Class 2A state wrestling preview and predictions
BY BRANT PARSONS —Welcome to our 2025 state tournament preview and predictions.
This is yearly tradition that is meant to be both a viewing guide and fun way to look ahead to the best three days of the season.
For this set of predictions, the process didn’t change.
I take each bracket and make notes on it - including Kabra Wrestling rankings - and then play out each match in each bracket to determine the state placers and add a couple wrestlers to watch.
Since these are based on my rankings, and I am fully confident in my rankings, you’ll notice my picks never stray too far from them.
The final standings don’t always match my rankings because some brackets just don’t play out that way - and there are a couple notable times where I take a flyer and disagree with the rankings. I’m a fun guy like that.
What you’ll read in this preview is a snapshot in time on what I felt would happen in this tournament when I wrote the preview. If I was to go through and write it again, I’m sure there are some that would be different. There does tend to be a good deal of scratching out on my brackets when I do this.
As always, there is no bias that goes into these picks and they are meant for entertainment purposes only. I don’t cheer for my bracket to be right, in fact, the most memorable moments related to these previews are the kids that proved me wrong and then told me that they did.
In fact, when I’m covering the state tournament, I often don’t even remember the picks that I made. I’m too excited just watching the great action.
Best of luck to each of the state qualifiers that will compete this weekend. Just reaching the state tournament is such a tremendous accomplishment and no matter what you do this weekend at Silver Spurs Arena, you are a success that has accomplished great things through this powerful sport.
And if you prove Kabra wrong, please let me know, we have a sticker for you.
The Picks
Team Race
Final standings
1. Tampa Jesuit
2. Somerset
3. Lake Gibson
4. Charlotte
5. Clay
Predicted total state champions
3 - Tampa Jesuit, Somerset
1 - Charlotte, Heritage, Jensen Beach, Lake Gibson, Mariner, Mater Academy, North Fort Myers, Riverdale
Predicted state placers
10 - Somerset
9 - Lake Gibson
8 - Tampa Jesuit
5 - Charlotte, Clay
4 - Gulf Breeze, Jensen Beach, Lincoln, North Fort Myers
3 - Braden River, Fleming Island, Middleburg, New Smyrna Beach, Riverdale
2 - Brandon, Mariner, Martin County, Mater Academy, Niceville, Pasco, Winter Springs
1 - American Heritage, Archbishop McCarthy, Auburndale, Bayside, Chiles, Felix Varela, Fort Myers, Fort Walton Beach, Heritage, Hollins, Lakeland, Lyman, Manatee, Matanzas, Middleton, Miramar, Mosley, North Miami, Osceola Fundamental, Palmetto Ridge, Parrish, Pine Ridge, Pinellas Park, Ponte Vedra, Port Charlotte, Rockledge, South Fort Myers, Springstead, Suncoast
FHSAA Schedules
Class 3A: IBT results | Dual results | State IBT preview
Class 2A: IBT results | Dual results | State IBT preview
Class 1A: IBT results | Dual results | State IBT preview
Class G-1A: IBT results | State IBT preview
Kabra's Picks
1. #1 Matthew Schuler (Charlotte)
2. #3 Joseph Obstaculo (Hollins)
3. #2 RJ Phelan (Lake Gibson)
4. #5 Zachary Leto (Tampa Jesuit)
5. #4 Gary Mendez (Mater Academy)
6. #7 Vladimir Drown (Rockledge)
7. #6 Ryder Cohen (Gulf Breeze)
8. #8 Cano Austin (Somerset)
Wrestlers who could prove me wrong: #9 Jacob Rhodes (Archbishop McCarthy); #10 Jackson Stouffer (Brandon)
First round matches you can't miss: Cohen vs. Rhodes; Austin vs. #11 Patrick Mayfield (New Smyrna Beach)
Kabra says: We have a potential 1-2 semifinal here and a top half of the bracket with two quarterfinals you won’t want to miss. Schuler has a 9-6 win this year and that bout will have some big team title race implications as a move to the final would be big for the Braves. Both Top 6 potential quarterfinals would pair wrestlers who have not met this season. In Kabra’s bracket, we have Phelan and Leto meeting for a third time this year. After a 2-1 win at state duals, Phelan won their region final by major decision. Another quirk from the random formula here, all of the Top 8 ranked wrestlers will be favorites by Kabra Wrestling in the first round.
Kabra's Picks
1. #1 Eric Bush (Riverdale)
2. #2 Brock Glover (Tampa Jesuit)
3. #3 Caden Moore (Charlotte)
4. #5 Garrett Ferguson (Gulf Breeze)
5. #4 Nathan Harvey (Middleburg)
6. #6 Joe Tucker (Lincoln)
7. #7 Nathan Halulko (Martin County)
8. #10 Andrew Cackett (Archbishop McCarthy)
Wrestlers who could prove me wrong: #8 Francesco Alagna (WC Cypress Creek); #9 Michael Maisonet (Mater Academy)
First round matches you can't miss: Moore vs. Ferguson; Alagna vs. Maisonet; Cackett vs. #13 Jamie Taylor (Lyman)
Kabra says: Last year’s Illinois Class 1A state champion is Kabra’s favorite coming in and the Riverdale sophomore owns a 5-0 win over Glover this offseason. Glover finds himself in one of the toughest quads of the tournament with Moore and Ferguson battling in the other first round of the quad. Glover hasn’t faced either this season but we paint him as the slight favorite. According to our bracket, first round opponents will meet again for third place. With the setup on the bracket, the Cackett-Taylor first round meeting could open a better path to the podium for the winner.
Kabra's Picks
1. #1 Lucas Barrios (Mater Academy)
2. #3 Malachi Ortiz (Tampa Jesuit)
3. #2 Jake Austin (Charlotte)
4. #4 Jacob Bucci (Clay)
5. #5 Matthew Ireland (Braden River)
6. #6 Gavin Samons (Gulf Breeze)
7. #7 Zavian Chaves (Winter Springs)
8. #8 Andre Rossi (Somerset)
Wrestlers who could prove me wrong: #9 Nolan Halulko (Martin County); #11 Tyler White (Lake Gibson)
First round matches you can't miss: #12 Porter Daniels (Manatee) vs. Porter; White vs. Chaves
Kabra says: This bracket hosts two returning state champions and neither of them are considered the favorite by Kabra Wrestling. We’ve done the research to try and get a feel for who could win a monster semifinal between Barrios and Austin. They have not faced each other according to our records but at the Michigan Grappler in the fall, Barrios placed second in the elite division and Austin finished fourth. Barrios defeated Michigan’s Wyatt Lees 3-2 in the semifinals, one round after Lees defeated Austin 8-0. Lees also won their third-place bout. One other note on the two of them, both lost to Mater Lakes’ Keagan Mesina this season. And let’s not forget the top of this bracket where we could see a renewal of last year’s state final at 113 pounds, won 6-3 by Ortiz. The top four Kabra Wrestling ranked wrestlers are the four region champions from last weekend.
Kabra's Picks
1. #1 Sebastian Degennaro (Jensen Beach)
2. #2 Roberto DeJesus (Lake Gibson)
3. #3 Carlos Sainz (Somerset)
4. #4 Zakary Jurado (Lincoln)
5. #5 Kael Seneca (Fort Myers)
6. #6 Vonte Burke (Clay)
7. #8 Domonic Benjamin (Parrish)
8. #10 Devyn Hicks (New Smyrna Beach)
Wrestlers who could prove me wrong: #7 Noah Scribner (Brandon); #11 Gabriel MacVittie (Satellite)
First round matches you can't miss: #7 Noah Scribner (Brandon) vs. Burke; Benjamin vs. MacVittie; #13 Giovani DeLape (Springstead) vs. Hicks
Kabra says: Degennaro is one of the weekend’s biggest favorites and he should go down as one of the best to wrestle in Florida and a four-time state champion. The good news for the wrestlers Kabra has ranked 2-4, they all avoid the Jensen Beach senior on the other half of the bracket - the bad news is that all three are in the top half of the bracket. A Sainz-Juardo bout potentially awaits in the quarterfinals and the winner there gets DeJesus, who has a 4-1 win over Sainz this season. The loser of Scribner-Burke and the loser of the Sainz-Jurardo quarterfinal would meet in the consolation round with the winner earning a spot on the podium and the loser coming up short. There’s a lot on the line early in this bracket.
Kabra's Picks
1. #1 Christian Fretwell (Lake Gibson)
2. #2 Sebastian Bonachea (Fleming Island)
3. #3 Reid Yakes (Tampa Jesuit)
4. #4 Ayden Balma (Riverdale)
5. #5 Luke Arthur (Manatee)
6. #6 Ben Norris (Jensen Beach)
7. #7 Duly Brutus (Miramar)
8. #9 Dylan Fernandez (Somerset)
Wrestlers who could prove me wrong: #8 Jacob Fuentes (Braden River); #10 Jaden Weisgal (Brandon)
First round matches you can't miss: Fernandez vs. Weisgal; #12 Rudley Villareal (Winter Springs) vs. Fuentes
Kabra says: Two-time state champion Fretwell lost in the state final and it has fueled him the past year. The Northern Colorado commit is our favorite here. The top of this bracket is intriguing with Kabra’s #2-4 ranked wrestlers all competing for a spot in the finals. Watch the quarterfinal round to see a possible rematch of last year’s third place bout between Bonachea and Yakes. A match won by Bonachea 3-1. The winner could get Balma, who placed here in 2023 before ending last season injured. Manatee’s Arthur, last year’s state finalist at 132 pounds, could face Fretwell in the quarterfinals with a loss there likely sending him to the cutthroat top half backside. On Kabra Wrestling’s bracket, we have Brutus and Fuentes meeting in the consolations with a trip to the podium on the line.
Kabra's Picks
1. #1 Maximus Brady (Mariner)
2. #3 Brady Jackson (Lincoln)
3. #2 Jayden Bowles (Tampa Jesuit)
4. #5 Alecsander Rego (Brandon)
5. #4 Travonte Burgess (Lakeland)
6. #7 Preston Thompkins (Riverdale)
7. #8 Julian Brady (Suncoast)
8. #10 Clinton Thompson (South Fort Myers)
Wrestlers who could prove me wrong: #6 Noah Gregory (Lake Gibson); #11 Blake Walker (Jensen Beach)
First round matches you can't miss: Rego vs. Thompkins; #9 William Bass (New Smyrna Beach) vs. #12 Ericson Coney (Everglades)
Kabra says: This weight class houses another big favorite to win his fourth state title. Brady enters the weekend looking to punctuate his career with another crown before heading off to Northern Iowa to wrestle at the next level. As big as Brady is the favorite, this is also a loaded weight class. The top of the weight class sees the biggest quarterfinal final and hardest quad. Jackson and Burgess lineup for a quarterfinal that could propel the winner to the state final. The winner of Rego-Thompkins in the first round could face Brady. If the Suncoast junior wrestles like he did last weekend at regions, he could leave his mark in this half of the bracket too. Unfortunately, the bracket formula and super-hard region two means we’ll likely see a Top 6 match-up in the consolations between Gregory and the loser of the Jackson-Burgess quarter. The winner heads to the podium.
Kabra's Picks
1. #1 Xavier Albo (Tampa Jesuit)
2. #2 Jaiden Oliver (Lake Gibson)
3. #3 Jonathan Bruner (New Smyrna Beach)
4. #4 Solomon Lucas (North Fort Myers)
5. #6 Braden Glavin (Clay)
6. #5 Jordan Pineda (Felix Varela)
7. #7 Darion Shannon (Somerset)
8. #10 Garret Jarvis (Niceville)
Wrestlers who could prove me wrong: #8 Lakai Hernandez (East River); #11 Maeson Otwell (Pace)
First round matches you can't miss: Shannon vs. Hernandez; Jarvis vs. #12 Daniel Santana (Mariner)
Kabra says: Albo has improved his record to 2-1 against Oliver this season after winning the region final 5-1 last weekend and is our pick to win it. Of course, there is no guarantee that this meeting takes place on Saturday evening. The top half of this bracket is deep with five wrestlers ranked in Kabra Wrestling’s Top 8. The road for Oliver could see him meeting #4 Lucas in the quarters and then two-time state placer Bruner in the semifinals. Both would be key bouts for the Braves in the team race. Kabra’s bracket has Glavin and Pineda meeting twice on the weekend and we’re picking the two to go 1-1 with Glavin winning the second time around.
Kabra's Picks
1. #1 Tristan Sainz (Somerset)
2. #2 Laird Duhaylungsod (Fleming Island)
3. #3 Gavin Cohen (Gulf Breeze)
4. #4 LeAndre Campbell (Lake Gibson)
5. #5 Cameron Popeck (Lyman)
6. #6 Geovani Santos (Martin County)
7. #7 Wyatt Nevling (Charlotte)
8. #8 Maddox Williams (Port Charlotte)
Wrestlers who could prove me wrong: #9 Joseph Wilkinson (Barron Collier); #10 Jacob Johnston (Chiles)
First round matches you can't miss: Wilkinson vs. Santos; Williams vs. #13 Charly Sainteus (North Miami)
Kabra says: This will likely blowup in our face, but on paper, this bracket doesn’t seem to have a lot of potential landmines in it. Sainz is back after missing last season and is a strong favorite here. He’s be the state runner-up twice and this season, Florida opponents are barely scoring on him. In beating Cohen in the region 2A-1 final, Duhaylungsod earned a region title and gets to avoid Sainz’ side of the bracket. Some of the more interesting bouts that caught our attention are on the backside where placing comes into play. Of course, now that we’ve said that, this could be one that goes off the rails. We’ll see starting Thursday.
Kabra's Picks
1. #1 Kawayran Vazquez (Tampa Jesuit)
2. #2 Eric Hodge (Somerset)
3. #3 Wyatt Leduc (Middleburg)
4. #4 Izaiah Zaitouni (Osceola Fundamental)
5. #5 Drew Holmquist (Clay)
6. #6 Jerry Ware (Lake Gibson)
7. #7 Armando Wisdom (American Heritage)
8. #8 Mason Obama (Matanzas)
Wrestlers who could prove me wrong: #9 Israel Clark (Braden River); #10 Chase Utley (Port Charlotte)
First round matches you can't miss: #14 Daniel Quinones (Springstead) vs. Utley; Wisdom vs. Holmquist
Kabra says: If this bracket goes to chalk according to Kabra Wrestling’s rankings, we would have a 1 vs. 4 and 2 vs. 3 semifinal setup here. The perfect storm. Vazquez is the favorite here based on his performances this season but it’s close. He and Hodge both have 4-1 wins against each other this season while Vazquez also owns a pinfall win over Leduc. In the 2-3 semifinal, Hodge owns a 7-1 victory this season over Leduc. If that part goes to plan, there are some consolation round matches that should be fun with Obama-Clark and Wisdom-Utley possibly taking place with a podium spot on the line.
Kabra's Picks
1. #1 Draven McCall (Tampa Jesuit)
2. #2 Husam Mustafa (Lake Gibson)
3. #3 Bluny Davilma (Somerset)
4. #4 Julian Gonzales (North Fort Myers)
5. #5 Malachi Lewis (Niceville)
6. #7 Hector Torres (Pine Ridge)
7. #6 Vincent Contreras (Pasco)
8. #9 Adonis Severe (North Miami)
Wrestlers who could prove me wrong: #8 Noah Catala (Miramar); #10 Michael Hernandez (Charlotte)
First round matches you can't miss: Hernandez vs. Severe; Contreras vs. Torres
Kabra says: McCall is looking to end his high school career with a third-straight state title. The Jesuit senior is 2-0 vs. Mustafa this season and 1-0 vs. Davilma. On the bottom half of the bracket Mustafa and Davilma could be meeting in a huge quarterfinal in both the bracket and team race. Mustafa pinned Davilma in their meeting this season. Gonzales is also a returning state placer and is in the mix to shake up the bottom half of the bracket. A curious match to watch is one of our first-round picks: Contreras-Torres. In the Kabra Wrestling bracket, the winner of the bracket ended up further down the podium because of how the landscape shaped up with our picks.
Kabra's Picks
1. #1 Michael Sainz (Somerset)
2. #2 Nicky Bernard (Palmetto Ridge)
3. #3 Landon Martin (Clay)
4. #4 Scott Cook (Braden River)
5. #5 Amir Coston (Auburndale)
6. #7 Brayden Hogg (Jensen Beach)
7. #6 Brayden Kahelin (Lake Gibson)
8. #9 Kalel Hernandez (North Fort Myers)
Wrestlers who could prove me wrong: #8 Michael Aker (Ponte Vedra); #10 Christopher Porter (New Smyrna Beach)
First round matches you can't miss: Kahelin vs. Hernandez; Hogg vs. Aker
Kabra says: Sainz has looked unstoppable this season and the two-time state placer is a solid pick here to win. He has faced Bernard this season and defeated him by fall. Martin is on the top half of the bracket and the Clay sophomore proved Kabra right last weekend in the regions when we went against our rankings. We’re thankful for him making us look smart but he will have a brutally tough semifinal should he reach it. The matches we picked to watch will go a long way in determining how the podium looks - and who makes it on it and who doesn’t.
Kabra's Picks
1. #1 Mateo Martinez (Somerset)
2. #3 Matthew Sinclair (Fort Walton Beach)
3. #2 Brody Switzer (Pasco)
4. #4 Jacob Rodriguez (Winter Springs)
5. #5 Gary Bradley (Bayside)
6. #6 Clark Daley (Mariner)
7. #8 Darius Montgomery (Middleton)
8. #9 Yuriel Campos (Brandon)
Wrestlers who could prove me wrong: #7 West Lucas (North Fort Myers); #10 Ashton Springfield (Parrish)
First round matches you can't miss: #11 Rubier Oliva (Felix Varela) vs. Campos; Rodriguez vs. Lucas
Kabra says: One of those semifinals to watch could be happening here with Martinez and Switzer on the same side of the bracket. When they met in the offseason, Martinez won by fall. To get to the semifinals, the Pasco senior will have a tough quarterfinal against Rodriguez or Lucas. In last year’s seventh place match, Switzer won in sudden victory over the Winter Springs junior. The Kabra Wrestling bracket sets up a region final rematch in the consolations between Daley and Lucas. They are 1-1 on the season against each other after Daley won the region last week. The winner of this bout makes the podium if it takes place.
Kabra's Picks
1. #1 Harper Noel (Heritage)
2. #4 Brady Comerford (Pinellas Park)
3. #2 Porter Loveland (Middleburg)
4. #3 Kyle Nilsson (New Smyrna Beach)
5. #5 Talan Babin (Ponte Vedra)
6. #7 Jelani Bentley (Tavares)
7. #6 Kaleb Johns (Springstead)
8. #9 Freedom McDaniel (Braden River)
Wrestlers who could prove me wrong: #8 Gabrial Solis (Lake Gibson); #10 Israel Bernardo (Lake Region)
First round matches you can't miss: Obi vs. Bentley; #14 Eli Diaz (Somerset) vs. Bernardo
Kabra says: A collection of forfeits in the region tournaments sets up an interesting looking bracket with the top three ranked wrestlers in the state in the bottom half of the bracket, while also giving us a rash of questions about how healthy everyone is heading into the weekend. We’ll base it on what we know and that is that Noel pinned Loveland this past offseason and that gives him the edge in our pick. Comerford won the first region title for Pinellas Park in over a decade and if he reaches the final here, he’d be the first for the school since 2004. A consolation match to watch for if the Kabra Wrestling bracket holds up would be a rematch of this past weekend’s third place match in 2A-2. Bentley and Solis could meet up again here with a spot on the podium on the line and some critical team points for the Braves.
Kabra's Picks
1. #1 Seth Tshiams (North Fort Myers)
2. #2 Jaxon Newton (Charlotte)
3. #3 Ryder Luck (Lincoln)
4. #4 Blake Elder (Jensen Beach)
5. #5 Logan McAlister (Mosley)
6. #6 Ethan Toomey (Chiles)
7. #7 Kevin Reyes (Fleming Island)
8. #9 Leyland Callahan (Lake Gibson)
Wrestlers who could prove me wrong: #8 Ari Bentley (Tavares); #11 Abdur Bey (Somerset)
First round matches you can't miss: Reyes vs. Elder; Callahan vs. #14 Jason Morency (Lely)
Kabra says: One of the most exciting weight classes in Class 2A will finish off this weekend. Tshiams comes in the favorite, being 2-0 this postseason against Newton (4-2 RF, 5-4 DF) and with a win over Luck this past summer. The top half of this bracket houses Kabra’s #2-#4 ranked wrestlers along with #7. Newton could face Elder in the quarterfinals. The Charlotte junior has won their two meetings this year by sudden victory and an ultimate tie-breaker. Newton also owns a recent 4-1 win over Luck. Those two met in the finals last season with Luck earning the win. Watch for a key team race meeting here early in the consolations with Bey and Callahan possibly meeting to get on the podium.
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.