Girls Region 1A-3: Preview and Predictions
SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 22, 2025 - at North Fort Myers High School
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Welcome to one of my favorite traditions - the region previews.
This is the seventh 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 G1A-3 will play out.
You can print the G1A-3 region bracket here. (PDF)
I've carefully predicted the four state qualifiers in the order that I think they 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). We even have the stickers to hand out.
These previews and predictions are meant to bring excitement to one of the most 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:
Check out Kabra Wrestling’s Region Previews
Girls: Region 1 preview | Region 2 preview | Region 3 preview | Region 4 preview
Class 3A: Region 1 preview | Region 2 preview | Region 3 preview | Region 4 preview
Class 2A: Region 1 preview | Region 2 preview | Region 3 preview | Region 4 preview
Class 1A: Region 1 preview | Region 2 preview | Region 3 preview | Region 4 preview
Kabra's Picks
1. #1 Kiera Partello (Barron Collier)
2. #2 Sophie Booe (Palm Harbor University)
3. #4 Emily Doolittle (North Fort Myers)
4. #7 Grace Jawulski (Newsome)
Wrestlers who could prove me wrong: #15 Gabriella Delapaz (Riverdale); Jaiden Hight (Foundation)
Opening round match to watch: Wermin Kar Che Pop (South Fort Myers) vs. Hight
Kabra says: The top four in this weight class should be fun to see sorted out. Partello has a 3-0 win over Booe and 7-1 win over Doolittle. Booe has two wins over Doolittle. Jawulski has a win over Booe this season but has lost twice to Lincoln’s Sayuir Caceres, who has lost twice to Doolittle. Did you get all of that? I predict chaos.
Kabra's Picks
1. #4 Skyler Randolph (Riverdale)
2. #13 Jessie Griffin (Bell Creek Academy)
3. #22 Isabella Angulo (St. Petersburg)
4. #24 Ester Rodriguez (South Fort Myers)
Wrestlers who could prove me wrong: #25 Katherine Brooks (Leto); Nola Rager (Canterbury)
Opening round match to watch: Ily Carter (Port Charlotte) vs. Rager
Kabra says: Returning state placer Randolph is the favorite here heading into the weekend. The young Griffin has wrestled a tough schedule this season and those bouts should have her as the likely other finals wrestler.
Kabra's Picks
1. #6 Zoey McDonald (St. John Neumann)
2. #13 Jordan Delgrace (Strawberry Crest)
3. #18 Dalila Amar (Bell Creek Academy)
4. #21 Sofia Perry (South Fort Myers)
Wrestlers who could prove me wrong: #23 Bristol McManmon (North Port); Caitlynn Beausoleil (Lakewood Ranch)
Opening round match to watch: Taylar Draffin (Sumner) vs. Beausoleil
Kabra says: McDonald enters the weekend as the one we pick to win the title here and has a win over Delgrace this season if they should meet in the final. Six wrestlers in the rankings, or on the cusp of the rankings, will battle it out for the other two spots in Kissimmee.
Kabra's Picks
1. #6 Kaja Williams (Parrish)
2. #7 Jazlyn Diaz (Riverdale)
3. #8 Vanessa Whitelock (Admiral Farragut)
4. #17 Delaney Faulkner (Palmetto)
Wrestlers who could prove me wrong: #10 Hailee Moder (First Baptist-Naples); #19 Siaya Guardiola (Jefferson)
Opening round match to watch: Guardiola vs. Faulkner
Kabra says: Williams earned the then-upset win over Diaz in the district finals. Can the Parrish junior win another one? And can she get past another district champion Whitelock in the potential semifinals? There is also a quarterfinal possibility of Diaz and Moder meeting up with the loser having a tough route to the podium.
Kabra's Picks
1. #6 Iyonna Ross (Charlotte)
2. #9 Shaniah Martinez (East Bay)
3. #11 Savanna Porter (St. John Neumann)
4. #12 Lainey Hooper (Bishop Verot)
Wrestlers who could prove me wrong: #14 Pressly Vogt (Braden River); #20 Addison Hartley (Palm Harbor University)
Opening round match to watch: #21 Aailyah Triplett (Riverdale) vs. Hooper
Kabra says: Defending state champion Ross is the favorite here to win her second straight region title. Martinez has a 20-1 record but is in the tougher side of the bracket with Hooper, Vogt, Hartley, and Triplett having sights on reaching the finals.
Kabra's Picks
1. #1 Milana Borrelli (Venice)
2. #9 Kamilliah Rice (Charlotte)
3. #6 Caly Rodriguez (Brandon)
4. #14 Cora Hayes (North Fort Myers)
Wrestlers who could prove me wrong: #15 Brenda Games (Boca Ciega); #19 Jada Williams (Bell Creek Academy)
Opening round match to watch: Williams vs. Rice
Kabra says: Borrelli is one of the biggest favorites in the state to win a state, which will be her third. She’s also a good bet to win her third region title. Rodriguez has had an attention-grabbing freshman season and will get a chance to showcase her skills in this bracket.
Kabra's Picks
1. #5 Ariel Goble (Strawberry Crest)
2. #9 Clariza Pequeno (North Port)
3. #10 Alyssa Doolittle (North Fort Myers)
4. #11 Blanca Cespedes (Riverdale)
Wrestlers who could prove me wrong: #12 Gracie Austin (Charlotte); #15 Kamiah Ross (Tampa Bay Tech)
Opening round match to watch: Sofia Carballeda (Aubrey Rogers) vs. Izzy Costa (Bell Creek)
Kabra says: Maybe it’s on us, but we have the entire G1A-10 district qualifiers ranked 9-12. Three of the state qualifiers should come from there with Goble the favorite to win the region title. Cespedes is the one wrestler in the field to have a region title and state placing in her career.
Kabra's Picks
1. #9 Gabriella Sergi (North Fort Myers)
2. #11 Bailey Beechler (Charlotte)
3. #14 Regina Espinoza (South Fort Myers)
4. #17 Aava Barbarena (Riverview)
Wrestlers who could prove me wrong: #15 Tatiana Ruiz Hernandez (Bloomingdale); #18 Alre Storbeck (Lakewood Ranch)
Opening round match to watch: Storbeck vs. Addison Slaybaugh (Bishop Verot)
Kabra says: Our picks say we have a Sergi-Beechler district final rematch on the cards here, but we have four more wrestlers ranked in the Top 18 who will look break up this bracket.
Kabra's Picks
1. #2 Ailee Briggs (Lemon Bay)
2. #1 Julianna Caisse (Riverdale)
3. #15 Leila Irizarry (North Fort Myers)
4. #16 Mya Bolden (Port Charlotte)
Wrestlers who could prove me wrong: #23 Afiyah McLean (Tampa Bay Tech); #24 Anna Lesniak (Bishop Verot)
Opening round match to watch: McLean vs. Bolden
Kabra says: Caisse and Briggs have had two close matches this season, with Briggs winning during the season and Caisse taking the district title a week ago. We’re going with the momentum flipping this week and the defending state champion winning her second region title.
Kabra's Picks
1. #7 Noelia Varela (Riverdale)
2. #10 Jasmine Barnes-Toomer (Gulf Coast)
3. #11 Lilyanna Nolan (Sumner)
4. #18 Melanie Lamb (North Fort Myers)
Wrestlers who could prove me wrong: #22 Savannah Ozer (Sickles); #23 Kasey Johnson (Evangelical)
Opening round match to watch: Johnson vs. Eva Herdocia (Tampa Bay Tech)
Kabra says: The top three ranked wrestlers in this weight class have not seen each other this season and they all have state tournament experience so it’s hard to get a clear favorite here. The battle for the fourth spot should be interesting too with a solid group of girls with the skillset to earn that ticket.
Kabra's Picks
1. #8 Yadira Rivas (Plant City)
2. #10 Bethany Moeller (Bell Creek Academy)
3. #14 Ava Wilcox (Lennard)
4. #18 Zadaryhea Moore (Tampa Bay Tech)
Wrestlers who could prove me wrong: #24 Janessa Gomez (Jefferson); Ilyana Sterrett (Fort Myers Gateway)
Opening round match to watch: Moore vs. Gomez
Kabra says: Our predictions look like a G1A-9 fan club post here, but that district did seem to produce the four wrestlers we have moving on to the state tournament. This bracket does have seven wrestlers just off the pace that could shake things up starting with Gomez in that opening round match.
Kabra's Picks
1. #3 Riley Lancaster (Admiral Farragut)
2. #10 Isabelle Broeders (Plant City)
3. #11 Isabella McFarlane (King)
4. #19 Francesca Bisordi (Lakewood Ranch)
Wrestlers who could prove me wrong: Isabella Montanaro (Parrish); Madi Selig (Aubrey Rogers)
Opening round match to watch: Sophie Somerville (Tampa Bay Tech) vs. Montanaro
Kabra says: Broeders stunned us with her district title win over McFarlane last weekend. The King sophomore placed fifth in the state last year and has been ranked as high as #3 this season. The wrestler at #3 now, Lancaster, has beaten McFarlane 7-3 and lost in an UTB.
Kabra's Picks
1. #3 Cerenity Whiting (Countryside)
2. #14 Aliyah Hodge (St. Pete Northeast)
3. #16 Karliana Artega (Braden River)
4. #20 Jamiyah Wade (Boca Ciega)
Wrestlers who could prove me wrong: Marcella Bonner (Fort Myers); Izabella Cordova (North Port)
Opening round match to watch: Halika White (East Bay) vs. Bonner
Kabra says: Defending 235-pound state champion Whiting is back at 190 pounds where she placed sixth in 2023. The way this final podium - and bracket - looks will be decided a lot by what happens in a potential Artega-Hodge quarterfinal.
Kabra's Picks
1. #2 Kinea Moore (Boca Ciega)
2. #10 McKenzie Jackson (Armwood)
3. #9 Hazuki Sykes (Sumner)
4. #12 Shantal Rolle (Immokalee)
Wrestlers who could prove me wrong: #14 Eliana Johnson (Bell Creek); #17 Za'mirra Cantave (Middleton)
Opening round match to watch: Manuela Barreto (Bishop Verot) vs. #22 Lily Morency (Lely)
Kabra says: Two-time state finalist and 2023 champion Moore is our pick to win here but anything can happen at this weight class. The bottom of this weight class is that place to watch in this bracket with Jackson, Rolle, and Johnson battling it out.