G1A-R3: Who qualified for state and how did I do on my picks
We’ll take a look at what happened today and then also see how my picks for the region went down. Some would say that my picks are so good they make you want to pretend that you made them yourself. I would say that hopefully my preview and picks brought some thought and insight into an exciting tournament.
If you want to look back on my picks, you can read them here if you are a Kabra+ member.
First: Kiera Partello (Barron Collier) dec. Hayle Peck (Palmetto Ridge) 8-3
Third: Rebecca Aviles (Immokalee) p. Sophie Booe (Palm Harbor University) 3:19
What happened: Unranked Partello defeated three district champions in a row to win the region title.
How did I do? I did not get out of the gates well with Partello a surprise winner and Aviles on my wildcard list. I did get two qualifiers right and a third pick (Mills) suffered an injury at practice yesterday.
First: Regan Thomas (Naples) dec. Kayah Bonilla-Mas (South Fort Myers) 10-4
Third: Gabriella Vasquez (Bishop Verot) p. Isabella Hull (North Fort Myers) 5:42
What happened: Thomas scored four takedowns in the final to earn the 10-4 victory, capping a solid performance all tournament.
How did I do? I picked the champion and predicted the runner-up finisher to finish fourth. The two qualifiers I did miss were on my wildcard list.
First: Jazlyn Diaz (Riverdale) tech. Miranda Moes (Palm Harbor University) 18-1
Third: Arden Swindle (Strawberry Crest) p. Emily Mcintosh (Palmetto Ridge) 4:39
What happened: The freshman Diaz earned her third win of the season over Moes to take the title.
How did I do? My picks finally settled in and I had the top three finishers in the proper order but I couldn’t get a perfect score when my fourth pick lost in the blood round.
First: Hailee Moder (First Baptist) p. Iyonna Ross (Charlotte) 3:27
Third: Jayla Jones (Tampa Bay Tech) p. Vanessa Whitclock (Admiral Farragut) 1:58
What happened: The eighth grade Moder has a region title on her resume now after she pinned her way through the bracket today. The final was tighter than the score might seem with Ross jumping out to a 5-0 lead before Moder tied it in the first and then lead 8-5 when earned the pin.
How did I do? I picked the finalists correctly and had another qualifier. The fourth was on my wildcard list so it was not a terrible miss.
First: Naomie Sylvestre (Immokalee) p. Abby Dicenzo (Bell Creek) 2:55
Third: Dyleen Perez (Booker) maj. Gabriella Mitchell (Port Charlotte) 10-2
What happened: After a third place finish last week in the district, Sylvestre defeated three district champions on the way to a title in arguably the deepest bracket in the tournament.
How did I do? On the whole weekend, this was probably my worst bracket for picks. I correctly guess the second-place finisher - and that’s it. Sylvestre was on my wild card list. I said this bracket was one of the deepest in the tournament and it proved to be the one thing I was right about.
First: Christina Turner (Sarasota Military Academy) maj. Solana Mccaughen (North Port) 9-0
Third: Julianna Caisse (Palm Harbor University) p. Delenis Rogert Perez (Palmetto Ridge) 2:42
What happened: Turner scored a big 10-5 win over Caisse in the semifinals which set up a blood round match between that #4 and #8 wrestler.
How did I do? I picked the champion and the third place finisher correctly. At least one of the two I missed on was on my wildcard list.
First: Jayda Hagood (St. Pete Northeast) maj. Jaycee New Howald (Osceola Fundamental) 14-1
Third: Jada Williams (Bell Creek) dec. Kamiah Ross (Armwood) 10-7
What happened: Hagood improved to 13-0 on the season with four dominant wins, allowing just 1 point in all day.
How did I do? I said this would be one of the hardest brackets to pick and I did get the title winner and two more of the qualifiers.
First: Giovanna Capolla (Lemon Bay) p. Genesis Turrubiartez (Immokalee) 3:34
Third: Sophia Derezende (Newsome) p. Hallie Green (Fort Myers Gateway) 1:05
What happened: A wide-eyed Capolla spoke with Kailey Rees last year after she lost to her at the state tournament and asked how she could get better. The advice must have helped because she went from a fourth place finish here last year to a region champion now.
How did I do? I picked 1-3 correctly and my guess for fourth place didn’t wrestle.
First: Noelia Varela (Riverdale) dec. Angelica Ortiz-Renteral (Cypress Lake) SV-1 9-7
Third: Melanie Lamb (North Fort Myers) MFF Fikayo Aroyewun (Bell Creek)
What happened: The final of the tournament took place here with Ortiz-Renteral taking a big lead early only to have Varela rally with six points in the third period to force Sudden Victory.
How did I do? I had the champion correct but Ortiz-Renteral was a pleasant surprise as she found her form just in time. I also correctly picked third, but had just two of the four qualifiers.
First: Jaylee-Anna Rosado (East Bay) p. Mya Bolden (Port Charlotte) 4:27
Third: Vallanda Antoine (Fort Myers) p. Claire O`Donnell (Canterbury) 0:21
What happened: Rosado stayed unbeaten with a four pin performance to win the region title.
How did I do? I had the finalists correct and third place. The Canterbury freshman was a shocker to my bracket.
First: Lilly Luttrell (Tampa Freedom) p. Grace Freeman (Labelle) 2:53
Third: Riley Lancaster (Admiral Farragut) p. Lily Macgregor (Port Charlotte) 0:56
What happened: Tampa Freedom’s Luttrell earned her first region title as she looks to return to the state final in less than a fortnight.
How did I do? Another perfect prediction from 1-3 - but the fourth spot was taken by a wildcard list entry.
First: Lana Clayton (Newsome) p. Daphney Pierre (Fort Myers) 3:03
Third: Jasmine Toomer (Palmetto Ridge) p. Yazmine Cruz (Tampa Bay Tech) 1:13
What happened: Newsome’s Clayton continued a strong season with a pin in the final over Pierre. The biggest hurdle came in the semifinal when she had to rally from four down in the final period to advance to the final.
How did I do? I had three of the four qualifiers and Toomer was on my wildcard list, but I didn’t see Clayton topping last year’s state placer Pierre.
First: Cerenity Whiting (Countryside) p. Brianice Silguero (Immokalee) 2:24
Third: Jayla Teague (Fort Myers) ID Ja`Niyah Jackson (Boca Ciega)
What happened: Whiting rolled through the bracket to win the region title.
How did I do? Another 1-3 perfect set of picks for me.
First: Destine'e Thomas (Cypress Lake) dec. Grace Vernine (Admiral Farragut) 3-1
Third: Aniya Herbin (Jefferson) ID Kinea Moore (Boca Ciega)
What happened: Thomas won two big battles in the semifinals and final - knocking off #1 Herbin and #7 Vernine by two points in each bout.
How did I do? I picked all four qualifiers correctly, but in all different spots.
