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The 'Burg gets a couple big "dubs"

Fleming Island wrestling 'sneaking' back

By Randy Lefko randy@claytodayonline.com
Posted 2/7/25

FLAGLER PALM COAST - In a flurry of sports action around Florida, Middleburg High came out with the most impressive finishes with the girls weightlifting team repeating as region champions en route …

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The 'Burg gets a couple big "dubs"

Fleming Island wrestling 'sneaking' back


Posted




FLAGLER PALM COAST - In a flurry of sports action around Florida, Middleburg High came out with the most impressive finishes with the girls weightlifting team repeating as region champions en route to a possible state medal while the girls wrestling team pounded a strong field at rival Tallahassee Lincoln to bring home the gold against a strong field of challengers.
For Fleming Island boys wrestling, amidst a season of coaching questions, a handful of dedicated athletes not willing to throw in the towel from circumstances out of their reach, an impressive finish against a strong field at the Flagler Rotary Invitational put interim coach Nick Gibson in a frame of "Be the underdog" mentality as state wrestling bids start to ramp up.
"We are low in numbers, but the guys who show up have a bad attitude," said Gibson. "We go in with the underdog mentality and we will start surprising people."
For the Middleburg girls weightlifting, coached stealthily by Rhiannon Weiskopf, who's seemingly casual approach, has fueled a field of strong, athletic girls that took on not only their very tough region, but a very tough pre-state field of contenders that will be, ultimately, the same challengers plus some from the other three regions.
In girls weightlifting, as well as boys, but they have just started their seasons, the field is made up of lifters skilled at three different disciplines; Olympics Snatch, Clean and Jerk and Bench Press, pitting techique and scary skill needed for the Olympics Snatch; explosive control from legs to chest in the Clean and Jerk, and raw power in the bench press taking a heavy weight from bar to chest and back to bar.
In the scoring, Olympic scoring is combining the Olympic Snatch total with the Clean and Jerk while the Traditional combines the Clean and Jerk with the Bench Press.
For the Lady Broncos, top athlete all season has been senior Caylee Johnson, who has dominated the field in the 154 pound division with an additional set of points coming from teammate Madison Underwood who has been right off Johnson's shoulder all season.
At regions, Johnson and Underwood earned a massive 1-2 team point total with a first and second place finish in the 154 Olympics as well as Traditional. First places earned seven points with second earning five down 4,3,2,1 to sixth place thus giving Middleburg a 12 point push from one weight class.
Led by Johnson and Underwood, Middleburg won the Traditional scoring for the Region 1-2A championships on Saturday at Bay High School while Fleming Island won the Olympic region title in the same event.
Middleburg scored 40 points with Ridgeview second at 32 and Fleming Island tied at third with Choctawhatchee at 24.
In Olympics, Fleming Island scored 36 points to edge Ridgeview's 34 for second and Choctawhatchee third at 27 just a point over Middleburg at 26.
Fleming Island was led by champions Bradi Johnson at 119 and Lily O'Steen at 199.
Qualifiers will prepare now for the FHSAA state championships to be held February 14-15 at RP Funding Center in Lakeland.
In girls wrestling, the Middleburg Lady Broncos against returned home with gold medals as the squad battled in wrestling stronghold Tallhassee Lincoln at the Lady Trojan Invite and come home with a team title in impressive fashion; 283-235 over Lake Mary, with individual gold going to Toni Silcox at 105, Sarah Walsh at 110 and two time defending state champion Cheyenne Cruce winning at her 190 weight group. Cruce has bumped up to 235 for most of the season and looked sharp back in her former weight where she won her two state titles.
The Middleburg wrestling win highlighted a handful of top five finishes by a number of wrestlers that will only strengthen the Broncos chase of a state medal February 21-22 in Kissimmee with the Lady Broncos getting top finishes in top events for north Florida programs in the past two months.
For Fleming Island High wrestling, with just nine wrestles competing at the very tough Flagler Rotary Invite, interim coach Nick Gibson has instilled an attitude of surprise into his stalwart troops despite the lack of numbers; just nine wrestlers battling against a normal 14-man roster for typical wrestling matches.
At Flagler, with the likes of team winner New Smyrna Beach (14th in 2A last year), Hagerty (8th in 3A last year) and Flagler Palm Coast (11th in 3A last year), all above 200 team points; 214, 206.5 and 200.5, Fleming Island accrued 143.0 to finish seventh behind area contender Creekside. In the top 10 were 3A powers Harmony (5th, 6th in 3A last year),
The Golden Eagles, sixth in 2A last year, got major team points from wins to Sebastian Bonachea at 132 and Kevin Reyes at 285; Bonachea with a 32-2 record, Reyes unbeaten thus far in 14 matches. Bonachea won his title with a win over sixth ranked 2A Jasper Croom of Florida High.
"We just wrestle as hard in practice as we do at the tournaments," said Bonachea, a third place finisher for Oakleaf High last year as a freshman. "We have formed like a brotherhood with the guys that keep coming to practice and we go into meets looking to surprise people."
Bonachea is currently ranked fourth in 2A with Reyes, who got a late start with Fleming Island football making the second round of region playoffs, ranked seventh.
Fleming Island scored key team points behind second places to Roman Ortez at 138, Laird Duhaylungsod at 150; ranked fourth. Ortez lost in his finals match to Florida High's Keaton Ellis, ranked sixth in 2A. Duhaylungsod lost a tough 1-0 match to Hagerty's top ranked in 3A Nikolas Blake with Blake scoring a one-point escape in the second period.