Gibbons’ Yancey wins third straight state title
Broward takes home five; Douglas girls star Caro gets undefeated season
Cardinal Gibbons senior Nicholas Yancey captured his third consecutive state title to join teammate Michael Mocco, Somerset Academy’s Jovani Solis and Kendrick Hodge, and Cypress Bay’s Andrew Punzalan as individual winners at the FHSAA boys wrestling state championships at Silver Spurs Arena in Kissimmee on Saturday.
Yancey finished his senior campaign with a 46-1 record and earned the Class 1A state title in the 138-pound weight division with a victory by decision (7-6) against Palatka’s Mikade Harvey. Yancey had previously finished 40-0 in 126 as a junior and went 24-0 in 113 during his sophomore season.
“It was a lot of commitment and I had to put in the work to stay ahead of the competition,” Yancey said. “I was able to deal with the stress and anxiety of what it takes to stay on top. It felt like an eye-opener to me that I was able to win for the third straight year.”
Mocco capped off an impressive freshman season at Cardinal Gibbons to win the Class 1A state title at 195. Mocco, who finished with a 44-1 record, won the state final match by decision (13-6) against Yulee’s Alex Smith.
Solis made a statement in the Class 1A 113. The Somerset Academy seventh-grader stepped up against the competition and won by fall in each of the first three matches at the state tournament. Solis delivered another strong performance to win by major decision (11-3) against Bay’s Derrick Williams in the championship. He finished the season with a 46-3 record.
“Jovani had one of the more dominant seasons and smashed it in 1A as a seventh-grader,” Somerset Academy coach Joe Blasucci said. “This kid has so much potential and may be one of the best pound-for-pound kids in the state in a few years.”
Hodge won his second straight Class 1A state championship in 160. The Somerset Academy junior closed the season with a 55-6 record and picked up the victory in the final match by decision (9-3) against First Baptist’s Gavin Patton.
“I just had the mindset and goal to win a state title and I stayed focused and practiced hard,” Hodge said. “I felt more comfortable and it was a good environment. We kept pushing each other as a team.”
Punzalan earned his first Class 3A state title at 106 in dramatic fashion. He won in a tiebreaker against Bloomingdale’s Nathaniel Overman. Punzalan made his presence felt with a 68-3 record during his senior campaign. He had previously finished fourth at the state final last season.
“I knew after last year I did not want to sit in the stands at the end and all my work finally paid off,” Punzalan said. “It was a tough grind at states and to win a tiebreaker was exciting and you can not compare it to anything. I have a lot of emotions and it’s a great feeling.”
Somerset Academy finished second overall in Class 1A with 170 points. They had 11 competitors reach the state tournament. Jake Austin (106), Matthew Velasco (126) and Tristan Sainz (132) each placed second. Michael Sainz (145) registered third place, Kevin Concepcion (138) earned fifth and Luis Bellon (152) placed sixth.
“We are so young and we overachieved,” Somerset Academy coach Joe Blasucci said. “At the beginning of the year, we were ranked seventh and were underestimated. We showed up in the postseason and did what we could do. Jensen Beach squeaked it out. We will be ready for next year.”
Atlantic senior August Batson placed second at the Class 2A state championship in the 170-pound weight class. Batson had victories by fall, decision and sudden victory to reach the championship match. He fell by major decision in the final. Batson finished the season with a 35-4 record.
Cypress Bay was fifth in Class 3A with 74 points. They were also led by Zach Weidler (182), who finished 55-2 during his senior season and placed third at the state championship. Jordan Escarra (120) and Gozie Mosi (285) both placed fourth.
Cardinal Gibbons placed sixth in Class 1A with 107 points. Richard Tauriello (170) and Frankie Florio (145) both placed fifth. Jonathan Hudson (132) finished sixth while Bryan Picallo (152) and Dominic Pantuso (182) both placed seventh.
Wellington had several top performers at the Class 3A state tournament as Cameron Gibson (106) and Sam Marvel (120) both placed third. Mac Andrews (160) finished sixth and Randy Lancaster (145) recorded seventh. The Wolverines tied for 12th in Class 3A with 46 points.
Park Vista junior Giovanni De Angeles placed fourth (152) at the Class 3A state tournament. Olympic Heights junior Adriel Pina (126) and Seminole Ridge senior Marco Luciano (106) both earned sixth in Class 3A. Pine Crest’s Nathan Chen placed seventh (220) in the Class 1A.
South Dade scored 270.5 points in Class 3A, Jensen Beach had 177.5 points in Class 1A and Lake Gibson recorded 171.5 points in Class 2A to earn team titles.
Girls state tournament
Stoneman Douglas junior Gabriela Caro completed an undefeated season to capture the state title in the 125-pound division.
Caro recorded a win by fall (2:51) in the opening round of the state tournament. She advanced to the semifinal with a victory by fall (3:09) and reached the state championship match with another win by fall (5:33). Caro defeated Sarasota Military Academy’s Christiana Turner by decision (8-4) to record her first state title.
Caro, who finished with a 21-0 record, had previously earned state runner-up honors during her sophomore season.
Wellington also had top performers at the state tournament. Aurora Guadiana (130 pounds) and Sofia Bentz (170) both placed fifth.