Thursday matches to watch in district tournament today

BY BRANT PARSONS — The busiest day of the postseason is today with 17 scheduled district competitions.

We’ve gone through and picked out some matches in each district we’d like to see happen.

That doesn’t mean that they will. We can’t always predict weight changes, injuries and illness, and sometimes the bracket has other plans.

But we think that these would be a treat if they go down

3A-2: at Buchholz, 12 p.m.

126: #6 Robert Twilley (Flagler Palm Coast) vs. #14 Mathew Pishotta (West Port)

Two wrestlers who made the state tournament a year ago with Twilley finishing on the podium.

150: #17 Ronden Ricks (Flagler Palm Coast) vs. #19 Laine Slayton (Buchholz)

Ricks owns a major decision win between the two.

3A-6: at Land O’ Lakes

150: #5 Landon Bates (Palm Harbor University) vs. #10 Konsantin Khaspekian (Sunlake) vs. #11 Charles Griffis (Land O' Lakes) vs. #13 Darian Monserrate (Steinbrenner)

Bates has not wrestled the three challengers this season but Khaspekian has beaten both Griffis (3-0, 9-5) and Monserrate (6-2, MD) and Griffis has a 6-5 win over Monserrate. This could be a fun weight class.

3A-11: at Dwyer

190: #8 Alex Davis (Jupiter) vs. #9 Dante DeSantis (Dwyer) vs. #13 Daniel Damm (West Boca)

DeSantis has split meeting with both Davis and Damm with the Jupiter senior winning the most recent match and DeSantis avenging an early season loss the last time he faced Damm.

3A-12: at Olympic Heights, 12:30 p.m.

126: #13 Walt Munoz (Olympic Heights) vs. #19 Luca Johnson (Boca Raton)

Munoz owns a 5-2 decision victory between the two this season.

144: #2 Daniel Alvarez (Spanish River) #3 Daniel Ospina (Park Vista)

When the two met in the PBCWHOF final, Alvarez pulled off a win in Sudden Victory. Ospina also has a win in this matchup this season, winning 5-4 earlier in the season.

157: #5 James Kosza (Wellington) vs. #6 Elias Enzner (Olympic Heights)

These two know each other well with Kosza owning a 3-2 season lead. Every match has been decided by three points or fewer.

3A-16: at Homestead, 12 p.m.

113: #2 Bryan Morales (South Dade) #3 Antonio Morales (SW Miami)

We don’t have any record of them facing each other this season. Now would be a good time to see how they match up.

150: #4 Armand Williams (South Dade) #6 Dylan Lopez (Braddock)

When they met in the GMAC final, Williams won 7-1.

175: #1 Connor Bonney (Miami Palmetto) #2 Jonathan Moreno (South Dade) #3 Evangelo Mercado (SW Miami)

The three top-ranked wrestlers in the state are all in this district. Bonney has beaten Moreno by a major and Moreno has a 6-2 win over Mercado.

2A-3: at Westside, 2:30 p.m.

126: #6 Jaiden Zajni (Ponte Vedra) #7 Vonte Burke (Clay)

They haven’t met this season but in last year’s region tournament, Zajni won their blood round match 9-8.

132: #2 Rylan Herrera (Clay) #4 Sebastian Bonachea (Fleming Island)

Bonachea won their meeting last year in the region final.

2A-4: at New Smyrna Beach

126: #11 Tyson Horel (Winter Springs) vs. #12 Devyn Hicks (New Smyrna Beach)

Horel owns a 10-9 win between the two this season.

165: #17 Logan Daley (New Smyrna Beach) #8 Luis Gonzalez (Winter Springs)

Daley has a win in a head-to-head battle this season

2A-8: at Lyman, 3:30 p.m.

There are no projected head-to-head meetings of ranked wrestlers.

2A-9: at Parrish, 3:30 p.m.

132: #5 Luke Arthur (Manatee) vs. #9 Jacob Fuentes (Braden River)

In the one meeting so far, Arthur won 7-3.

190: #9 Darius Montgomery (Middleton) vs. #13 Ashton Springfield (Parrish)

Springfield was a region qualifier in 2023 and Montgomery will be going for his first ticket today.

2A-10: at Hollins, 1:30 p.m.

157: #4 Izaiah Zaitouni (Osceola Fundamental) vs. #9 Mattaniah Barth (Hollins)

They have not met this season.

175: #12 Mason Fuston (St. Pete Northeast) vs. #13 Amari Caro (Pinellas Park)

In two meetings, Fuston has prevailed 14-10 and 10-7.

2A-14: at Jensen Beach, 5 p.m.

132: #7 Ben Norris (Jensen Beach) vs. #13 Corbin Fjalstad (Martin County)

Norris owns a win between the two this season by fall.

190: #15 Tyson Reyes (Jensen Beach) vs. #17 Hunter Suarez (Port St. Lucie)

A battle that would be the first of the season between the two.

2A-15: at Archbishop McCarthy, 4 p.m.

285: #17 Samuel Boatwright (Archbishop McCarthy) vs. #23 Christopher Coleman (Deerfield Beach)

This could end up being a big match heading into region weekend and setting up a path to Kissimmee.

1A-1: at Wewahitchka, 3:30 p.m.

113: #10 Tyler Johnson (Wewahitchka) vs. #11 Jacob Justice (Freeport)

Likely a semifinal match with the winner getting North Bay Haven’s Koa DeLoach (#7). Johnson owns wins of 15-11 and 15-12 between the two.

215: #6 Calvin Ross (Wewahitchka) vs. #10 Asher Burris (Bozeman)

These two have not met this year.

1A-7: at Avon Park, 3 p.m.

106: #4 Cale Wimberly (Zephyrhills Christian) #5 Bryce Stone (Bell Creek)

Wimberly has won their two meetings, one of them by a 6-0 score and the other by fall.

157: #5 Javier Lopez (Zephyrhills Christian) vs. #7 Caleb Causey (McKeel Academy)

Lopez won the one meeting between the two this season.

1A-8: at Merritt Island, 2:30 p.m.

132: #6 Adrian Day (Cocoa Beach) #7 Landon Quiroga (Merritt Island)

When these two met in the conference finals two weeks ago, Day edged out a 10-7 win.

144: #9 Wyatt Crouser (Cocoa Beach )#10 Nolan West (Merritt Island)

Crouser has two decision wins between the two this season, 13-8 and 7-4.

215: #11 Leonardo Murray (Palm Bay) vs. #14 Alexis Escobar (Cocoa)

These two have met this season with Murray winning the match between the two by major decision.

1A-14: at Cardinal Gibbons, 5 p.m.

150: Bryan Picallo (Cardinal Gibbons) vs. Mason O’Dell (Mater Lakes)

Picallo is 3-0 in their matches this season, but one of them was close, a 7-6 decision to the Gibbons senior.

165: #3 Kalias Nazario (Mater Lakes Academy) vs. #4 Frankie Florio (Cardinal Gibbons)

Nazario has been the better wrestler in all three of their matches, winning twice by decision and once he earned a major.

1A-16: at Coral Shores, 4:30 p.m.

132: #11 RJ Linares (Westminster Christian) vs. #19 Abram Canet (Key West)

When they met earlier this season, Linares won by technical fall.

285: #11 Spencer Voss (Miami Christian) vs. #18 Alexandre Allens (Key West)

These two haven’t met this season and this would be a good time for them to make an acquaintance on the mat.

Brant Parsons is the founder and executive editor of Kabra Wrestling. He has been covering high school wrestling in Florida since 2004. He can be reached at brant@kabrawrestling.com.