Class 3A State Duals Preview
Region Finals
Friday, January 19, 2024 at 6:00 PM
at Kissimmee Osceola High School
NOTE: Team rankings are Kabra Wrestling’s team dual rankings for Class 1A.
FHSAA Schedules
Class 3A: IBT schedule | Dual results | State duals preview
Class 2A: IBT schedule | Dual results | State duals preview
Class 1A: IBT schedule | Dual results | State duals preview
Class G-1A: IBT schedule
#13 Buchholz vs.
#6 Timber Creek
3A-1 Region Final
All-Time region finals record | How they got here
Buchholz: 0-0, first appearance in the region finals.
The District 2 runners-up beat Creekside 39-37 before winning a district final rematch with Flagler Palm Coast 36-34.
Timber Creek: 0-1, lost to Fleming Island in the 2021 region finals.
After winning 3A-3 district title, Timber Creek topped Olympia 68-9 and beat 3A-3 runner-up Hagerty 45-23.
Ranked wrestlers
Some teams know each other well - and then there are some who really know each other well. The two teams have combined for big wrestling events in the offseason so they’re will be a familiarity between the two - and respect. These two both hard tough roads to get here with Buchholz having to win two tight duals after entering the region round as a district runner-up while Timber Creek showcased its depth in a deep district and repeated that in the first two rounds of the regions.
What they’re saying
Buchholz head coach Thomas Pankey: "We are so pumped to qualify for state duals. We set it as our big team goal this year and it was truly a team effort. We also don't feel like we are done and we are training hard and not content with a Top 8 finish. The wrestlers really deserve all the credit as they have worked all season and offseason to accomplish this goal. I'm one lucky coach who gets to coach a great group of kids every day. It's also really great that we get to wrestle a familiar foe in Timber Creek. We have been very lucky that we have combined teams the last few summers in Summer Knockout so we have built special relationships with them as well. It should be an exciting dual and we are really looking forward to keep trying to advance every round we can."
Timber Creek head coach Jon Cone: "This is the first year that we have ever won district duals on the team side. We have been second way too many times to count. It has been a long journey for our team as we had to get out of our district which is loaded and continue to improve as the season went along. Our team has come together and we have had many different guys step up during the district and regional dual series. We are just going to focus on Buchholz right now. The biggest thing about this team is our depth we are able to move people around."
Both of these two teams worked hard to make it this far. Both teams thrive under a team environment and an all-for-one approach. For this one, Timber Creek is the deeper team and they’ll win their school’s first region duals title.
Buchholz: 144: #1-Cavarius Liddie; 126: #7-Jedidiah Brown (25-4); 150: #12-Laine Slayton (23-10).
Timber Creek: 106: #8-Mohammad Davtalabsabet (17-8); 138: #9-Aiden Benson (20-3); 120: #10-Marlo Clark (26-5); 190: #14-Daniel Pacheco (18-9); 132: #16-Josue Batista (29-12); 165: #17-Andrew Wittenberg (13-7); 126: #18-Keegan Clark (15-3); 113: #20-Tiago Neves (12-6).
Match to Watch
126: #7 Jedidiah Brown (Buchholz) vs. #18 Keegan Clark (Timber Creek): Heading into the dual, this could be the only ranked matchup unless some movement is made.
Breaking down the dual
Kabra Says
#3 Kissimmee Osceola vs.
#12 Palmetto Ridge
3A-2 Region Final
All-Time region finals record | How they got here
Kissimmee Osceola: 2-4, reached the state final in 2020 and 2023.
The District 5 champions earned a seventh region championship berth with wins over Strawberry Crest and Steinbrenner.
Palmetto Ridge: 3-2, lost region final to Osceola last season after 2022 state championship run.
After defeating Plant City 59-12, the District 8 champions upended Riverdale 51-19 to advance to region final.
Ranked wrestlers
Kissimmee Osceola could have been an even deeper team but they still are one the best Class 3A teams with superstar hammers and developing depth. Palmetto Ridge is two years removed from the dream team that won the 2022 state title, but the Bears are rebuilding back into a formidable squad with a couple hammers of their own.
What they’re saying
Kissimmee Osceola head coach Rick Tribit: "Obviously, we've had some big holes to fill with the graduation losses from last year and Elijah's injury in football. Think the guys have done a good job of progressing each week. Some of the younger guys have really started to make level jumps, along with a couple of "depth guys" that have been in the line up throughout the year. We've dealt with injuries and illnesses like everyone else but hope to get everyone healthy for the run to post season. I think our schedule has been very challenging (Danny Byron, Knockout, Powerade, Escape the Rock, Cradle Cancer, etc) which has helped the newer guys gain confidence. We look forward to competing against Palmetto Ridge on Friday, they're always tough and well-coached. It was an exciting match last year and I would expect the same energy this year as well. Hopefully we'll be up to the task."
The Kowboys are still the favorites to reach a second-straight state duals final, but it won’t be an easy road. Depending on which weight this one starts, it could be a tight match and the team that handles that pressure best will come out on top. We’ll take Kissimmee Osceola and their deeper bench of point scorers.
Kissimmee Osceola: 150: #1-Anderson Heap (34-2); 175: #1-Gunner Holland (23-1); 113: #2-Adaias Ortiz (29-5); 132: #8-Isfandier Sharipov; 144: #9-Jayson Ortiz; 190: #11-Bryan Gari; 120: #12-Talyn Fisk; 126: #13-Ehab Shalaby (22-7); 157: #13-Nathaniel Cabrera (23-7).
Palmetto Ridge: 157: #2-Demetri Zertopoulis (26-3); 113: #8-Erik Perez (30-5); 144: #13-Mark Whalen; 215: #13-Jordan Peralez (17-11); 150: #18-Xavier Barnhart; 106: #20-Julius Avila.
Match to Watch
144: #9 Jayson Ortiz (Kissimmee Osceola) vs. #13 Mark Whalen (Palmetto Ridge): This is a dual where both teams strongest weapons seem to be at other places than the other, but this is a match that could be pivotal in the team score.
Breaking down the dual
Kabra Says
#5 Harmony
vs. #4 Wellington
3A-3 Region Final
All-Time region finals record | How they got here
Harmony: 0-1, reached the region final in Class 2A in 2019.
The District 9 champions toppled Fort Pierce Central 58-20 and then won a tough battle with Viera 39-30.
Wellington: 3-2, the Wolverines lost to Fort Pierce Central in last year’s region final.
After placing second in District 12, Wellington bested Jupiter 50-21 and then avenged the district loss with a 37-18 victory over Olympic Heights.
Ranked wrestlers
Both of these teams have thrive on being competitive with all 14 guys. Wellington has been banged up for most of the start of the season but will look to put most of their starting line-up out for this one. Harmony has the top-end guys to hang with Wellington and proved they can come together when needed like they did against Viera in the region semifinals. Injury woes have now hit the Longhorns, but there is depth in their room too.
What they’re saying
Harmony head coach Vic Lorenzano: "We will be a little short handed without the services of two seniors, Carlos Rodriguez and Mike Shanabrook. Both guys were injured at the Cousins-Winter Memorial tournament. Still, we have a solid, hard working group of guys who have been battling all year and I expect them to battle this weekend. Wellington is a tough team and well-coached. We'll have to be at our best to have any chance to beat them. We'll put our best guys out there against their best guys and see if we can't make some noise. We are excited to compete hard."
Wellington coach Travis Gray: "We are very excited to be headed back to the State dual event. Our team really enjoys this time of the season every year where every match matters. We had to defeat a very tough Olympic Heights team to get to this point after losing to them in the district dual finals. We always have to fight through them to get here, which ultimately makes us a tougher team that is battle-tested. Our expectations are to continue to compete for every point, every second, of every match and I'm looking forward to seeing where that takes us."
Harmony comes into the weekend a little banged up and that could be all the difference because points will be hard to come by in different parts of this dual. It’s still the region final to watch in Class 3A, but Wellington might just have too much.
Harmony: 150: #2-Shawn McCallister (29-1); 106: #3-Nathan Lyttle (27-2); 138: #6-Carson Estrada (24-3); 175: #8-John Fernandez (24-3); 113: #10-Tristan Horn (23-6); 120: #11-Landon Davis (21-4); 126: #17-Gabriel Nascimento (18-4).
Wellington: 132: #2-Sam Marvel (20-5); 165: #2-Mac Andrews (18-2); 113: #4-Cameron Gibson (5-1); 157: #4-Franco Rivas (30-5); 175: #4-Dwayne Shaw (30-8); 215: #4-Connor Olivares (17-7); 144: #5-James Kosza (42-6); 285: #9-Liam Higgins (23-16); 138: #14-Russell Crum (15-8); 120: #15-Mark Bonfante (25-17).
Match to Watch
175: #4 Dwayne Shaw (Wellington) vs. #8 John Fernandez (Harmony): Shaw is battle-tested this season and has collected his share of big wins and tough losses. Fernandez has wrestled well all season for the Longhorns and would love to get a statement win here.
Breaking down the dual
Kabra Says
#18 South Plantation vs.
#1 South Dade
3A-4 Region Final
All-Time region finals record | How they got here
South Plantation: 0-0, first appearance in the region finals.
The District 14 champions vanquished Douglas 61-15 after beating Coral Springs 54-9 in the region quarterfinals.
South Dade: 6-0, have won five Class 3A state duals championships.
The Buccaneers beat Columbus 60-9 and then beat No. 2 Southwest Miami 60-10.
Ranked wrestlers
You could argue that the state championship may have been won in the region semifinals where South Dade routed #2 SW Miami, but you can definitely say that the region was won last Thursday night. South Plantation is making its first trip to Kissimmee for the state duals after this spot has been filled by Cypress Bay in all six prior instances.
What They’re Saying
South Dade head coach Vic Balmeceda: "To be completely honest with you, I feel like we are as loaded as we were last year. That might sound crazy since we qualified all 14 wrestlers to the state championships then placed all 14 of them on the podium at state but the 2024 version of "The Dynasty" is every bit as nasty as our 2023 team. This year's squad is led by three returning state champions, eight more returning state place winners and another state qualifier. What makes this season special is our senior class. Very rarely do you get the opportunity in your coaching career to coach a wrestler as special as Sawyer Bartelt. I mean the kid has done nothing but completely dominate his whole career here at South Dade. He has won 135 consecutive matches but what makes that even more impressive is that he hasn't given up a single take down in 3.5 years. In addition to that, this is the last year I will be able to coach my youngest son Gavin in a South Dade singlet which makes everything extremely sentimental. All that comes to mind when he steps out on the mat is this is one match closer to the very last time, I will be able to coach him. Captain Luis Acevedo and Chris Sanchez are extremely special to me as well and will certainly be missed next year. The faces may change each year but our expectations always remain the same every season, go undefeated and win both the dual meet and IBT state championships! If the boys do that, mission accomplished, legacy upheld, "Rome" doesn't topple over and "the Dynasty" remains."
South Plantation coach Alex Badillo: "I have a bunch of kids that had little experience but worked there asses off to get where they are today. I am very proud of this group of young men, not only for wrestling but being positive people in the community."
This will be a wonderful experience for South Plantation to make their first showing at the state duals, but it will also be a short one because the Bucs are loaded. South Dade wins this one handily.
South Plantation: 132: #12-Joshua Whitter (24-2); 165: #12-Naushad Bashir (23-3); 144: #14-Gage Oyster (16-2); 150: #15-Cesar Calderin (20-6).
South Dade: 120: #1-Luis Acevedo (21-2); 138: #1-Elvis Solis (15-0); 157: #1-Gavin Balmeceda (23-4); 190: #1-Christopher Sanchez (32-5); 215: #1-Sawyer Bartelt (21-0); 106: #2-Bryan Morales (31-4); 175: #2-Kevin Olavarria (26-5); 113: #3-Guillermo Jaramillo (26-5); 126: #3-Nathaniel Williams (22-7); 132: #3-Armand Williams (25-10); 144: #3-Tyree Graham (29-7); 165: #6-Jonathan Moreno (14-4); 150: #7-Joshua Aviles (12-3); 285: #13-Daguy Massillon (23-7).
Match to Watch
150: #7 Joshua Aviles (South Dade) vs. #15 Cesar Calderin (South Plantation): The Buccaneers have so many options in their line-up, that you could see a variety of different wrestlers here.