Near perfect Saturday rallies Somerset to state title | Class 1A finals breakdown
KISSIMMEE — Heading into the placing rounds at the FHSAA State Wrestling Tournament at Silver Spurs Arena, things were looking dire for Somerset Academy. The Panthers trailed in the race for the top team, but they still had a chance with eight wrestlers competing in the placing rounds. They would just have to go nearly perfect in the round and get some help.
That’s exactly what happened as Somerset went an astounding 7-for-8 in placing matches, including winning three individual state championships to take the lead in the team race over Mater Lakes.
“That’s where we come clutch and the competition we see all year, it doesn’t scare them,” Somerset head coach Joe Blasucci said. “They came up big, each kid wanted to do better than the next.”
Jake Austin (113) started the championship round off with his first state title and was followed by Jovani Solis (132) winning his second straight title.
Somerset still trailed by 1.5 points at 165 pounds when Kendrick Hodge took the mat. The Panthers’ senior not only won his third career state title, but his win by pin put Somerset up by 4.5 points (156.5) with Mater Lakes still having two wrestlers to go.
“I knew it was going to be close,” Blasucci said. “They have some great kids over there and I knew that they would be the ones to beat here.”
That’s when the Panthers needed some help in the form of Florida High’s Xander Hawkes and Cardinal Gibbons’ Michael Mocco.
Hawkes had the Somerset faithful chanting his name after he won his school’s first-ever state title and then Mocco won his second title, securing the top spot for the Panthers.
“The 2020 team calls me up all the time and says that this team would never beat them,” Blasucci said. “And I say, ‘well this team did something you didn’t do, they won everything and went undefeated so you have to give them their props.’”
“I’m proud of the boys, I’m proud of the families, my people are crazy and they’re out here and they’ve just got it on point and they just make this so fun.”
Mater Lakes finished on the podium in second place with 152 points. Rounding up the top five where Zephyrhills Christian (119.5), First Baptist-Naples (118.5), and Jensen Beach (93).
Click here for complete results (PDF).
The Finals
1A 106: Jovanni Tovar (Miami Christian) maj. Broc Dahlin (Bayshore) 15-3
Tovar completed his perfect season with a dominant performance in the finals.
(Photo by London Parsons/Kabra Wrestling)
1A 113: Jake Austin (Somerset) maj. Topher Pearson (Suwannee) 18-4
After a second-place finish a year ago, Austin shook off an early takedown and dominated the rest of this match to win his first title.
(Photo by London Parsons/Kabra Wrestling)
1A 120: Derrick Williams (Deane Bozeman) dec. Gian Ortiz (Jensen Beach) 8-4
A state runner-up a year ago, Williams finished his high school career with a well-earned state title and the first in Bozeman history.
(Photo by London Parsons/Kabra Wrestling)
1A 126: Sebastian Degennaro (Jensen Beach) tech. Jack Oliver (Lemon Bay) 16-0
The junior won his third state title with another commanding performance.
(Photo by London Parsons/Kabra Wrestling)
1A 132: Jovani Solis (Somerset) dec. Jonathan Moder (First Baptist-Naples) 11-4
“Greedy” Solis won his second state title as an eighth grader and scored a huge win in the team race.
(Photo by London Parsons/Kabra Wrestling)
1A 138: Asher Bacon (First Baptist-Naples) tech. Cael Kubatzke (Fernandina Beach) 21-6
The seventh-grader hasn’t lost since the Knockout and put in a dominating performance all weekend.
(Photo by London Parsons/Kabra Wrestling)
144 1A: Michael Kersey (First Baptist-Naples) maj. Talon Maple (Zephyrhills Christian) 10-2
Kersey’s 50th win of the season was for his first state title.
(Photo by London Parsons/Kabra Wrestling)
150 1A: Gavin Nolan (Clearwater Cen Catholic) dec. Austin McKinney (Suwannee) 2-1
The win makes it three-straight state titles for Nolan, who will look to become a four-timer next season.
(Photo by London Parsons/Kabra Wrestling)
157 1A: Enzo Gamba (Fernandina Beach) dec. Kalias Nazario (Mater Lakes Academy) 8-4
Gamba completed a perfect season with the first state-title in school history.
(Photo by London Parsons/Kabra Wrestling)
165 1A: Kendrick Hodge (Somerset) p. Jason Simmons (Cardinal Gibbons) 3:30
In what ended up being the team clincher, Hodge ended his high school career as a three-time state champ.
(Photo by London Parsons/Kabra Wrestling)
175 1A: Xander Hawkes (Florida High) p. Myles Sadeek (Mater Lakes Academy) 3:43
Hawkes rallied from 4-1 down to take the lead and then sealed his school’s first-ever state championship with a pin.
(Photo by London Parsons/Kabra Wrestling)
190 1A: Peter Mocco (Coral Springs Charter) p. Jeremiah Chavis (Zephyrhills Christian) 5:03
A tightly-contested match between two eighth-graders ended with Mocco getting Chavis in a cradle and performing the Macarena for adoring fans.
(Photo by London Parsons/Kabra Wrestling)
215 1A: Michael Mocco (Cardinal Gibbons) tech. Damian Soto (Mater Lakes Academy) 22-7
The national champion Mocco continued to show why he’s one of the best wrestlers in Florida with an imposing performance for his second state crown.
(Photo by London Parsons/Kabra Wrestling)
285 1A: Tim Gray (Crystal River) dec. Braylen Ricks (Yulee) 2-0
Gray’s reversal in the second period proved to be all that was needed as the senior became his school’s first state champion since 1993.
(Photo by London Parsons/Kabra Wrestling)
