Three story lines to watch as high school wrestling state championships begin
The three-day high school wrestling state championships begin Thursday at Silver Spurs Arena in Kissimmee.
And once again, South Florida will be well represented in all three classes.
Here are three story lines to follow when the tournament begins.
Could this be Southwest’s year?
Homestead South Dade, under coach Vic Balmeceda, has been the standard bearer for high school wrestling in South Florida. The Bucs have won 13 of their 16 team state titles, including each of the last eight Class 3A titles, since Balmeceda took over in 1998.
But Southwest Miami has been creeping on their heels recently. The Eagles have finished as runners-up at the Class 3A meet to South Dade each of the last two years. They narrowed the gap from 91 points (199-108) in 2020 to just 33.5 points (164-130.5) in 2021.
And the two schools have been extremely close in the three big meets leading up to the state tournament.
Southwest won its second consecutive GMAC title with 367 points, just 12 points ahead of runner-up South Dade.
South Dade bounced back to win the District 16-3A meet with 300 points, ahead of the 274 by runner-up Southwest.
And then at the Region 4-3A meet? The teams tied for first place, putting up identical scores of 253 points.
Southwest, however, does have one edge over South Dade at state: The number of wrestlers qualified. The Eagles have wrestlers competing in 11 of 14 weight classes, the most of any team in the 3A tournament. South Dade is close behind with 10.
Wrestlers going for perfect seasons
On an individual level, four wrestlers from Miami-Dade and Broward counties teams have been perfect so far in their run to the state tournament.
South Dade sophomore Sawyer Bartelt is 27-0 in the 220 pound class, one year after winning an individual state title at 195 pounds with a perfect 35-0 record as a freshman.
North Miami senior Alexander Exalant, competing in the 126 pound division, is 34-0 entering the Class 2A tournament and has a chance to win his first individual state title.
Fort Lauderdale Cardinal Gibbons junior Nicholas Yancey is 36-0 heading into the Class 1A tournament. He is competing in the 126-pound division. Like Bartelt, Yancey is looking for a second-consecutive perfect season after going 24-0 in the 113-pound class in 2021.
And Davie Western senior Diego Ramos Padiliha is 7-0 in the 170-pound weight class. He was one of just three wrestlers not from South Dade or Southwest to win an individual title in the Region 4-3A meet.
More area teams to watch
While South Dade and Southwest dominate in 3A, there is wrestling talent spread throughout Dade and Broward counties that will be on display.
Other teams to watch in Class 3A include Miami Columbus (one regional champion, six state qualifiers), Doral Academy (one regional champion, four state qualifiers) and Weston Cypress Bay (five state qualifiers).
In Class 2A, Miami Southridge finished third at the regional tournament and had three regional champions — sophomore Fredrick Mitchum at 106 pounds, junior Julian Mayorga at 145 pounds and junior Lawrence Rosario at 160 pounds. Two other area schools also had individual regional champs in Class 2A: Hialeah Mater Academy sophomore Gregory Mendez won at 120 pounds and North Miami’s Exalant won the 126-pound bracket.
And Hialeah Mater Lakes Academy, Pembroke Pines Somerset Academy and Cardinal Gibbons headline the teams to watch in Class 1A. The three finished second, third and fourth at the regional tournament behind Jensen Beach and together accounted for five of 14 regional champions. and seven runner-up finishes.
This story was originally published March 2, 2022 at 3:19 PM.
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