State Wrestling Tournament Bound

  The FHSAA State Wrestling Championships are this weekend in Kissimmee, and with it arrives the recognition of having made one of the most difficult and physically demanding tournaments in all of sports.

High school wrestlers from around the state will converge on Central Florida for a weekend of wrestling, with several local schools included among them.

South Dade, Coral Shores, Keys Gate, Homestead, Westminster Christian, and Southridge are all sending athletes to the tournament.

The South Dade News Leader spoke to the coaches of each team to get an in-depth team-by-team and wrestler-by-wrestler look at our local athletes taking to the big stage.

South Dade

The perennial contenders and nine-time state champs, South Dade returns to the Class 3A Finals looking to repeat as state champs.

Head coach Victor Balmaceda says his team is ready to dominate their competition and hopes to bring the school it’s fourth state sports championship in the last two years.

“I have never had such a talented and hard working group of kids as I have right now,” said Balmaceda. “These guys push through everything and rally around each other to make great things happen.”

• Elijah Varona (106 lb.) – Varona enters the state championship tournament looking to make a name for himself.

“He started the season barely breaking 100 lbs, and he has gotten a little bit heavier,” said Balmaceda of his lightweight star. “I feel like he underachieved a little bit at regionals, and could have easily been in the finals. But when he is at his best, he is one of the top four in the state. He goes into there with a little bit of a chip on his shoulder, and I feel like a top 6 finish for him would be a great accomplishment.”

• Olson Delisca (113 lb.) – Delisca comes in as the Region 4-3A champion, having dueled his way to the state tournament. With only three losses on the season, Delisca is first in the state in his weight class.

“We expect nothing less than for him to be a state finalist and a state champion,” said Balmaceda. “This is his third time qualifying for state. He can realistically win the title and not need to get lucky in some rounds or get any help in the bracket.”

• Curtis Cannon (120 lb.) – Cannon’s season has seen highs and lows. The highest of the highs came at the GMAC tournament when Cannon took first place in his weight class. In the first round of regionals, Cannon was upset in a loss but battled back to qualify for the state tournament.

“His weight class is stacked,” said Balmaceda. “But on any given day Curtis can be in the finals as well as anyone else. We have a defending state champion on our side [of the bracket]. But he has that combination of athleticism and technique that makes him a great wrestler.”

• Ozzy Lugo (126 lb.) – Lugo enters the tournament with something not many other athletes have on their side; a family legacy. For Lugo, his season leads up to carrying on the success of both he and his brother in the state of Florida. He will likely face a strong opponent in Frank Valdez of Southwest, against whom he is 2-1.

“We beat [Valdez] in the last match, but it’s anybody’s match,” said Balmaceda. “I think it’s a two-horse race between the two, but at the end of the day we expect nothing less than for Ozzy to be the state champion.”

• Marcelo Sierra (138 lb.) – Sierra enters the tournament as the runner up in the Region 4-3A tournament. His season so far has been one of perseverance and he hopes to continue his strong showing in the state tournament.

“He has a tough draw,” said Balmaceda. “I have seen him just bounce back from a loss and continue to fight and that’s all I can ask for in a talented wrestler like him.”

• Justin Ramirez (145 lb.) – Ramirez enters the tournament undefeated, but has faced the daunting task of dealing with injuries throughout the year. Despite this, the star wrestler took first in the regional tournament and hopes to improve upon his fourth place at least year’s tournament. This year, with Brandon High School having been moved to Class 2A, Ramirez will face an easier road to the state finals.

“He knows what it takes to get here,” said Balmaceda of the young wrestler. “The last few years he has had to face the four-time state champion from Brandon but now with them out of the way, he is capable of beating anybody and we expect him to win the state championship.

• Pat Lugo (152 lb.) – Arguably one of the most dominant athletes in any sport in the state of Florida, Lugo enters the state tournament undefeated in 120 matches. Perhaps even more impressive, Lugo has also not give up a takedown in any of those 120 matches either.

“It is like a pitcher throwing nothing but no hitters the whole time,” said Balmaceda. “Anyone can slip up at any time and get taken down, so that just shows you how dominant he is. We aren’t just expecting a state title out of him, but we are expecting bonus points each match.”

• Isaiah Crosby (160 lb.) –Crosby has endured a season of setbacks, dealing with several injuries throughout the season. In spite of this, Crosby enters the tournament with just one loss. His ability to overpower opponents is one that his coach says has made him a threat to anyone in his class.

“I have coached a lot of great wrestlers and athletes, and again, he is one of the few that has speed, athleticism, and technique all in one,” said Balmaceda. “When his mind is right, he is one of the best in the country, not just the state.”

• Chei Hill (195 lb.) – Described by many as a “phenomenal specimen of an athlete,” Hill enters the tournament with much praise. After winning the Region 4-3A championship, Balmaceda expects great things from this rising star.

“He almost wrestles like a lightweight,” said Balmaceda. “He has so much talent that its either finals or bust for him. When it’s his night, nobody can touch him.”

• Michael Rodriguez (220 lb.) – Rodriguez is coming off a stellar showing in the regional tournament, having faced off in one of the toughest quarters in any bracket at the meet and coming away with a runner-up result.

“He has a big task ahead of him,” said Balmaceda. “For him to place in the top 6 and be a state placer is something that would be a great feat, and he certainly can go far in the tournament.”

• Kyron Taylor (285 lb.) – South Dade’s heavyweight comes in to the state tournament having taken third place in the regional tournament. Balmaceda raves often about the talent and work ethic of his young rising star.

“He is capable of placing at state, and is capable of winning states,” said Balmaceda. “He always works so hard, if not harder than any heavyweight I have ever worked with before. He is athletic and talented and can easily win.”

Westminster Christian

The Warriors’ second year under head coach Kevin Pederson was one of improvement.

“We were better than we were last year,” said Pederson. “We finished third in the district and are sending a kid to states which is great for our small school program.”

Westminster sent seven athletes to the regional tournament, but only one will move on to states.

• Pablo Schwiep (126 lb.) – Schwiep is returning to the state tournament after making it to the third round of the competition last year. Having blown out his meniscus in his sophomore year at the halfway point of the season, Schwiep has fought back to regain his athletic success. After finishing second at the district meet and earning fourth at regionals, the young star is looking to help make a name for Westminster’s program in Kissimmee.

“He is a great kid who has already selected his college (Purdue) and is a mathematical wizard in the classroom,” said Pederson. “He only has five losses this season. I think he can easily get through the first day of the competition and he is wrestling one of the number one seeds right off the bat. He has the talent to make some noise for sure.”

Coral Shores

Coral Shores enters the state title tournament with just one wrestler, but he is a talented athlete with the ability to win it all.

• Dante Jiovenetta (285 lb.) – Jiovenetta enters the tournament with a perfect 43-0 record for Coral Shores, listed as one of the early favorites for the state title in his weight class.

Jiavenetta has been described as “the favorite” by assistant coach Joe Biodoletti, but realizes the competition is steep. He captured the Region 4-1A title with dominant ease.

Homestead

The Broncos started the season with lofty goals of district and regional success, and achieved that. With several first-year wrestlers making a name for themselves at the district tournament, Homestead came in to the regional meet with high expectations. Out of the meet, three athletes are headed to the final rounds.

• Frank Melo (113 lb.) – Heading into the tournament with a 35-7 record, Melo (a senior) is expecting to reach the podium in his weight class. This marks the first year in which Melo has reached the state tournament for wrestling.

“As a senior he is going to give it his all,” said head coach Homero Vallejo. “We expect nothing less than seeing Frank on the podium at states.”

• Isaac Eskenazi (152 lb.) – Making his second trip to the state tournament, Eskenazi has fought through a tough season full of injuries.

“He has always overcome obstacles,” said Vallejo. “He is a junior and we look forward to him placing at the state tournament.

• Travon Norman (160 lb.) – A multi-sport athletic stand out, Norman enters the state tournament with a strong 24-6 record. This will be Norman’s third trip to the meet for Homestead.

Southridge

The Spartans are on a return to glory.

Having won five state titles from 1978-1986, and having seven overall, the Southridge wrestling team had seen lowly times of late.

However, a recent surge in talent has given head coach Ken Johnson and the Spartan faithful a reason to smile.

“It’s great to see teams like them doing good again,” said South Dade head coach Victor Balmaceda. “We need them to do well so we can in turn do well. We need those hard fought matches and those rivalries because we need to have the best competition down south.”

With this year comes another four star wrestlers that Southridge is sending to the state tournament.

• Randy McCray (106 lb.) – McCray enters the state tournament with a strong 37-5 record this year and is a returning state qualifier.

“He started the season off as expected being ranked in the top of his weight class before an injury put him out for several weeks,” said head wrestling coach Ken Johnson. “Now he’s fighting to regain his confidence in time for the state tournament. I expect to see him in the finals Saturday night.”

• Jordan Marshall (120 lb.) – Marshall placed fifth in the state tournament last year, falling in a heartbreaker in the semifinals. This year, Marshall as returned to form and captured several impressive wins, turning plenty of heads at the District Duals at South Dade early in the season.

“Jordan started the season dominating his opponents but lost focus along the way,” said Johnson. “Getting re-focused with his regional title helped, and he should be one of the favorites for the state finals Saturday.”

• Antony Kinsey (132 lb.) – Kinsey, merely a sophomore, has an impressive 42-5 record to his credit this year. After being ineligible for the second half of last year, Kinsey returned this year with a vengeance.

“He earned a s pot as one of the top in his weight class when he won the GMAC, District, and Regional titles,” said Johnson. “He is also expected to be in the finals Saturday night.”

• Darius Hamilton (220 lb.) – Sophomore Darius Hamilton was also ineligible during the second half of last season and has bounced back stronger than ever. Ranked in the top three in the state in two weight classes, he has settled at 220 lb.

“He recently knocked off the number two ranked state wrestler in regionals,” said Johnson. “He could easily be in the state finals Saturday night.”

Keys Gate

The Keys Gate Knights had a Cinderella season last year, coming within one match of winning the district title in just their first year as a competitive program.

This season has seen much of that same success transfer over to showcase the school’s young talent.

Head coach Chris Perez is sending several returning stars, including a star in the making who looks to become the first 8th grader to win a state title in Miami-Dade County history.

“With these kids, we are going to definitely score some points,” stated Perez. “I think we are going to finish the year out as a top 25 team in the state. That is my prediction.”

• Brevin Balmaceda (120 lb.) – The son of South Dade head coach Victor Balmaceda, 8th grader Brevin is already on his way to stardom. The two-time defending district and regional champion finished fourth last year as a 7th grader, signifying the wrestling gene indeed had been passed to him.

“Right now, he is one of the ones who could win the whole thing,” said head coach Chris Perez. “He is a contender for sure.”

• Todd Perry (138 lb.) – Perry is another young star for the Knights, an 8th grader who is a two-time district runner up. This year, he made marked progress and finished second in the regional tournament while being ranked as high as seventh in the state.

“He is also a contender,” said Perez. “Despite his age, he has the experience to make a serious run at the state title.”

• Ron Evans (160 lb.) –After claiming third place in the regional tournament, Evans is ranked ninth in the state of Florida for his weight class. This will be the first time that Evans has qualified for the state tournament.

“He is somebody to watch for,” said Perez. “Ron can definitely pull out some big upset victories when it counts and is definitely a threat to just about anyobody.”

• Michael Onayemi (220 lb.) – This battle-tested senior is making his first appearance at the state championships for Keys Gate’s wrestling squad. The defending district champ finished third in regionals. Despite not having made it to the finals before, Perez believes he can go far in the tournament.

“This guy has a cradle that contends with anybody in the state,” said Perez. “I definitely see him placing in this tournament.”