STATE WRESTLING TOURNAMENT — Osceola County qualifies 31; Haase seeks 4th championship

  • Osceola amassed 170 points to capture the FHSAA Class 3A, Region 2 Championship on Saturday, sending five to the finals and winning three individual titles. PHOTO/J. DANIEL PEARSON
    Osceola amassed 170 points to capture the FHSAA Class 3A, Region 2 Championship on Saturday, sending five to the finals and winning three individual titles. PHOTO/J. DANIEL PEARSON
  • Osceola’s Anderson Heap controls Bloomingdale’s Jose Milford (red singlet) during the 142-pound final.Heap won 9-3 and will be seeking his second FHSAA state championship this weekend. PHOTO/J. DANIEL PEARSON
    Osceola’s Anderson Heap controls Bloomingdale’s Jose Milford (red singlet) during the 142-pound final.Heap won 9-3 and will be seeking his second FHSAA state championship this weekend. PHOTO/J. DANIEL PEARSON
  • Gateway wrestlers Genesis Fuentes, Elody Rodriguez, Lilly Yambor, and Emiliana Martinez are state tournament qualifiers in the FHSAA girls wrestling tournament this weekend.
    Gateway wrestlers Genesis Fuentes, Elody Rodriguez, Lilly Yambor, and Emiliana Martinez are state tournament qualifiers in the FHSAA girls wrestling tournament this weekend.

With a workmanlike 26-5 dismantling of Sarasota’s Reese Hibbard in the 152-pound class at the Region 3A-2 wrestling finals, Osceola’s Cooper Haase (45-1) moved a step closer to a fourth consecutive state championship. He hopes to become just the second athlete in Osceola’s storied wrestling history to claim four state titles.

The FHSAA state championships begin Thursday at the Silver Spurs Arena.

While Osceola has had at least one state champion for the last 16 years and has had 18 different wrestlers win a total of 32 state titles, only Fox Baldwin – the all-time national leader in wins – performed a clean sweep for an Osceola wrestler (2012-15). Last year, Haase joined Malyke Hines (2017-19) as the only other Kowboys’ wrestlers to win three individual title.

“Fox is a legend around here,” said Haase, who won his 200th career match against Reese. “We’ve had a lot of great wrestlers and state champions at this school, but to join Fox as a four-time state champion would be an absolute honor.”

Haase owns a spectacular 200-11 career record, with only two losses since his sophomore year. Most of the defeats have come in prestigious invitational tournaments against nationally-ranked wrestlers.

Six of Haase’s OHS teammates join him at the Spurs, including regional champs Anderson Heap (145), who will be going for his second state championship, and Jomar Sanchez (37-8), who took the 195-pound regional title and will be seeking his first state title.

Gunner Holland (48-4), a two-time state champion, will also be among the favorites in the state tournament at 170pounds – but his road will be slightly tougher after losing to Palmetto Ridge’s Roman Garcia, 3-2. He will face a third-place regional finisher in his first match Thursday.

Other Kowboy wrestlers advancing to the state tournament include Evan Martinez (3rd-120), Isfandier Sharipov (4th-126) and Elijah Vansickle, who won silver in the 225-pound weight class.

Sending five wrestlers to the finals and winning three weight classes, Osceola accumulated 171 points to win the regional title, outdistancing Boomingdale (131) and Palmetto Ridge (125.5).

Celebration and Poinciana also participated in the 3A, Region 2 final. The Storm’s Chase McBroom (170) advanced to this weekend with a fourth place finish; Poinciana’s Landon Trigueros (19-3) – who was one of the top seeds and a favorite to advance at 106 – was forced out of the tournament by injury.

Across town, the Harmony Longhorns hosted the 3A, Region 3 Championships. Although the Longhorns were hampered by injuries all season long, they will send four wrestlers to the state tournament; Rey Ortiz (132), Shawn McCallister (138), Anthony Falotico (160) and Nelson Toro (285), all won regional titles.

“Given what we had to fight through this season and having lost several potential state qualifiers to injuries, advancing four regional champions to states is solid performance,” Longhorns coach Vic Lorenzano said.“We lost Tanner Hinman for the season at OBCs and then in the blood round of regionals, Carlos Estrada tried to fight through a severe knee injury but lost. We had two other guys that I thought could finish in the top four but it just didn’t happen for them.”

Toro joins Osceola’s “Triple H” trio of Haase, Heap and Holland as favorites to win state titles.“Nelson has faced just about all the top guys in the state in his weight class and has won them all,” Lorenzano said of undefeated Toro (42-0). “Some of his matches have been close and some have gone to overtime, but he has won them all and he certainly will not be surprised by anything he sees at the state tournament.”

Harmony (143) finished third to Wellington (161) in the team race; while Tohopekaliga (118.5) was fifth. The Tigers advance five to the state meet, including top-four place winners Egar Gastilo (120), Nathan Barrett (132), Jacob Noid (170), Luis Rosario (182) and Chris Luyanda (195).

Barrett (36-9) and Rosario (35-8) were Toho’s top finishers.

St. Cloud and Gateway were at the 2A - 2 championships at Brandon High School. St. Cloud’s John Fernandez (170) and while Gateway’s Meison Broche (152) and Aiden Cooper (195) advanced as third-place finishers.

Both the boys, and the second-year FHSAA girls state championship, tournament will be run concurrently at the Silver Spurs Arena.The girls’ Eleven Osceola County female wrestlers have qualified and will compete for titles in a single class: Osceola:Kealoni Vega (100), Daniela Tabora Contreras (110), Paola Ramirez (120), Keira Suro (125), Kelliana Mack (130) and Cathia Thomas (140). Gateway:Genesis Fernandez (130), Elody Rodriguez (145), Emiliana Martinez (155), Lily Yambor (170). St. Cloud:Emari Brown (190).