South Dade extends state title streak as Bartelt finishes career unbeaten
KISSIMMEE
South Dade did the expected and Somerset pulled off the unexpected.
Wrestling juggernaut South Dade won its 19th IBT wrestling state championship at the FHSAA state championships on Saturday at
Silver Spurs Arena mathematically running away with the title before the finals were even wrestled.
South Dade racked up 274.5 points, easily beating second-place Osceola by 155, while crowning six individual state champions – which tied a school record.
“We scored more points than we ever scored in a state championship,” South Dade head coach Victor Balmeceda said. “If you put the team score of the secondplace team and the thirdplace team together, they still don’t beat us.”
Winning individual state championships were: Bryan Morales (106), Elvis Solis Jr. (138), Gavin Balmeceda (165), Kevin Olavarria (175), Christopher Sanchez (190) and Sawyer Bartelt (215).
“The secret is having a great kid’s program,” Balmeceda said. “When you get kids who have been wrestling since they were 5 or 6-years old, they are ready to win state titles.”
The Buccaneers placed a school record 10 wrestlers in the finals and finished with 12 total medalists. South Dade set a school record with 14-place winners last year.
In 2018, South Dade placed seven wrestlers in the finals and set a school record with six state champions.
Bartelt, who is signed with Iowa State, won his fourth state championship at South Dade and finished with a high school career record of 139-0.
During that stretch, Bartelt never let an opponent score a takedown on him until his final state championship match Saturday, when Dante DeSantis, from Dwyer, scored an early firstperiod takedown for a
2-0 lead.
Bartelt responded by pinning DeSantis at the 2:33 mark.
“It was a minor setback when he got the first takedown,” Bartelt said. “It just happens, I guess he studied and did his research on me. But I just kept my same goal to win the final. I had to push through it. It is what it is. I’m headed to the next level in college and I just have to get better.”
Balmeceda said the takedown simply woke up a sleeping giant.
“He is a four-time state champion and that takedown doesn’t take away anything,” Balmeceda said.
Finishing as state runners-up for South Dade were: Luis Acevedo
(120), Nathaniel Williams (126), Tyree Graham (144) and Joshua Aviles (150).
On the wrestleback side, Jonathan Moreno (157) placed fifth and Armand Williams (132) finished sixth for South Dade.
Somerset Academy pulled off the unexpected, rallying from 10.5 points behind Mater
Lakes heading into the finals, to win the 1A state championship by 4.5 points with a 156.5 total.
Also winning individual 3A individual state championships were: Christian Vazquez (113) Doral Academy, Fredrick Mitchum (120) Miami Southridge and Gabriel Tellez (126) Southwest Miami.
Winning 1A individual titles were: Jovanni Tovar (106) Miami Christian School and Michael Mocco (215) Cardinal Gibbons.
Tampa Jesuit won the 2A state championship, its third overall title and second IBT.
GIRLS’ CHAMPIONSHIPS
Miami-Dade County finished with two unbeaten state champions on the girls’ side.
North Miami’s Mya Bethel finished 42-0 and won her third consecutive state title after pinning Fort Pierce Central’s Kha’Liyah Delva in 2:51 in the 155-pound final.
Coral Park’s Sofia Delgado finished unbeaten for the second consecutive season with a 41-0 record after winning the 140-pound state championship.
Mater Academy’s Mariah Mills won at 110 pounds and finished her season with a 41-1 record.
Mater Lakes was the highest girls’ team finisher from South Florida with 53 points, edging sixth-place North Miami by one point. Brooksville Hernando won the team title with 104.5 points.