The Somerset Academy boys wrestling team captured the FHSAA Class 1A Dual State championship at Osceola High School in Kissimmee from Jan.19-20.
Somerset Academy cruised past Jensen Beach 50-16 in the state quarterfinal round. They defeated Zephyrhills Christian 45-25 in the state semifinal and Suwannee 48-21 in the state final. Somerset Academy previously won the Dual State championship in
2021.
“The kids have been looking forward to this all year,” Somerset Academy coach Joe Blasucci said. “We have an extremely young team and they came through. We expected to do well and we really have a complete team. We competed and showed a
lot of heart.”
Somerset Academy was led by senior captain Kendrick Hodge (165 pounds), who had previously won back-to-back individual state titles. Hodge, a Campbell University signee, won by fall in each of the first two matches and also earned a victory by major decision (18-5) in the final.
“It’s a great feeling and it’s been a goal to win a state title with my team, especially in my last season,” Hodge said. “We were focused and really bonded together. It’s good for our team to have this experience.”
Senior captain Noah Perez (175) opened with a victory by fall, won by decision (6-4) in the semifinal and added another victory by fall in the final.
“It was a blast competing as a team with the same goal in mind,” Perez said. “We had good energy and good vibes and really pushed each other. It’s a big brotherhood.”
Eighth-grader Jovani Solis (138), who won an individual state title last year, won by decision (2-1) in the quarterfinal, major decision (16-3) in the semifinal and picked up another victory by fall in the final.
Jake Austin (113) won by fall in each of his first two matches and had another victory by major decision (13-5) in the final.
Adrian Tejada (215) earned a victory by decision (8-6), major decision (11-3) and fall in his three matches. Darian Shannon (132) recorded wins by fall during all three matches.
Matteo Gonzalez (120) picked up victories by fall in both the state semifinal and final. Dylan Fernandez (126) won by fall during the state final and Rafael Lopez (190) added a win by major decision (12-0).
Luis Bellon (157) and Abdur Bey (285) both picked up wins in the quarterfinal round. Carlos Sainz (106) and Eric Hodge (144;150) had victories in both the quarterfinal and semifinal round.
Somerset Academy rallied from a 22-6 deficit for a thrilling 30-29 victory against Mater Lakes to reach the state quarterfinal.
Class 3A
Wellington defeated Harmony 34-24 during the Class 3A state quarterfinal before a loss to South Dade 59-9 in the state semifinal. South Dade defeated Osceola 55-15 in the Class 3A state championship.
“I’m very happy with how the team competed,” Wellington coach Travis Gray said. “All of our guys were pushing for bonus points in their wins and beat a very tough team. Our guys were competing and that’s all we can ask for. South Dade easily won their state finals match and were clearly head and shoulders above everyone. Our focus now is on our individual performers as they prepare for this individual postseason.”
Cameron Gibson (113), Mark Bonfante (126), James Kosza (144) and Connor Olivares (215) each recorded victories by decision in the state quarterfinal. Tyler Gray (120), Sam Marvel (132), Russell Crum (138) and Liam Higgins (285) each registered
victories by major decision and Franco Rivas (165) earned a win by fall.
Marvel, Kosza and Higgins each stepped up with victories by decision in the state semifinal round. Wellington had cruised to a 50-21 victory against Jupiter and a 37-18 win against Olympic Heights to reach the state quarterfinal.
South Plantation fell 72-3 to South Dade in the state quarterfinal match. Joshua Whitter (132) led the team to a victory in his match by decision. South Plantation had previously rolled past Coral Springs 54-9 and Douglas 61-15 to reach the state
quarterfinal.
Class 2A
Miramar fell 39-34 to Merritt Island during the Class 2A state quarterfinal. Dully Brutus (120), Quinton Brownlee (126), Deyian Bernot (144) and Terrence Joachim (175) each had victories by fall. Famous Nealy (138) and Jivari Milton (190) both earned wins by decision and Maxinot Mondesir (285) recorded a victory by major decision. Lake Gibson edged Jesuit 31-26 in the Class 2A championship.
The 2024 Individual (IBT) State Championships will be held in Silver Spurs Arena at Osceola Heritage Park in Kissimmee from Feb. 29-Mar. 2.