The Florida High School Athletic Association state wrestling championships were a showcase for the Mater Lakes teams, with both the boys and girls making strong runs at state titles at the annual event in Kissimmee, Fla. The Mater Lakes boys finished second in the state, out of 69 teams in the Class 1A bracket. The Mater Lakes girls team finished fifth in the state, out of 128 teams overall.
All nine boys that Mater Lakes qualified for the state tournament placed, meaning each finished in the top eight of their respective weight classes. The team had a trio of second-place finishers -- sophomore Kalias Nazario at 157 pounds, senior Sef Sadeek at 175 pounds and junior Damian Soto at 215 pounds.
Finishing third were freshman Ethan Tran at 126 pounds and junior Anthony O’Dell at 132 pounds.
Taking home fourth-place prizes were sophomore Kellen Mesina at 113 pounds and senior Malikai Badillo at 138 pounds. At 150 pounds, junior Kenny Alvarado was sixth and at 120 pounds, freshman Christopher Greene was seventh.
For the girls, eighth-grader Abigail Gonzalez led the way with a 2nd-place finish in the state at 105 pounds. Her only loss was to state champion Gabriele Tedesco of Lake Gibson, a senior.
At 155 pounds, sophomore Alena Rik placed third and at 110 pounds, senior Sofia Ferran won her final match to secure fifth place. Also representing Mater Lakes’ girls at the state tournament were freshman Mia Comesana at 100 pounds and eighth-grader Arianna Ruiz at 125 pounds.
Second photo names:
Mater Lakes Academy’s boys wrestling team, from left: Richard Lugo; Croccifixio Mazzrillo; Alexander Diaz; Emiliano Solache; Ethan Tran; Kenny Alvarado; Christopher Greene; Coach JD Ramsey; Coach Nestor Nunez; Malikai Badillo; Mason O’Dell; Coach Brandon Neifeld; Anthony O’Dell; Damian Soto; Kellen Mesina; Calogero Mazzrillo; Bruce Li; Keagan Mesina; Christopher Benzan and Darian Vargas.
Photo courtesy of the school.