Wrestler Bretli Reyna is hoping to continue this South Dade tradition alive
They call it “March Matness,” and the NCAA wrestling national championships could soon feature two former South Dade stars: senior All-American Pat Lugo of No. 2 Iowa and freshman Brevin Balmeceda of fourth-ranked Oklahoma State.
Bretli Reyna, a senior at South Dade, is the next Bucs wrestler headed to a national power. He recently committed to Iowa, which has won 23 national titles. Only Oklahoma State, with 34, has won more national titles in wrestling than Iowa.
The irony is that South Florida doesn’t produce many Division I wrestlers, let alone kids who sign with elite programs.
But South Dade isn’t just any school. The Bucs, led by coach Victor Balmeceda, have won six consecutive state titles, and their recent legacy also includes Earl Hall, who wrestled at Iowa State from 2014 to 2018, becoming a two-time All-American.
“When colleges see wrestlers sign from a certain area, and then they don’t pan out, they tend to shy away from coming back,” said Balmeceda, who is Brevin’s father. “Our kids now are benefiting from the success of Hall and Lugo.”
Balmeceda, who has a 400-20 dual-meet record in 25 years as South Dade’s head coach, returns nine state qualifiers, including one state champ (Reyna at 145 pounds) and two runners-up (senior 160-pound Coral Park transfer Steven Villalobos and junior 152-pounder Joshua Swan).
Sophomore Alex Couto, who finished third at state last season at Coral Park, has also transferred to South Dade, filling the 120-pound slot.
Sophomore Adrian Morales (106) and junior Adrian Neco (132) both finished fourth at state last season.
In addition, freshman Cordell White (138) could be a future standout.
But the current star is Reyna, who started wrestling at age four, under the guidance of his father, South Dade assistant coach Humberto Reyna.
With Mexican ancestry on his father’s side and Cuban lineage from his mother, Bretli Reyna had a breakthrough last month when he won a national title at the prestigious Super 32 tournament in Greensboro, North Carolina.
“I always knew he could compete against the best in the country, but [in the past] he had been complacent with just finishing third, fourth or fifth,” Humberto said. “But, in the week before Super 32, he went to Michigan and won a big tournament there, knocking off two top kids. His mentality changed like a light switch.”
Humberto said Bretli was supposed to wrestle at 138 pounds in North Carolina. But after a weight gain, Bretli decided to enter the field at 145, which his parents thought was a mistake.
“At Super 32, a lot of 160- and 150-pounders cut weight to get to 145, and Bretli would go against bigger guys,” Humberto said. “My wife and I were upset. We thought he was crazy. But he said, ‘Dad, I’m going to win.’ He said, “Trust me,’ and he proved us wrong.”
Reyna knocked off the top three seeds before jumping into his father’s arms in celebration.
“I never saw myself doing something that big,” said Bretli, who aspires to become a police officer after he is done wrestling. “It was all about commitment, technique, mental toughness and believing in my coaching.”
After this season, Reyna heads to Iowa, where Lugo plans to stay even after he graduates in May.
Lugo, who will attempt to qualify for the Summer Olympics in 2020 and 2024, is close to the entire Reyna family. In fact, Humberto is Lugo’s godfather.
And because of their South Dade connection, Iowa’s coaches approached Lugo before starting to recruit Reyna.
“I gave [coaches] the 411 on how hard Bretli works,” Lugo said. “I didn’t force [Reyna] to come here. He made that decision as a man, and I’m happy for him. If anybody asks, I just say he’s my brother.”
At a Glance
KEY DATES
Jan. 11: district duals
Jan. 16: regional duals
Jan. 23: state duals at Kissimmee Osceola High
Feb. 17-22: district finals
Feb. 28-29: regional finals
March 6-7: state finals at Silver Spurs Arena — Osceola Heritage Park
BREAKDOWN
▪ 3A: Three of the top four teams in the state last season were all from the same district — champion South Dade, No. 3 Southwest and No. 4 Columbus, and they will battle once again. Outside of South Florida, Fleming Island, which finished second last seasons, is South Dade’s biggest threat. Columbus boasts junior 120-pounder Robert Dusendang, who finished fourth at state last season.
▪ 2A: Lake Gibson is favorited to repeat as state champ. Locally, Southridge finished 11th in the state in 3A last season, and Aquinas came in 14th in the state in 3A. This season, both are in 2A and away from powerhouse South Dade.
▪ 1A: Lake Highland Prep is an overwhelming favorite to repeat as champion. The battle may be for No. 2 among South Florida schools such as Pembroke Pines’ Somerset Academy, Delray American Heritage, Cardinal Gibbons and Mater Lakes. Somerset has 195-pound senior Nick Benton, who has committed to a Division I college, Northern Illinois. In addition to the schools listed above, Monsignor Pace has dropped down from 2A to 1A.
This story was originally published November 18, 2019 at 1:24 PM.