Class 3A 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. South Dade

2. Miami Southridge

3. SW Miami

4. Columbus

5. Harmony

Predicted total state champions

4 - South Dade

2 - Miami Southridge, SW Miami

1 - Douglas, Hagerty, Harmony, Lake Brantley, Lake Mary, Miami Palmetto

Predicted state placers

10 - South Dade, Miami Southridge

6 - SW Miami

5 - Columbus

4 - Flagler Palm Coast, Harmony, Kissimmee Osceola, Palm Harbor University

3 - Buchholz, Sunlake, Timber Creek, Tocoi Creek, Wellington

2 - Creekside, Douglas, George Jenkins, Hagerty, Lake Mary, Miami Palmetto, Palmetto, Park Vista, Sandalwood, Spanish River, Sumner, Tohopekaliga, Venice, Viera

1 - Armwood, Bartram Trail, Bloomingdale, Centennial, Colonial, Coral Springs, Doral Academy, Fletcher, Fort Myers Gateway, Jupiter, Lake Brantley, Land O'Lakes, Miami Beach, Monarch, North Port, Olympic Heights, Riverview, Sarasota Riverview, Seminole Ridge, South Broward, South Plantation, Steinbrenner

Kabra's Picks

1. #1 Lazaro Soto (SW Miami)

2. #2 Tristan Horn (Harmony)

3. #3 Alzider Ortiz (Steinbrenner)

4. #5 Donovan Jenkins (South Plantation)

5. #4 Chris Schnobrick (Olympic Heights)

6. #7 Tyler Metellus (Monarch)

7. #6 Alexander Laguardia (Miami Southridge)

8. #9 Jeffery Hartley (Palm Harbor University)

Wrestlers who could prove me wrong: #8 Chase Wolgamuth (Hagerty); #11 Eli Valdez (Park Vista)

First round matches you can't miss: Wolgamuth vs. Metellus; Hartley vs. Valdez

Kabra says: This bracket has a lot for everyone. A potential final that could go either way, fantastic semifinals, a brutally competitive quad, and first round matches to start the weekend off with a bang. At the start is a potential Soto-Horn final that should deliver on the mat. They met at the Super 32 Early Entry this summer with Soto earning a 9-6 win. For Horn to get there, he’ll likely face a difficult semifinal with Ortiz, an opponent he owns a 6-2 decision against. In the top half of the bracket, we have a quad that hosts Kabra Wrestling’s #7, #8, #9 and #11 ranked wrestlers. Along with a good quarterfinal round, that means the first two 3A matches on the mat will be ones to watch with the losers facing steep paths to the podium.

Kabra's Picks

1. #1 Nathan Lyttle (Harmony)

2. #2 Nicolas Degrossi (Park Vista)

3. #3 Kevin McLean (Flagler Palm Coast)

4. #5 Damel Martinez (Miami Southridge)

5. #4 Brendon Clark (Sumner)

6. #6 Antonio Morales (SW Miami)

7. #7 Rocco Duygulu (Douglas)

8. #8 Andrew Taylor (George Jenkins)

Wrestlers who could prove me wrong: #9 Connor Barnes (Oakleaf); #10 Damonyai White (Lake Mary)

First round matches you can't miss: Morales vs. Taylor; Duygulu vs. #11 David Cardullo (Palm Harbor University)

Kabra says: Lyttle has been absolutely dominant this year and is the favorite to win a state title here. The 45-0 junior will have a competitive semifinal against McLean or Morales and we could see a region final rematch with Degrossi in the final here. Watch for Clark and Martinez to try to shake things up in the bottom part of this bracket. Both are capable getting hot and reaching the final here.

Kabra's Picks

1. #1 Jovanni Tovar (Miami Southridge)

2. #2 Caleb Gauthier (Palm Harbor University)

3. #5 Nevan Irving (Harmony)

4. #4 Victor Zanolini (Columbus)

5. #6 Anthony Cubero (Bloomingdale)

6. #7 Tiago Neves (Timber Creek)

7. #3 Kaleb Williams (South Dade)

8. #8 Aidan Hubbell (Tocoi Creek)

Wrestlers who could prove me wrong: #10 Gabriel Brown (Buchholz); #12 Duran Tucker (Fort Pierce Central)

First round matches you can't miss: #11 Ashton Horvath (Sunlake) vs. Hubbell; Cubero vs. Brown

Kabra says: Last year’s Class 1A state champion Tovar has improved on that performance with multiple wins this season against the top-ranked wrestlers making him a unanimous best wrestler in the state at their weight. The top half of the bracket will be competitive with Gauthier, Williams, Zanolini, and Neves competing for a spot in the finals. Gauthier hasn’t lost since early January, Williams is a returning state placer, Zanolini has a collection of big wins and Neves owns an 11-9 win over Williams this season. That would explain Kabra straying a big from our rankings in the consolation bracket. Sometimes you have to respect the results. Don’t miss the 2-3 quarterfinal between Gauthier and Williams.

Kabra's Picks

1. #1 David Leiva (Douglas)

2. #2 Guillermo Jaramillo (South Dade)

3. #3 Rocco Ruiz (Columbus)

4. #4 Zach Berry (Palm Harbor University)

5. #5 Robert Twilley (Flagler Palm Coast)

6. #6 Hunter Jessee (Hagerty)

7. #7 Mario DiBella (Bartram Trail)

8. #8 Stefano Garcia (Miami Southridge)

Wrestlers who could prove me wrong: #9 Walt Munoz (Olympic Heights); #10 Giordanny Perez (West Orange)

First round matches you can't miss: Garcia vs. Munoz; #11 Justo Medina (Davenport) vs. DiBella

Kabra says: Leiva is looking to become Douglas’ first state champion since 2000 and the fifth in school history. He’s a favorite here with wins over Jaramillo and Ruiz and an unblemished season. The senior also holds the easiest path to the finals among the top wrestlers here with four the Top 5 in the state weight class in the top half of the bracket. We should see a pair of quarterfinal matches between Ruiz-Twilley and Jaramillo-Berry that would be legit semifinal matches in another bracket. Enjoy watching the top half and then tune in Saturday night to see if Leiva can make some history.

Kabra's Picks

1. #2 Illia Kyryianenko (South Broward)

2. #1 Dario Duany (Lake Brantley)

3. #4 Alfredo Cheang (Miami Southridge)

4. #5 Nathaniel Williams (South Dade)

5. #6 James Aguilar (Riverview)

6. #3 Kyle Brown (Sandalwood)

7. #7 Max Butler (Harmony)

8. #8 Jeson Carbajal (Palmetto)

Wrestlers who could prove me wrong: #9 Kai Benedetti (Wellington); #10 Javin Taylor (Boca Raton)

First round matches you can't miss: Williams vs. Carbajal; Dowda vs. Taylor

Kabra says: The official Kabra Wrestling bracket for this weight class is full of changes, names crossed off and then rewrote as we struggle to pick a champion here. We’ve even changed them a few times here on the page. This one has us perplexed. Both Duany and Kyryianenko have close decision wins over Cheang this season and that’s the only comparison between the two we could find. Duany is a two-time state placer and Kyryianenko came to Florida from the Ukraine in the summer and has excelled while transitioning from freestyle to folkstyle to go undefeated this year. Seriously, we might change this one again. Who do you have?

Kabra's Picks

1. #1 Jovani Solis (South Dade)

2. #2 Dillon Smith (SW Miami)

3. #3 Tomas Campian (Columbus)

4. #4 Marco Rivera (Sunlake)

5. #5 Jake Wyatt (Palmetto)

6. #6 Finn Buchanan (Buchholz)

7. #7 Gustavo Ferreira (Viera)

8. #9 Isfandier Sharipov (Kissimmee Osceola)

Wrestlers who could prove me wrong: #8 Santiago Alvarez (Spanish River); #10 Randy Izurieta (Ridge Community)

First round matches you can't miss: Izurieta vs. Sharipov; Wyatt vs. Alvarez

Kabra says: We did not have trouble picking a winner here with Solis poised to have three individual state titles at this point in his career when the dust settles on Saturday night. There are some interesting things to watch in the rest of the bracket too. Smith is the favorite to reach the final and get another shot at Solis. Smith reached the state finals last year. Also in the bottom half is Columbus freshman Campian and Sunlake senior Rivera. They could battle twice here this weekend, starting in the quarterfinal round on Friday. Also, returning state champion Sharipov is in the top half of the bracket. The Osceola senior has been battling back from injury and will look to capture more magic in the battle this year.

Kabra's Picks

1. #1 Elvis Solis (South Dade)

2. #2 Daniel Alvarez (Spanish River)

3. #3 Andres Rojas (Miami Southridge)

4. #4 Didier Novoa (SW Miami)

5. #5 Massimo Pellicano (Venice)

6. #7 Daniel Ospina (Park Vista)

7. #6 Elias Twigg (Fletcher)

8. #8 Jet Griffis (Land O' Lakes)

Wrestlers who could prove me wrong: #9 Luke Manghisi (Creekside); #10 Ehab Shalaby (Kissimmee Osceola)

First round matches you can't miss: Rojas and Griffis; Manghisi vs. Shalaby

Kabra says: Kent State commit Solis is going for this third state title and is a big favorite to achieve it. The South Dade senior is 45-0 on the year and the biggest question this season could be if we get a great celebratory photo of him (hint-hint). By the way, check out our state preview podcast on YouTube. The top half of the bracket is where the action will be here with Alvarez, Rojas, Novoa, Twigg, and Griffis all battling for a spot in the finals.

Kabra's Picks

1. #1 Nikolas Blake (Hagerty)

2. #2 Armand Williams (South Dade)

3. #3 Landon Bates (Palm Harbor University)

4. #4 Nathan Barrett (Tohopekaliga)

5. #5 Edwin Torres (Viera)

6. #6 Konsantin Khaspekian (Sunlake)

7. #7 Laine Slayton (Buchholz)

8. #9 Jasiah Solomon (Sumner)

Wrestlers who could prove me wrong: #8 John Antonucci (Tocoi Creek); #11 Zachary Ruiz (Columbus)

First round matches you can't miss: #13 Lavoctris Patterson (Orlando Freedom) vs. Ruiz; Khaspekian vs. Antonucci

Kabra says: This looks like the year that Blake gets his first state title. The Hagerty junior is the favorite in the weight class and has a win by fall over the second-ranked Williams. It won’t be an easy path with #5 Torres and #3 Bates possibly waiting on the top part of this bracket. The Khaspekian-Antonucci opening round could be for a spot on the podium because the loser here will face a tough road on the backside.

Kabra's Picks

1. #1 Tyree Graham (South Dade)

2. #2 Jose Gutierrez (Doral Academy)

3. #3 James Kosza (Wellington)

4. #5 Tyrell Robby (Miami Beach)

5. #4 Carson Baert (Flagler Palm Coast)

6. #6 Nikita Chechkovsky (Tocoi Creek)

7. #7 Juan Viera (Timber Creek)

8. #11 Owen Nappi (North Port)

Wrestlers who could prove me wrong: #9 Nathaniel Cabrera (Kissimmee Osceola); #12 Braxton Gerber (George Jenkins)

First round matches you can't miss: #13 Juan Hidalgo (Tohopekaliga) vs. Nappi; Robby vs. Chechkovsky

Kabra says: Oh my goodness, we have an exciting weight class here. With his ultimate tie-breaker win in the region final, Graham comes into the weekend as the slightest of favorites over Gutierrez and Kosza. Those two are lined up in the quarterfinals and each beat the other by two points during the offseason. The bottom half of the bracket also houses a monster first round bout between Robby and Chechkovsky, two wrestlers who could also shake things up in this competitive weight class. Juan Viera got a rough draw with Gutierrez in the first round, but he is capable of beating anyone in this bracket and has shown that with a win this season over Graham.

Kabra's Picks

1. #1 Willie White (South Dade)

2. #2 Drake Bonney (Miami Palmetto)

3. #3 Mac Andrews (Wellington)

4. #4 Vladislav Chechkovsky (Tocoi Creek)

5. #5 Leonard Gilley (Miami Southridge)

6. #6 Bryan Batles (Tohopekaliga)

7. #7 Anthony Farnot (Fort Myers Gateway)

8. #8 David Yi Sanchez (Kissimmee Osceola)

Wrestlers who could prove me wrong: #9 Wyatt LaDue (Land O' Lakes); #11 Lucas Vacchelli (Palm Harbor University)

First round matches you can't miss: Batles vs. Gilley; Vacchelli vs. #10 Doyvonne Leadon (Flagler Palm Coast)

Kabra says: White has been one of the best wrestlers in the state this season and comes into this weekend ready to earn his first individual title. Bonney, the other returning state placer in the bracket, has multiple wins over Gilley and is 2-1 against Andrews and we’ve slotted him into the finals spot opposite White. The South Dade senior has beaten him three times in the last five weeks. Andrews is positioned well to reach the semifinals against White and has faced him three times this season and once last year. While White has three bonus point wins, Andrews did keep a match tight in a 5-1 loss. If he goes to the backside, Andrews is a solid pick to finish third.

Kabra's Picks

1. #1 Connor Bonney (Miami Palmetto)

2. #2 Jonathan Moreno (South Dade)

3. #3 Evangelo Mercado (SW Miami)

4. #5 Seth Ryder (Venice)

5. #4 Jonathan Morrison (Creekside)

6. #6 William Muniz (Timber Creek)

7. #7 Enzo Dasilva (Spanish River)

8. #8 Marcus Bouie (Sandalwood)

Wrestlers who could prove me wrong: #10 Daniel Sanchez (Miami Southridge); #11 Jackson Lietz (George Jenkins)

First round matches you can't miss: Lietz vs. #13 Joseph Romero (Vero Beach); #14 Nikita Sapozhnikov (Newsome) vs. #12 Christopher Aubain (Orlando Freedom)

Kabra says: Bonney has multiple wins against Moreno and Mercado and is a legit favorite at this weight class but the attention here is on the bottom half. Six wrestlers in our Top 8 are on that side of the bracket with two Top 8 bouts to kick the weekend off. If Mecado gets past Muniz, he faces region champion Ryder in the quarters. The SW Miami senior owns a 5-0 win over the former Ohio wrestler.

Kabra's Picks

1. #1 Gavin Isaacs (Lake Mary)

2. #2 Raymond Shaw (George Jenkins)

3. #3 Colton Leavell (Creekside)

4. #4 Alex Davis (Jupiter)

5. #5 Tedrick Lee (Columbus)

6. #7 J'Vier Romeus (Coral Springs)

7. #6 Deacon DeLong (Kissimmee Osceola)

8. #8 Eliel Santos (Miami Southridge)

Wrestlers who could prove me wrong: #9 Trent Jacobs (Sumner); #10 Dante DeSantis (Dwyer)

First round matches you can't miss: Romeus vs. #11 Freddie Pflueger (Steinbrenner); Santos vs. Jacobs

Kabra says: We here at Kabra Wrestling were happy to see Isaacs and Shaw on opposite sides of the bracket here. Isaacs is the lone returning state placer here, having finished third a season ago. Shaw, who moved up to 3A after coming over from Auburndale, has had a fantastic season. His only losses this season came to three-time Georgia state champion Ryder Wilder and two-time New York state placer Johnathan Clohecy. The road for each will have some tough bumps on the road with Romeus and Davis potentially in Isaacs way and the Leavell-Lee quarterfinal winner in the semifinal for Shaw. We flipped a coin here.

Kabra's Picks

1. #1 Myron Mendez (SW Miami)

2. #2 Christian Soto (Miami Southridge)

3. #3 Apollo Benito (Columbus)

4. #4 CJ McCutcheon (Sarasota Riverview)

5. #5 Logan Silva (Colonial)

6. #6 Elijah Vansickle (Kissimmee Osceola)

7. #7 Melique Joseph (Flagler Palm Coast)

8. #8 Grady Isaacs (Lake Mary)

Wrestlers who could prove me wrong: #9 Bryant Taylor (Oakleaf); #10 Zachary Horner (Palm Harbor University)

First round matches you can't miss: Taylor vs. Vansickle; Isaacs vs. #13 Nick Boselli (Spanish River)

Kabra says: It’s very rare when a bracket spaces out our ranked wrestlers quite as well as this one. In the bottom half, you have our favorite on the same side as the #4, #6, and #8 wrestler with the top half spacing out the #7, #2, #3, and #5. Mendez has shown to be the one to beat here and is our solid favorite to win. All of his losses have come to out-of-state wrestlers. The top half does have a Benito-Silva quarterfinal to pay attention to and then a possible semifinal rubber match between Soto and Benito. The Columbus senior won by ultimate tie-breaker during the season with Soto earning a 4-3 win in the region semifinals.

Kabra's Picks

1. #1 Ryan Miret (Miami Southridge)

2. #2 Daguy Massillon (South Dade)

3. #3 Jonathan Lattimore (Armwood)

4. #4 Liam Higgins (Wellington)

5. #5 Joel Leon (Seminole Ridge)

6. #6 Derryl Godbolt (Buchholz)

7. #7 Trenton Lindsay (Sunlake)

8. #10 Eddi Keyes (Centennial)

Wrestlers who could prove me wrong: #8 Cole Anderson (Creekside); #9 Brandon Hall (Newsome)

First round matches you can't miss: Hall vs. Leon; Lindsey vs. Keys

Kabra says: This is one that we felt had a solid favorite going into the postseason, but two one-point wins over Massillon in the postseason has shown that this could end up being competitive. Even though they were close, Miret did get those wins and the battled-tested junior also has wins over Lattimore and Lindsey. Early Friday we’ll see a quarterfinal matchup between Higgins and Massillon. The Wellington senior celebrated 100 career wins with his region title victory last Saturday and owns a 2-1 season mark against the South Dade senior. But Massillon did win their last meeting 4-3 at the state duals. Don’t leave the arena on Saturday night until the heavyweights are done because they promise to be fun across the board.

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.

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2025 Class 2A State Preview/Predictions