Vega, Galvan, Borrelli win state titles
KISSIMMEE — In her early years of wrestling starting as a seventh-grader, Osceola’s Kealonie Vega admits she had a lovehate relationship with the sport.
After Saturday’s win at Silver Spurs Arena in the 100-pound weight class at the FHSAA Girls Wrestling State Championships, it’s all about love now for the senior.
Vega made short work of Gulf Breeze’s Camdyn Elliott with a pin just 55 seconds into the first match of the championship round.
It’s a remarkable turnaround about 18 months after tearing an ACL in her knee at a national tournament and missing out on wrestling for a state title in the first year of FHSAA sanctioning. Retribution was definitely on her mind.
“It was ripped away from me last year,” she said while wearing a celebratory cowboy hat … or more accurately, an Osceola Kowboys hat. “I sat in the stands here [at Silver Spurs] and told myself it was going to be all or nothing in my senior year, and that’s what I gave all season.”
Vega, who finished with a 39-1 record, was one of three Central Florida girls state champs along with Freedom senior Cameron Galvan finishing her high school career with a second straight title, and Lake Nona sophomore Milana Borrelli winning in her first year of high school competition.
Galvan had a bit of retribution of her own. She had just two losses all year (39-2), with one of them to her final-match opponent, Analy Banuelos of Braddock, who was undefeated. The loss came in the Knockout Classic at Osceola early in the season.
It was a tough match, with Galvan grinding out a 5-3 decision victory.
“She’s a really strong wrestler,” Galvan said. “We faced each other a lot and it’s always a dogfight. I know she gets points off your mistakes, so I worked hard not to make many.”
Borrelli was also very motivated coming into the state tournament after missing more than two years. She’s been an accomplished youth wrestler for several, but the pandemic put a stop to it.
“With COVID happening, my training partners and [youth] coaches moved and I didn’t have anyone to take me to the next level and I didn’t have a chance to wrestle last year in high school,” she said after pinning Christina Borgmann of Matanzas with less than a minute left on the match clock.
“I saw an opportunity this year to make some history at our school. All my hard work paid off.”
Two other local girls wrestled in final matches but finished state runner-up in their weight class.
Gateway senior Emiliana Martinez lost a 5-0 decision to two-time state champ Mya Bethel of North Miami while Freedom junior Salexa Lontoc-Ortiz was pinned by Hernando’s Grace Leota 2:20 into the match.
In the overall team standings, three of the top four spots went to local squads, but first place wasn’t one of them. Matanzas won the title with 124 points while defending champion Freedom was second with 107. Apopka (71) and Osceola (60) were third and fourth, respectively.