South Dade’s Bartelt is Mr. Wrestling

South Dade High School senior Sawyer Bartelt has been selected the 2024 Florida Dairy Farmers Mr. Wrestling.

Bartelt won his fourth straight state championship, taking the 215pound Class 3A state title, while posting a 42-0 record. Bartelt finished his high school career with a 139-0 record and was taken down only once, incredibly, during that time. He signed to wrestle at Iowa State University.

Bartelt won the top wrestling honor over

Class 2A Wrestler of the Year Maximus Brady of Mariner, who won his third straight state title, and Class 1A Wrestler of the Year Michael Mocco of Cardinal Gibbons, who won his second consecutive title.

Tampa Jesuit’s Sal Basile was named the Boys’ Wrestling Coach of the Year, after leading his squad to the Class 2A state team title and finishing as the runner-up in the state dual meet championships.

Basile won the overall coaching honor over Class 3A Coach of the Year Vince Balmeceda of South Dade and Class 1A Coach of the Year Brandon Neifeld of Mater Lakes Academy.

WRESTLING ALL-AMERICANS

Several wrestlers from the area earned high school All-American status, after placing in the

Top 8 at the NHSCA High School National Championships in Virginia Beach.

Some of the top high school wrestlers in the country battled to see who was the best in their grade level.

Topping the list locally is Kendrick Hodge of Somerset Academy (Pembroke Pines). At 160 pounds, he went 6-0 en route to winning nationals in the Senior division. In the finals, he defeated Dane Steel of Sheridan HS (Wyoming) 6-4.

Gabriel Tellez of Southwest Miami fared very well, reaching the finals at 120 in the Senior class. By doing that and finishing 5-1, he took runner-up honors.

Powerhouse South

Dade added four more All-Americans to its impressive list. Of those, Kevin Olavarria took third in the Senior division in 170, after beating Oliver Howard of Decatur, Alabama, 11-6. Mater Lakes Academy also had four All-Americans, three in the middle school division, and in the girls’ competition, SLAM celebrated an All-American.

BOYS: Mater Lakes Academy: 160: Kalias Nazario 4th (Sophomore). Middle School: Keagan Mesina 2nd. Mason O’Dell 5th. Bruce Li 8th (injury def.).

BOYS: Somerset Academy-Pembroke Pines: 160: Kendrick Hodge 1st (Senior)

BOYS: South Dade: 132: Armand Williams 4th (Freshman). 152: Jonathan Moreno 4th (Freshman). 160: Gavin Balmeceda 4th (Senior). 170: Kevin Olavarria 3rd (Senior).

BOYS: Southwest Miami: 120: Gabriel Tellez 2nd (Senior).

GIRLS: SLAM Charter: 120:

White 5th.

MORE WRESTLING HONORS

Willow

The Florida Wrestling Hall of Fame hosts its second annual induction banquet on May 4 at the Delta Hotels Orlando Celebration Event Center.

Lee Pritts, who wrestled for Western High School, and Robert Wimberley, who coaches the “Band of Brothers” at St. Thomas Aquinas High School, are two of the seven inductees into the Florida Wrestling Hall of Fame Class of 2024.

The Florida Chapter of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame will host Honors Weekend Aug. 23-24 at the Wyndham Lake Buena Vista (Disney Springs).

Miami’s Michael Graham will receive the Lifetime Service to Wrestling Award. The honor recognizes someone for his or her years of dedication to the development of leadership and citizenship in youths through the sport of wrestling.

BASEBALL

Doral Academy baseball reached the 20-win mark by edging American Heritage-Plantation 7-6.

Doral Academy 7, American HeritagePlantation 6: Sebastian Berrios 3-3, 2 RBI; Gabriel Milano 2-3, HR, 2 RBI;

Hector Roca 1-2, RBI; WP Antonio Socrras 3 IP, 1 R, 4 K; Michael Torres 1 IP, 3 K, Save. Dor 20-1.

MORE BASEBALL

Palmetto needed nine innings to edge Killina

5-4 in walk-off fashion.

Leading 2-1, Killian scored three times in the top of the sixth for a 4-2 lead. the Panthers evened things in the bottom of the sixth. Exta innings then determined a winner.

Palmetto 5 Killian 4: WP Jake Cruz (4-3); Alec Fuller 3-4, RBI, R; Sebastian Font 3-6, RBI, R; Ryan Ortega 2-3, RBI; Jack Gorden 1-2, 2B. Plm 11-8.

SOFTBALL

Palmer Trinity won two of three games during the Orange Bowl Florida Fastpitch Softball Invitational at Palmetto Bay Park.

The Falcons (9-6) defeated Braddock 9-3 and Satellite 9-4. They lost to Pembroke Pines Charter 5-0. Emmy Cerda went 2-1 on the mound. She threw 16.2 innings, striking out 25.

Orange Bowl Florida Fastpitch Softball Invitational at Palmetto Bay Park: Top PT Performers: WP Emmy Cerda; Kinsey Cerda 5-10, 3 R, 2 RBI; Mela Fajardo 5-11, 3 RBI; Dani Mendoza 3-6, 2 RBI; Missy Nieves 3-7, 3 R.

Westminster Christian (11-5-1) also won two of three games.

Orange Bowl Florida Fastpitch Softball Invitational at Palmetto Bay Park: Westminster Christian 11, East Ridge-Clermont 6: WP Kaley Dyer 3 H, 2 RBI; Gigi Khoury 2 H, 3 RBI; Dylan Lesman 2 H, RBI; Alexa Bender H, 2 RBI; Jas Armenteros H, RBI; Mya Rodgers H; Kelsie Kenney H. WC 10-4-1.

Orange Bowl Florida Fastpitch Softball Invitational at Palmetto Bay Park: Westminster Christian 14, Fort Myers 3: WP Kaley Dyer 5 IP, 3 R, 2 ER, 8 H, 2 BB, 3 K; Gigi Khoury 3 H, 4 RBI; Mya Rodgers 2 H, RBI; Jas Armenteros 2 H; Kelsie Kenney H, 2 RBI; Abi Barboza H, 2 RBI; Kaley Dyer 2 H, 2 RBI; Casey Lesman H, RBI; Dylan Lesman H. WC 11-5-1.

MORE SOFTBALL

Carrollton 19, Ransom Everglades 4: WP Madelyn Althage; Grace Diez: 3-3, 2 2B, 3 RBI; Camila Suarez 2-2, RBI; Emma Althage 1-2, 3 RBI; Allyson

Wolfson 1-2, 2 RBI. Carr 9-2.

Flanagan 11, Everglades 9: WP Jurnee Bent 12 K; Amy Chacko 4-5, 1R, 2 RBI; Camila Andrade 2-3, 2 R, RBI; Tresha Vierre 1-3, 3R, 3 SB; Jade Reeves 2-4, R, RBI, SB; Jurnee Bent 2-4, 2 R, SB. Flan 5-6.

BOYS’ VOLLEYBALL

Belen d. Ferguson 25-23, 25-20, 25-15: Federico Marino 11 kills, .526 hitting percentage; Billy Essig 6 kills, 3 blocks, 5 aces. Bel 15-1.

Belen d. Chaminade-Madonna 25-19, 25-15, 25-11: Carlos Segrera 6 kills, 3 blocks; Nicolas Barrales 5 aces, 12 digs. Bel 14-1.

Roundup compiled