-
Harmony’s Shawn McCallister is one of the state’s top wrestlers and was pre-season ranked No. 1 in the 150-pound class. PHOTO/HARMONY HIGH SCHOOL -
Osceola senior Anderson Heap (white singlet) will look for his third consecutive state championship this year PHOTO/DAN PEARSON
In what should come as no surprise to anyone who follows the sport, state powers Osceola and Harmony will once again battle for county supremacy in wrestling for the 202324 season. The Kowboys, who won every Orange Belt Conference Championship from 2012-19, will attempt to defend the OBC crown after stopping Harmony’s run of three straight (2020-22).
And while the OBC Championship is not the most important prize, the Feb. 3 meet at Celebration still means a lot to both sides.
“Winning the OBC tournament and getting ready for the state tournament are not mutually exclusive,” OHS Coach Rick Tribit said after his team took back the team title last year. “Wrestling is an individual sport, but events like the OBC championship and the state duals tournament give the sport a team feel. Winning OBCs definitely means something to our guys.”
The FHSAA sponsors two state wrestling championships, a team duals championship hosted by Osceola Jan. 19-20 and the traditional Individual Bracket Tournament, again at the Silver Spurts Arena Feb. 29-Mar. 2.
Osceola has qualified for the 16-team duals tournament all six years and was runner-up in 2020 and 2023.
They and Harmony have found success in the IBT state tournament. Osceola has had at least one individual state wrestling champion for the past 17 consecutive years, including last season when Cooper Haase and Anderson Heap won titles. Along with that impressive streak, Osceola has had high state team finishes in the event. The Kowboys had a third place team finish – marking the 17th straight top-six finish by the Kowboys.
Harmony qualified four wrestlers for the state championship and crowned their second individual state champion, heavyweight Nelson Toro. The Longhorns also posted a six-place team finish.
Here are capsules of what to look for in the 2023-24 season:
OSCEOLA (Class 3A, District 5) Departing four-time state champion Cooper Haase (U.S. Military Academy) was a key loss to the roster, but Tribit’s team will once again be formidable. Heap (49-2 last year) returns for his senior campaign; as does former state champion Gunner Holland (won state titles in both 2020-21, 3rd last year with a 52-5 record. Both are favorites to win state titles this season.
As for added depth, Elijah Vansickle (3rd place at 285 pounds) and state qualifier Isfandier Sharipov (28-16 at 132) also return. Taylyn Fisk (22-6, 120) and Bryan Gari (28-12, 190) are among five additional regional qualifiers back for the Kowboys. Freshman Adais Ortiz transfers in from Lake Highland Prep and Jayson Ortiz transfers in from Tohopekaliga to give the Kowboys added punch to the lineup.
Osceola, ranked No. 2 in the state by Kabra Wrestling, will once again host the Kissimmee Christmas Knockout Classic – one of the nation’s premiere high school tournaments -- Dec. 20-22 at Silver Spurs Arena.
“Our numbers have been impressive and it was a solid start to our season this year. Our younger kids are showing awesome energy and enthusiasm,” Coach Rick Tribit said. “We have a couple of tournaments lined up in December which will give us an opportunity to evaluate those kids and see which ones can help us as we head into the new year.”
HARMONY (Class 3A, District 9) Head coach Vic Lorenzano said goodbye to undefeated senior state champion Nelson Toro (460, 285) and third place state finisher Rey Ortiz (48-3), but it doubtful rival coaches will be shedding any tears. The Longhorns pursue an eighth straight district championship.
The Longhorns have a deep roster and return a ton of talent – including Shawn McCallister, who finished 4th in states last year and is the No. 1 ranked wrestler in Class 3A at 150 pounds Harmony also returns seven other regional qualifiers, including Carson Estrada (No. 8 at 144) and Carlos Rodriguez (No. 12, 138).
New talent includes transfers Nathan Lyttle (44-15) No. 5 at 105-lbs. from Fort Walton High, and John Fernandez (35-15) was a state qualifier from St. Cloud at 175 last year.
“We are off to a solid start this year and have shown some good depth,” Lorenzano said. “We took 17 wrestlers down to the Seahorse Open in South Florida and had some great success, including McCallister, who won the open state division by pinning a kid from Miami South-Dade who was ranked second in the state.”
CELEBRATION (Class 3A, District 5) Chase McBloom (3610), a two-time state placement winner for the Storm, wrapped up his high school career with an 8th place finish last season. Coach Chris Yentzer returns regional qualifiers Feliz Macias (20-13) and defending district champion Zachariah DeCesare (20-9).
POINCIANA (Class 3A, District 5) Like Celebration, Poinciana coach Jerry Bazilme may be facing a rebuild after the Eagles saw six regional qualifiers graduate – including former standout Landon Trigueros (19-1 last season). Two regional qualifiers return, including multi-sport standout Noah Otero, who was a district runner-up last season and enters this year 16th in the state at 157; and Franchavy Dumesle.
TOHOPEKALIGA (Class 3A, District 9) The young Tigers reached new heights placing second in the district behind Harmony. Unfortunately for Coach John Smorin, 16 wrestlers graduated, including four state qualifiers and two regional qualifiers. In addition, Jayson Ortiz, a regional qualifier last year, transferred to Osceola. According to Smorin, the roster is high on enthusiasm and dedication.
“We have a dedicated and great group of kids in the wrestling room,” Smorin noted. “We are definitely looking to use this year to build on the foundation of the program for seasons to come.”
The top returner is Nathan Barrett (37-11, 138), who qualified for states last year after second place finishes as both districts and regionals. He comes into the season with a No. 5 Kabra state ranking.
ST. CLOUD (Class 2A, District 7) The Bulldogs (along with Gateway and Liberty) find themselves in the same district with state power Lake Gibson (ranked No. 2 in state in IBT and No. 1 in state for Duals); as well as No. 16 Auburndale, which could make advancement difficult according to thirdyear head coach Mike Short.
His most notable loss is the transfer of state qualifier John Fernandez to Harmony. Short returns some quality athletes to the room like Nolan Colantanio (26-13) the No. 2 preseasonranked wrestler at 285 and a regional qualifier. Junior Cheniko Wallace and senior Nathaniel Huron are also returning regional qualifiers.
“Interest in the sport is definitely growing,” Short, who is also St. Cloud’s football coach, said. “That will pay big dividends for us down the road. W we return a lot of wrestlers and hopefully some of them will be able to make that jump from the regional round to the state tournament.”
GATEWAY (Class 2A, District 7) Starting his sixth season as head of the Panther program, Travis Hill has some depth returning off of last year’s third-place district squad. That includes Maison Broche (33-11), a state qualifier that finished third in both regionals and districts at 150. Regional qualifiers Ariel Molina (16-14), Ruben Ocasio (17-14), Taylen Haynes (1416) and Eann Mesa (11-10) also return.
LIBERTY (Class 2A, District 7) After wrestling as an independent last year, the Chargers return to a district this season under first year coach Tyrone McKee. He hopes to build his program around senior Asa Skord and freshman Sebastian Perdomo. “We have a young group of guys and will need time to develop and grow in order to be competitive,” McKee said. “It’s going to be a process.”
