: Team rankings are Kabra Wrestling’s team dual rankings for Class 1A.

#6 Lincoln vs.

#3 Fleming Island

2A-1 Region Final

All-Time region finals record | How they got here

Lincoln: 2-2, lost to Fleming Island in last year’s region final.

The District 2 champions bested Fort Walton Beach 54-21 and then prevailed over Gulf Breeze 40-32.

Fleming Island: 6-0, defeated Lincoln in the last year’s region finals 47-12 before finishing as Class 2A runners-up.

The Eagles overwhelmed Middleburg 57-18 and then conquered rival Clay 50-18 in region semifinals.

Ranked wrestlers

Another season with trials and tribulations for Lincoln, and yet another appearance in the region finals for the Trojans. Heading into this season, Lincoln looked an even better duals team than last year, but after losing at least four starters to injury or quitting, they had to work their magic in the region semifinals and they did. They’ll face Fleming Island again the region final. The Golden Eagles have a lot of new places after graduating a superb senior class a year ago. They’re still a force to reckon with and in recent weeks, we’ve seen some more new names pick up big wins for them.

What they’re saying

Lincoln head coach Mike Crowder: "This group of kids are invested in each other and our process. They are always ready to do one more rep one more sprint one more live go. This makes them a great to coach in the room. For us our journey is filled with adversity and the quest to overcome it. We lost a few guys that would have made this journey way less stressful. The great things about that is that we are still in this position we are because of the kids we have and their drive to succeed. I expect us to battle like we have all year. In a lot of way in wrestling the journey is more important than the destination. Our goal is to continue on our journey the same way we have all year and scrap for every point we can get."

Before the season, this looked like a region final that could go possibly go a different direction. And mind you, I’ll never count out Mike Crowder’s Trojans in a dual. But PJ Cobbert’s Fleming Island group is immensely talented and should have horses to pull off the win. It should be closer than last year’s 35-point win.

Lincoln: 285: #1-Ryder Luck (26-2); 113: #4-Vaniel Caceras (23-1); 138: #6-Caleb King (25-1); 106: #11-Preston King (21-3); 157: #11-Vincent Crump (25-2); 215: #12-Jordan Baker (19-4); 120: #13-Joe Tucker (19-5); 126: #14-Zakary Jurado (23-3); 150: #19-Jermaine Yarborough (21-5).

Fleming Island: 150: #2-Kaden Schaefer; 175: #2-Christopher Chop; 120: #4-Jordan Mukaddam (28-1); 138: #5-Laird Duhaylungsod (30-1); 113: #6-Matthew Newman (24-5); 126: #8-Shane Duhaylungsod (21-6); 165: #9-Matthew Kotler; 157: #15-Dylan Beck (24-9); 285: #15-Kevin Reyes (23-5); 132: #17-Joseph Forte; 44: #20-Cooper Beck.

Match to Watch

113: #4 Vaniel Caceras (Lincoln) vs. #6 Matthew Newman (Fleming Island): There are some really intriguing potential bouts in this dual but this is the one that really sicks out because of these two wrestlers are capable of competing with the best in Class 2A at this weight class.

Breaking down the dual

Kabra Says

#11 Land O’ Lakes

vs #1 Lake Gibson

3A-2 Region Final

All-Time region finals record | How they got here

Land O’ Lakes: 0-0, making first region final appearance.

After winning District 5, the Gators won the district final rematch with River Ridge 57-21 to reach the final.

Lake Gibson: 5-1, have won the state title after all five of their region championships.

The Braves won District 7 and then trounced Lyman 71-9 and overpowered Winter Springs 55-10.

Ranked wrestlers

Land O’ Lakes had a pretty big week last week, advancing to their first region final, winning the Falcon Duals, and giving coach Eddie Marley his 200th dual victory at the school. Their reward is number one and five-time state champion Lake Gibson in the region final. The Braves come into the weekend with some options to move guys around and they might test drive a few in this region final. The goal for Lake Gibson comes on Saturday night, but they’ll respect this round and what they need to take care of.

What they’re saying

Lake Gibson head coach Danny Walker: "Lake Gibson is excited to compete again for another state duals title against a loaded Class 2A field. These matches will come down to the coin flip and bonus points in the matches you are supposed to win. I hope everyone enjoys the tournament this weekend. Go Braves!"

The goal for Land O’ Lakes this weekend should be to enjoy the experience, be proud of what they accomplished and take their individual chances to get better and surprise a few people in this dual. Lake Gibson’s star power and depth is too much for anyone in this region to overcome.

Land O’ Lakes: 126: #4-Jet Griffis (10-1); 157: #7-Wyatt Green (24-4); 144: #9-Brandon Austin (13-1); 150: #9-Leomany Casado (24-2); 165: #14-Jaiden Gerena (27-3); 132: #15-Charles Griffis (23-5).

Lake Gibson: 157: #1-Gianni Maldonado (39-3); 120: #2-Elijah Lowe (28-6); 132: #2-Christian Fretwell (27-8); 285: #2-John Arellano (27-6); 144: #3-Austin Chung (20-6); 165: #3-Jace Brownlow (20-4); 126: #5-Gaetano Tedesco (9-2); 175: #10-Brayden Kahelin (13-4); 138: #14-Gabriel Jones (14-3); 190: #14-Connor Hackett; 113: #18-Tyler White (19-10).

Match to Watch

126: #4 Jet Griffis (Land O’Lakes) vs. #5 Gaetano Tedesco (Lake Gibson): Two quality wrestlers that will get a chance to move up a level with a win on Friday afternoon.

Breaking down the dual

Kabra Says

#2 Tampa Jesuit

vs. #4 Charlotte

2A-3 Region Final

All-Time region finals record | How they got here

Tampa Jesuit: 2-2, have reached the state final after both region titles, including a win in 2020

The District 9 champs beat Palmetto 62-12 and then pounded Manatee 48-16.

Charlotte: 2-4, defeated Tampa Jesuit 42-25 in last year’s region final.

The Tarpons knocked out South Fort Myers 61-15 and then routed Naples 74-3 in the region semifinal.

Ranked wrestlers

These two are meeting for the third straight year in the region final but have remarkably different looks. Tampa Jesuit is loaded with state champion hopefuls, coming into the weekend with five wrestlers ranked #1 in Class 2A and four more ranked in the Top 5. Charlotte is not as top heavy but they’ll put a high caliber wrestler at each weight and the Tarpons have some hammers in spots where Jesuit is lacking. Bonus points are the key in most of Class 2A this weekend.

Never count out Charlotte’s depth and talent, but Tampa Jesuit’s group might be too much to over come. There is a special freshman class here for the Tigers and they’ve been on some big stages, but if they handle the uniqueness of the state duals, then Tampa Jesuit should be the better of these two on Friday.

Tampa Jesuit: 113: #1-Malachi Ortiz (19-3); 120: #1-Roman Lermer (24-2); 138: #1-Jayden Bowles (23-5); 150: #1-Draven McCall; 165: #1-Brandon Cody (16-1); 157: #2-Kawayran Vazquez (15-1); 126: #3-Reid Yakes (24-6); 144: #4-Mason Basile (16-3); 132: #5-Xavier Albo (23-6); 106: #9-Brock Glover (22-6); 175: #11-Chancellor Haber (12-3).

Charlotte: 106: #3-Matthew Schuler (31-1); 120: #3-Kaiden Ballinger (21-2); 190: #3-Jett McCauley (32-2); 150: #5-Luke Davis (23-3); 285: #6-Jaxon Newton (31-3); 144: #7-Carson Bennett (20-6); 215: #7-Viliam Piehk (26-2); 175: #9-Isaac Schaeffer (31-3); 113: #11-Caden Moore (20-5); 138: #15-Wyatt Nevling (22-5).

Match to Watch

175: #9 Isaac Schaeffer (Charlotte) vs. #11 Chancellor Haber (Tampa Jesuit): On paper, both schools have a handful of “sure thing” wins, but this one truly could be one of the toss-ups and had caught our eye as one we don’t want to miss.

Breaking down the dual

Kabra Says

#5 Merritt Island

vs. #12 Miramar

2A-4 Region Final

All-Time region finals record | How they got here

Merritt Island: 2-0, won their second region title last year with a 47-27 defeat of Miramar.

After winning the District 13 championship, the Mustangs beat South Fork 62-18 and edged Heritage 42-39 to reach the region final.

Miramar: 0-1, has reached the region finals for the second consecutive season.

The Patriots booked return trip to the region final with a 52-9 defeat of Homestead and exciting 35-31 win over Mater Academy.

Ranked wrestlers

These two teams meet again in the region final. Merritt Island’s team last year was a veteran squad, those that have come in to replace them eagerly took their roles and have been getting better. Miramar’s rebirth is still one of wrestling’s best stories with the program thriving with wrestlers that take up the sport in high school. They’re a mix of athleticism and toughness and our battled-tested enough on the mat to wrestle big in close matches.

What they’re saying

Merritt Island head coach Graham Smith: “Merritt Island is incredibly thankful to be back at the State Duals. We graduated a very successful senior class and worked incredibly hard in the offseason to get back here. We have battled injuries all year and had to adjust and make some changes to make that happen. We have great kids and great parents that committed to this mission and we’re hungry for more. We are looking forward to competing this weekend."

Miramar head coach Anthony Fernandez: "Returning to the state duals tournament has been a grind, however, that’s nothing new to us. Our program does not have the luxury of having young men that have years of mat experience. All of our boys are new to the sport, so working hard and staying aggressive is essential to compete at this level. I feel we have a good momentum going into the tournament after finishing third at the Bad Bay Duals and defeating Doral Academy in a dual on Tuesday. We are very aware on how solid Merritt Island is as a team and we will be ready."

The second year should produce less butterflies on the big stage for the Patriots and I expect them to handle the spotlight even better this season, but Merritt Island is still the deeper team and in the end, that will make the difference here.

Merritt Island: 215: #1-Kaleb Ivie (25-3); 113: #2-Landon Quiroga (25-3); 157: #5-Tre Driggett (22-6); 132: #13-Titus DeYoung (19-7); 144: #13-Kyle Mulley (17-3); 175: #13-Jacob Pitcher; 190: #17-Dominick Smith; 150: #18-Keanu Martin (20-6); 285: #18-Nathan Greenfield.

Miramar: 215: #4-Maxinot Mondesir; 138: #13-Famous Nealy (10-2); 120: #14-Dully Brutus (15-4); 113: #15-Domonic Charles (16-4); 126: #19-Quinton Brownlee (16-4).

Match to Watch

215: #1 Kaleb Ivie (Merritt Island) vs. #4 Maxinot Mondesir (Miramar): The Patriots will score some points in the dual, but if they’re going to have a chance to pull the upset, they’re going to need matches like this one. Mondesir beat Ivie 5-2 in this matchup last season and the region final before Ivie won the third meeting at Silver Spurs and ended up on the podium.

Breaking down the dual

Kabra Says