South Dade rallies to win second consecutive state dual wrestling title, 15th overall
The South Dade wrestling team found itself in a rare position on Saturday night: Competing from behind.
After cruising through its Class 3A dual wrestling state quarterfinal matchup on Friday against Cypress Bay (73-6) and its semifinal against Riverview (65-6) earlier on Saturday, the Bucs were pushed to the edge against Orange Park Fleming Island in the championship match at Kissimmee’s Osceola High School.
But a late rally with four consecutive wins to close out the match proved to be just enough for South Dade to bring home another state wrestling trophy.
The final score: South Dade 32, Fleming Island 28.
The win marks South Dade’s 15th overall team wrestling state championship and makes them 2-for-2 in the dual wrestling format that the FHSAA introduced it in 2018. The Bucs defeated Fleming Island in the finals last year as well to claim that inaugural Class 3A dual wrestling state title.
The Bucs trailed Fleming Island 28-14 after 10 of 14 matches, with just Brevin Balmeceda (170, technical fall) and Todd Perry (195, fall) and Jacob Delgado (113, 10-5 decision) winning their matchups to that point before the rally began.
Tyler Orta (126) landed a technical fall to give South Dade five points and Bretli Reyna (132) chipped in six points by recording a fall in just 54 seconds against opponent Garrett Cole to cut the Bucs’ deficit to three points (28-25) with two wrestlers remaining.
Joshua Swan (138) then gave South Dade a one-point lead by winning via major decision (18-4) over Fleming Island’s Tyler Williams.
A win from Eric Temes (145) via decision (6-4) sealed the match and the South Dade win.
South Dade isn’t planning on stopping yet. The main state wrestling series — which the Bucs have won each of the past five years and have been either the state champion or state runner-up in 20 of coach Vic Balmeceda’s 23 years at the helm — is now on the horizon.
As for the other area teams that made it to Kissimmee:
▪ St. Thomas Aquinas lost 46-18 to Fort Pierce Central in the Class 3A state quarterfinals on Friday.
▪ Pembroke Pines Somerset Academy defeated Delray American Heritage 39-31 in the Class 1A state quarterfinals before falling 72-0 to Lake Highland in the semifinals.
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