Region 3A-3: Preview and Predictions
FRIDAY-SATURDAY FEBRUARY 28-MARCH 1, 2025 - at Kissimmee Osceola High School
Friday: Weigh-in: 2 p.m. | Gates open: 3 p.m. | Wrestling starts: 3:15 p.m. (No spectators allowed on campus until 3 p.m.)
Saturday: Weigh-in: 8 a.m. | Wrestling starts: 9:15 a.m.
Welcome to one of my favorite traditions - the region previews.
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-3 will play out.
You can print the 3A-3 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:
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. #2 Tristan Horn (Harmony)
2. #4 Chris Schnobrick (Olympic Heights)
3. #13 Eli Valdez (Park Vista)
4. #15 Magnum Colon (Orlando Freedom)
Wrestlers who could prove me wrong: #22 Jovanni Ortiz (Kissimmee Osceola); Luc Beauileu (St. Cloud)
Opening round match to watch: Enrique Avianeda (Fort Pierce Central) vs. Ortiz
Kabra says: We’d be in a for a huge treat if we get the two favorites in the final here. The top part of this weight class is full of questions and we’d learn a little more by who won this region.
Kabra's Picks
1. #1 Nathan Lyttle (Harmony)
2. #4 Nicolas Degrossi (Park Vista)
3. #19 Carter Rivera (St. Cloud)
4. #23 Shawnley Clervoyant (Santaluces)
Wrestlers who could prove me wrong: #24 Mason Boni (Olympic Heights); #25 Jaden Williams (Wellington)
Opening round match to watch: Williams vs. Rivera
Kabra says: Lyttle is unbeaten and has been perfecting his craft all season. As is the case through most of this region tournament, we don’t have a head-to-head between the favorites heading into the weekend. The final spots on this podium will be a dog fight.
Kabra's Picks
1. #3 Mark Bonfante (Wellington)
2. #6 Nevan Irving (Harmony)
3. #7 Preston Williams (Olympic Heights)
4. #12 Nathan Fisher (Orlando Freedom)
Wrestlers who could prove me wrong: #14 Makana Tieri (Viera); #17 Duran Tucker (Fort Pierce Central)
Opening round match to watch: Murad Ramadan (Boca Raton) vs. Worthington Darian (West Boca)
Kabra says: The potential Irving-Williams semifinal should be fun to watch. Both wrestlers have developed quickly this season and now look like potential state placers. The winner there most likely gets returning state qualifier Bonfante in the finals.
Kabra's Picks
1. #11 Walt Munoz (Olympic Heights)
2. #16 Landon Davis (Harmony)
3. #18 Xavier Santiago (Orlando Freedom)
4. #21 Connor Walshe (Wellington)
Wrestlers who could prove me wrong: #23 Skyler West (Fort Pierce Central); Sam Gilbert (Jupiter)
Opening round match to watch: Luca Johnson (Boca Raton) vs. Matthew Hoenshell (Tohopekaliga)
Kabra says: We don’t know much about this weight class but there are five ranked wrestlers and at least three more on the cusp of being ranked he should compete for a podium spot. Watch for Santiago here, he reached the state tournament last year. He and Davis wrestled close in the district final with the Harmony senior winning 10-6.
Kabra's Picks
1. #10 Max Butler (Harmony)
2. #11 Kepa Agcaoili (Viera)
3. #14 Kai Benedetti (Wellington)
4. #15 Christopher Whitehead (Fort Pierce Central)
Wrestlers who could prove me wrong: #16 Javin Taylor (Boca Raton); #19 Jorge Feliz Macias (Celebration)
Opening round match to watch: Taylor vs. Angel Legrand (Cypress Creek)
Kabra says: If our rankings hold true, we could see Butler and Agcaoili meeting in the final for the second time this season. When they met the first time, Butler won by a fall. It won’t be an easy road for either of them as both could have a ranked quarterfinal and semifinal opponent before reaching the final.
Kabra's Picks
1. #9 Gustavo Ferreira (Viera)
2. #15 Isfandier Sharipov (Kissimmee Osceola)
3. #13 Kingsley Mincer (Orlando Freedom)
4. #17 Cristian Rodriguez (Harmony)
Wrestlers who could prove me wrong: #18 Kaden Smith (Colonial); #23 Santiago Alvarez (Spanish River)
Opening round match to watch: Kevin Sammiel (Dwyer) vs. Fabio Eltringham (Olympic Heights)
Kabra says: Defending state champion has been working himself back after missing time for an injury and comes in this weekend after finishing second in the district to the freshman Mincer. The reward for the Freedom wrestler is a potential semifinal with Ferreira, who finished on the Class 2A state podium with Heritage last year before his family moved to Viera. Depending on how well Shairpov is wrestling could dictate how much chaos we see here - and there could be a lot of that.
Kabra's Picks
1. #2 Daniel Alvarez (Spanish River)
2. #7 Daniel Ospina (Park Vista)
3. #11 Ehab Shalaby (Kissimmee Osceola)
4. #14 Nikolas Gray (Wellington)
Wrestlers who could prove me wrong: #23 Jesus Velasquez (Colonial); Camren Baker (Viera)
Opening round match to watch: Neil Gilady (Olympic Heights) vs. #24 Jordan Sierra (Fort Pierce Central)
Kabra says: Returning state placer Alvarez and Ospina had two tightly-contested meetings this season that they split before the Spanish River senior won the district final by major decision. The Ospina-Shalaby possible quarterfinal will make Friday interesting here.
Kabra's Picks
1. #4 Edwin Torres (Viera)
2. #5 Nathan Barrett (Tohopekaliga)
3. #10 Ibrahim Rustam (Kissimmee Osceola)
4. #17 Austin Schneider (Olympic Heights)
Wrestlers who could prove me wrong: #23 Austin Werner (Celebration); Lavoctris Patterson (Orlando Freedom)
Opening round match to watch: Alexander Lopez (Park Vista) vs. Patterson
Kabra says: Torres edged Barrett 4-3 in their district final meeting last week and they could get a rematch here in the region final. Rustam and Schneider will both try to break up that meeting in the top half of this bracket.
Kabra's Picks
1. #5 James Kosza (Wellington)
2. #8 Elias Enzner (Olympic Heights)
3. #7 Nathaniel Cabrera (Kissimmee Osceola)
4. #13 Anthony Saget (Centennial)
Wrestlers who could prove me wrong: #18 Jaiison Cabrera (Harmony); Elias Silver (Jupiter)
Opening round match to watch: Kevin Benjamin (Vero Beach) vs. Alex LaSalle (Palm Beach Gardens)
Kabra says: Kosza and Enzer had a hard fought district final where the Wellington junior squeaked out a 1-0 win. To get there, Kosza will need to beat Cabrera again (he majored him during the season) and Enzer will have to navigate a potentially tough bottom half of the bracket.
Kabra's Picks
1. #3 Mac Andrews (Wellington)
2. #6 Bryan Batles (Tohopekaliga)
3. #9 David Yi Sanchez (Kissimmee Osceola)
4. #14 Jad Urribarri (John I. Leonard)
Wrestlers who could prove me wrong: #18 Yompol Borrero-Santiago (St. Cloud); #20 Alvee Ahsan (Viera)
Opening round match to watch: Ahsan vs. Aizea Lopez (Cypress Creek)
Kabra says: Andrews has been on a mission since getting hurt in the state duals last season and not being at full strength in last year’s postseason. He’s traveled the world to challenge himself and is looking to improve on his sixth place finish in the state in his freshman year. The top half of the bracket should keep the weight class exciting as the rest of our podium picks come from there.
Kabra's Picks
1. #9 Enzo Dasilva (Spanish River)
2. #15 Collin Madden (Fort Pierce Central)
3. #12 Joseph Romero (Vero Beach)
4. #23 Christopher Aubain (Orlando Freedom)
Wrestlers who could prove me wrong: #21 Gabe Dell'arciprete (Olympic Heights); #24 Jean Ho (Cypress Creek)
Opening round match to watch: Jonathan Olmo (Kissimmee Osceola) vs. Caden Kimbrell (Jupiter)
Kabra says: To be candid, this one is tough to pick. Dasilva does have a win over Madden this season and they could meet in the final here. Romero also has a win over Madden from last week’s district tournament and should be in the mix here for the final.
Kabra's Picks
1. #3 Deacon DeLong (Kissimmee Osceola)
2. #8 Alex Davis (Jupiter)
3. #10 Dante DeSantis (Dwyer)
4. #13 Seth Scutero (Harmony)
Wrestlers who could prove me wrong: #16 Isaac Scalabrin (Fort Pierce Central); #19 Daniel Damm (West Boca)
Opening round match to watch: #24 Landon Keck (Viera) vs. Damm
Kabra says: DeLong and Davis both reached the state tournament a year ago are looking to return. With seven ranked wrestlers, this podium could shake out a number of different ways.
Kabra's Picks
1. #6 Elijah Vansickle (Kissimmee Osceola)
2. #5 Logan Silva (Colonial)
3. #9 Roderick Jones (Wellington)
4. #17 Nick Boselli (Spanish River)
Wrestlers who could prove me wrong: #23 Jordyn Martin (Orlando Freedom); #24 James Acosta-Turcios (John I. Leonard)
Opening round match to watch: Acosta-Turcios vs. Trenton Honara (Viera)
Kabra says: Osceola wrestlers find another gear in their home gym and despite Silva’s 6-5 win in the district final, we’ll take an (admittedly small) flyer here and pick Vansickle to win his first region title to go along with his third place finish in the state as a sophomore.
Kabra's Picks
1. #5 Liam Higgins (Wellington)
2. #11 Aiden Pizarro (Colonial)
3. #7 Joel Leon (Seminole Ridge)
4. #12 Raymundo Romero (Park Vista)
Wrestlers who could prove me wrong: #13 Eddi Keyes (Centennial); #16 Andrew Colantanio (St. Cloud)
Opening round match to watch: #17 B Thomas Devarious (Fort Pierce Central) vs. #19 Aiden Maldonado (Harmony)
Kabra says: 10 wrestlers in this backet are ranked and six of them are in the bottom half where we find Higgins and Leon. There will be no easy rounds here with two first round matches between ranked wrestlers. Higgins does own a 9-2 win over Leon this season and we’ll give him the slight edge to win this title.