Somerset’s Blasucci, Douglas’ Gendason are Broward Wrestling Coaches of the Year

Joe Blasucci’s Somerset Academy boys’ wrestling team once again came oh-so-close to winning a second team state title. Stoneman Douglas’ Ken Gendason saw history made when one of his girls’ wrestlers became the first from Broward County to win an individual state title since the Florida High School Athletic Association began sanctioning the girls’ tournament last season.

As such, Blasucci and Gendason are the Miami Herald’s Wrestling Coaches of the Year for Broward County.

Blasucci’s Somerset Academy team finished second in Class 1A with 170 points, narrowly losing to Jensen Beach (177.5). It’s the third time in four years that Somerset finished in the top-two as a team at state, winning it all in 2021 and finishing as runner-up in 2020. Somerset was third in 2022.

Somerset had wrestlers qualify for state in 11 of the 14 weight classes. Two wrestlers won individual titles (Jovani Solis in the 113-pound class and Kendrick Hodge in 160) while three others were state runners-up (Jake Austin, 106 pounds; Matthew Velasco, 126 pounds; and Tristan Sainz, 132 pounds). Somerset has had at least two wrestlers win individual titles each of gthe past four years.

Michael Sainz (third place, 145 pounds), Kevin Concepcion (fifth place, 138 pounds) and Luis Bellon (sixth place, 152 pounds) round out Somerset’s podium finishers.

For Gendason, he coached Broward County’s first individual girls’ state champion in Gabriela Caro, a junior who went a perfect 21-0 on the season and won the state title in the 125-pound class. Caro won each of her first three matches at state by fall before winning the title with an 8-4 decision over Sarasota Military Academy’s Christina Turner.