South Dade, Somerset bring home duals titles
South Dade and Somerset Academy entered uncharted territory.
South Dade became the first team to win four FHSAA Dual Team wrestling state championships, and Somerset won its first state title on Saturday at Osceola High School in Kissimmee.
South Dade held off a pesky Riverdale 45-24 in the Class 3A championship dual to claim its fourth consecutive title.
“It’s very cool and it’s something that I will think about later on,” said South Dade coach Victor Balmeceda, whose team has now won 19 wrestling state championships, which includes 15 individually bracketed tournament titles — with seven in a row.
“We will try to do it again next year and the year after. I always tell our kids, ‘We are the hunter because we haven’t won the state championship for that year. Don’t worry about the past, no one can take those away from us.’
“Riverdale put a good team together kind of quietly, and we have much respect for Riverdale. They had a game plan and their kids fought in every match. It makes it that much more worthwhile when you have to beat a quality team like that,” he said.
South Dade won five matches by pin in the title match, getting wins from Sawyer Bartelt (195), Creig Sillmon (220), Luis Acevedo (106), Joshua Aviles (120) and Cordell White (152). Adrian Morales (113) added a tech fall, Joshua Swan (182) a major decision and Gavin Balmeceda (132) and Alex Couto (138) won decisions to seal the record-setting night.
South Dade senior Keith Crouse has been a part of all-four Dual Team state titles, and he said the formula is simple.
“This means we work harder than anyone, and our coaches push us harder than anyone,” Crouse said.
Top-ranked Somerset rallied from an early ninepoint deficit to clip Palm Bay 33-28 in the 1A state title match and win its first title in the program’s 10year history while making its first appearance in the state finals dual.
“We finally got here and I am super-proud,” Somerset coach Joe Blasucci said. “I wanted a tough match in the final. We have been waiting for this for a long time.”
Christian Fretwell (106) and Skyler Caban (132) won with pins while Elvis Solls (120) added a tech fall, Darian Estevez (152) won a major decision and Joshua Oyeneye (195), Matthew Jimenez (285), Chase Gillis (138), Bas Diaz (145) and Darian Estevez (152) won decisions.
Somerset advanced to its first finals appearance with a 67-9 rout of Lemon Bay, ferociously dishing out 10 pins — eight in the first
“Defensively, he and [second baseman] Luis Castillo were amazing. They covered so much ground.
“I think Alex will be good for the kids. He has the laid-back temperament that is good for this generation of players.”
Gonzalez might never had made it to the majors if he hadn’t bolted on a “big test” he was supposed to take 26 years ago.
Instead, Gonzalez wrote just his name on the sheet of paper, handed it to his teacher and walked 15 minutes to the stadium in his native Venezuela where a tryout was being held. He period — which included Sean Concepion (182), Jimenez (285), Fretwell (106), Matthew Velasco (113), Solls (120), Raymond Greene (126), Caban (132), Gillis (138), Diaz (145), and Estevez (152).
“I told everybody I wanted a pin in the first period, and they made it a contest to see who had the fastest pin,” Blasucci said.
South Dade handled Fort Pierce Central easily in the 3A semifinal, 55-13. Along the way, the Buccaneers picked pin victories from Swan (182), Acevedo (106), Morales (113), Aviles (120), Couto (138) and Adrian Neco (145). Bartelt (195) and Misha Arbos (126) won with tech falls while Silimon (220), White (152) and Crouse (170) picked up decisions.
Southridge, under firstyear head coach Markel Shropshire, was upended by Palmetto Ridge 52-22 in the 2A semifinal. Southridge picked up pin wins from Quiton Johnson (160) and Lawrence Rosario was signed a few days later by Levi Ochoa, the same scout who found Edgar Renteria in Colombia.
Ironically, Renteria — whose single in the 11th inning of Game 7 gave the Marlins their 1997 World Series title — was traded after the ’98 season, clearing the way for Gonzalez at shortstop.
Gonzalez, who earned an $8,000 bonus when he signed in 1994, handed that money to his parents and kept on achieving, including a career-high 23 homers (twice) and 42 doubles in 2010.
He clearly knows the (170) in the first two matches to take an early 12-0 lead but the momentum stalled. Only Dedric Marshall (220), picking up a major decision, and Conner Hueck (120), landing a 10-6 decision, won matches.
“The guys came out on fire,” Shropshire said. “Quiton Johnson came out on fire. We had the guys rolled in, but we came up a little short in the lighter weights. There was a couple of points left on the mats that we should have got. The guys fought and left it on the mat.”
Southridge has won seven IBT state championships — fourth best in state history — but is still looking for its first Dual Team state title, but Shropshire promises to gain from the semifinal appearance.
“This will get us ready for IBT time, state time. We had a lot of young guys who got to see some experience in a state type of environment,” Shropshire said. game, and perhaps the only issue will be how he handles the parents of high school players who sometimes believe their sons deserve more playing time.
Gonzalez, though, doesn’t see a problem.
“They know that the field is my responsibility,” he said.
Gonzalez, who was the head coach of a summerleague team last year, feels prepared for this next step in his career, and people who know him, such as ex-Sagemont studentathlete Dylan Fineberg, agree.
“He brings leadership —
Lake Gibson won the 2A state title — its third in program history. Lake Highland Prep has also won three Dual Team titles but opted out of FHSAA competition this year to compete on a national platform.
BOYS’ BASKETBALL
GIRLS’ BASKETBALL
GIRLS’ SOCCER he knows how to talk to kids,” said Fineberg, who was a second baseman under Gonzalez’s tutelage and made no errors in 2019. “He is pretty particular in everything. He likes to break down the fundamentals, and if he sees a mistake, he will correct it immediately.
“There was one time we spent an entire practice fielding short ground balls and making sure we got our throwing angle [correct]. He was big on shoulder-to-target and following through.
“I think this is [Gonzalez’s] time. He’s ready.”