Region 3A-2: Preview and Predictions
FRIDAY-SATURDAY FEBRUARY 23-24, 2024 - At Kissimmee Osceola High School
Welcome to one of my favorite traditions - the region previews.
This is the sixth 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 3A-2 will play out.
You can print the 3A-2 region bracket here. (PDF)
I've carefully predicted the four state qualifiers in the order that I think the 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).
These previews and predictions are meant to bring excitement to one of the 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:
Teams to watch
3. Kissimmee Osceola, 5. Palmetto Ridge, 16. Palm Harbor University, 20. George Jenkins
Kabra's Picks
1. #4 Erik Perez (Palmetto Ridge)
2. #9 Brendon Clark (Sumner)
3. #5 Roderick Brown (George Jenkins)
4. #16 Aiden Sanders (Lakewood Ranch)
Wrestlers who could prove me wrong: Angel Roa (Steinbrenner); Dylan Vu (Venice)
Opening round match to watch: Justin Rivers (East Lake) vs. Paul Rios (Riverview)
Kabra says: We could get the Perez-Brown rematch in the semifinals here. The Palmetto Ridge sophomore beat the then-#1 Brown 12-7 at the Braves Invitational and they’re both in the top half of this bracket.
Kabra's Picks
1. #2 Adaias Ortiz (Kissimmee Osceola)
2. #12 Andrew Taylor (George Jenkins)
3. #13 Leonardo Perdomo (Bloomingdale)
4. #14 Logan Borcsane (Lakewood Ranch)
Wrestlers who could prove me wrong: #19 William McGowan (Palmetto Ridge); Zeke Johnson (Sunlake)
Opening round match to watch: Lochlyn Harris (North Port) vs. Brandon Restrepo (Sickles)
Kabra says: Ortiz is one of the best wrestlers in the state and the favorite here to win a region title as a freshman. The curious thing to watch here will be the grouping of 12-14 and how they fare against each other on both sides of the bracket. If our projection is correct, you’ll see a district final rematch between Perdomo and Borcsane in the third place match.
Kabra's Picks
1. #7 Kase Hopper (Venice)
2. #13 Zachary Berry (Palm Harbor University)
3. #17 Talyn Fisk (Kissimmee Osceola)
4. Jarold Cervantes (Plant City)
Wrestlers who could prove me wrong: Jacob Horowitz (Mitchell); Isequiel Rivera (George Jenkins)
Opening round match to watch: Kenneth Elie (Sumner) vs. Johnny Yelvington (Sarasota)
Kabra says: Of the district champions, only Hopper and Cervantes have met, with the Venice sophomore earning an 8-4 win. This bracket is a toss-up, that’s the best way to describe it.
Kabra's Picks
1. #8 Christopher Dinsdale (Lennard)
2. #18 Jorge Felix Macias (Celebration)
3. #12 Yosef Walsh (Palm Harbor University)
4. Jordan Blomberg (Palmetto Ridge)
Wrestlers who could prove me wrong: Hunter Smith (Durant); Jacob Bowen (Riverview)
Opening round match to watch: Brian Lara (Sarasota Riverview) vs. Diaaeldin Elghonemy (Kissimmee Osceola)
Kabra says: This is a tougher weight class to get a read on since a lot of them have only seen each other in the district. The Dinsdale-Walsh potential semi stands out. Walsh has shown he has the ability to raise his level when needed, if he does that this weekend, the semifinal should have fireworks.
Kabra's Picks
1. #8 Isfandier Sharipov (Kissimmee Osceola)
2. #10 Ian Drake (Ridge Community)
3. #12 Massimillian Pellicano (Venice)
4. #14 Marco Rivera (Sunlake)
Wrestlers who could prove me wrong: #13 James Aguilar (Riverview); #16 Preston Thompkins (Riverdale)
Opening round match to watch: Thompkins vs. Gauthier (Palm Harbor University)
Kabra says: Whew! What a bracket. Seven ranked wrestlers, three “almost-ranked” wrestlers. A bottom half of the bracket with four ranked wrestlers and opening round matches that are already hard. This is a good one. Sharipov is our favorite on the top but it won’t be an easy road to the final from there with Thompkins and Aguilar potentially waiting. Our pick on the bottom is for Drake to reach the final and look to avenge his district final loss, but he also has a tough road ahead with district champions Pellicano and Rivera likely in the way. This podium could look just like we picked - or completely different. I’m excited for this one.
Kabra's Picks
1. #5 Titus Herron (Palm Harbor University)
2. #14 Austin Nappi (North Port)
3. #15 Ehab Shalaby (Kissimmee Osceola)
4. Jack Cleversey (Sumner)
Wrestlers who could prove me wrong: Julian Melo (George Jenkins); Roman Acevedo (Mitchell)
Opening round match to watch: Rafael Pacheco (Sunlake) vs. Melo
Kabra says: There are just three ranked wrestlers in the bracket, but a host of “almost-ranked” athletes are here. Herron has distinguished himself as the guy to beat here, but we’re just as interested in how the battle for the final state spot will go.
Kabra's Picks
1. #2 Landon Bates (Palm Harbor University)
2. #9 Mark Whalen (Palmetto Ridge)
3. #6 James Singer (Bloomingdale)
4. #18 Jayson Ortiz (Kissimmee Osceola)
Wrestlers who could prove me wrong: Daniel Busch (Steinbrenner); Colton Lehmann (Venice)
Opening round match to watch: Jaymin Saunoris (Sarasota Riverview) vs. Austin Werner (Celebration)
Kabra says: We’re going to pick the four district champions to advance here, but this bracket is sneaky deep, even with just four ranked wrestlers in it. Bates is the favorite but won’t have an easy time with Singer possibly being in the bottom half semifinal. Whalen owns a 10-3 win over Ortiz in the top half, so we expect the Palmetto Ridge senior to reach the final too.
Kabra's Picks
1. #1 Anderson Heap (Kissimmee Osceola)
2. #10 Braxton Gerber (George Jenkins)
3. #11 Xavier Barnhart (Palmetto Ridge)
4. #17 Jackson Bond (Palm Harbor University)
Wrestlers who could prove me wrong: #15 Josiah Solomon (Sumner); #18 Darian Monserrate (Steinbrenner)
Opening round match to watch: Samuel Hall (Riverdale) vs. Monserrate
Kabra says: The two-time state champion Heap is on track to finish with a third before heading off to Davidson and while he’s the favorite here, it won’t take long for some fireworks to get started. A potential quarterfinal match between Gerber and Barnhart looms with the George Jenkins junior owning a 7-6 win this season.
Kabra's Picks
1. #2 Demetri Zertopoulis (Palmetto Ridge)
2. #12 Nathaniel Cabrera (Kissimmee Osceola)
3. #13 Devin Blunt (Strawberry Crest)
4. #15 Brandon King (Sarasota Riverview)
Wrestlers who could prove me wrong: #16 Athos Karistinos (Palm Harbor University); Matt Bollinger (Plant City)
Opening round match to watch: Danny Levy (Sickles) vs. Erick Cleveland (Bartow)
Kabra says: There are a lot of losses in this group, but they are quality losses. Beyond Zertopoulis, you have a lineup of four ranked guys that are capable of big things and have been in some moments. Roll the dice, toss a dart, pull a name out of a hat, this podium could land a few ways.
Kabra's Picks
1. #4 Vincent Donatelle (North Port)
2. #8 Andrew Raab (Strawberry Crest)
3. #11 Abraham Le (Sickles)
4. #16 Owen Pratt (Palmetto Ridge)
Wrestlers who could prove me wrong: #17 Bishop Taylor (Mitchell); #18 Samuel Goodrick (Sarasota)
Opening round match to watch: #20 Deacon Delong (Kissimmee Osceola) vs. Micah Thompson (Venice)
Kabra says: Seven ranked wrestlers will toe the line in this bracket and that means a quarterfinal round that should have some highlights. Donatelle’s losses have all come to Top 2 wrestlers across the state and he’s an easy pick for the favorite here.
Kabra's Picks
1. #1 Gunner Holland (Kissimmee Osceola)
2. #19 Avery Gray (Haines City)
3. #5 Brant Bovee (Durant)
4. #16 Georgie Rivera (Strawberry Crest)
Wrestlers who could prove me wrong: Nick Torres (Sarasota); Nicky Bernard (Palmetto Ridge)
Opening round match to watch: Torres vs. Levi MacCullough (East Lake)
Kabra says: Holland is on a mission this season to get back to the top of the podium next week. And he’ll start setting himself up for that with a win this weekend. He does have an intriguing possible semifinal opponent with unbeaten Brant Bovee (great first name) also in the top of the bracket.
Kabra's Picks
1. #3 Aidyn Wolfe (Riverview)
2. #5 Zahquel Davis (Winter Haven)
3. #6 Timothy Peoples (George Jenkins)
4. #12 Bryan Gari (Kissimmee Osceola)
Wrestlers who could prove me wrong: #17 Trey Schwartz (Lakewood Ranch); #19 Anthony Lucarini (Strawberry Crest)
Opening round match to watch: Schwartz vs. Lucas Roberts (North Port)
Kabra says: A quarterfinal to remember could happen in this weight class with Wolfe and Peoples slated to possibly meet in the round of 8 here. The winner there doesn’t have the smoothest path with Gari potentially waiting in the semis. Davis’ work ethic has been paying off as he’s one of the hottest wrestlers in the region and ready to go for a region title now.
Kabra's Picks
1. #2 Baxter Hoffman (Steinbrenner)
2. #10 Angel Armas (Ridge Community)
3. #7 Mizael Morales (Bloomingdale)
4. #13 Rourke Drake (Newsome)
Wrestlers who could prove me wrong: #14 Evan Bolick (Lakewood Ranch); #15 Zander Spurway (Strawberry Crest)
Opening round match to watch: Spurway vs. Bolick
Kabra says: I’d have to go back through all of my previews, but I can’t remember a bracket that had nine ranked wrestlers in it. This one does. There are two ranked opening round matches, six ranked wrestlers in the top and if you count “almost ranked”, there are 11 wrestlers here that we think are worthy of discussion for the final Silver Spurs spot. And yet, Hoffman enters a strong favorite with a major decision win over Morales this season.
Kabra's Picks
1. #1 Kaden Darwin (Palmetto Ridge)
2. #7 CJ McCutheon (Sarasota Riverview)
3. #2 Cody Anderson (Strawberry Crest)
4. #12 Jonathan Lattimore (Armwood)
Wrestlers who could prove me wrong: #11 Jaquille Knox (Kissimmee Osceola); Deacon Alls (Haines City)
Opening round match to watch: McCutheon vs. Lattimore
Kabra says: Another loaded backet with eight ranked wrestlers and a semifinal bout that you can’t miss. We could have a 1-2 meeting here with Darwin and Anderson being on the same side of the bracket. Darwin has a pin in their only matchup this season. In the top half, we have a bracket with a potential 7-vs-11 meeting where the winner gets to the semis and the loser faces a near impossible task of making it to Silver Spurs.