High School Wrestling: Washburn, Minto, Brady, Moder repeat as state champions
There's nothing like experience on the big stage.
The FHSAA state wrestling championships were held at Silver Spurs Arena in Kissimmee on Saturday, and four Southwest Florida wrestlers familiar with the taste of victory triumphed once again.
Mariner's Maximus Brady and First Baptist's Christian Moder repeated as state champions for their second titles, while Palmetto Ridge's Tyler Washburn and Mariner's Christopher Minto each won their third.
"It definitely helps tremendously," Minto, a senior, said of his past experience.
"When the whistle blows, the crowd goes away, everything goes away at this point. Just me and the other guy trying to find out who's better."
Wrestling in the Class 2A championship bout at 160 pounds, Minto defeated Braden River's Gage Wiggins with a 15-0 technical fall after 5:19. A third state title matches his older brother Christian Minto's achievements as a Titan.
"It feels pretty good to finish out on top," Minto said.
For Brady, a sophomore, winning his second state title brings him halfway to his goal of going four-for-four.
"It’s been a lifelong dream," he said. "Just to do it with great people around me, it means a whole lot."
Wrestling at 126 pounds, Brady won by technical fall in every round of the tournament, including the final where he beat River Ridge's Dominick Smith 15-0 in 2:11.
"My mindset was I want to make these kids’ trip suck as much as possible," Brady said.
Mariner head coach Clay French said Minto and Brady exceeded the already high standard they set for themselves with their dominant runs.
"Its very impressive to watch their determination, their focus," he said. "I've been doing this a while, and they're special individuals."
The presence of teammate Hansel Pompa-Maurai helped alleviate some pressure for them, French said.
Pompa-Mauri, competing in Florida for the first time after wrestling with the Cuban Junior National Team, was a revelation at the tournament, coming in third at 152 pounds with his only loss coming to the eventual champion.
Pompa-Mauri had a freestyle wrestling background with little experience on the mat coming into the season. His progress has been steady, French said, and he ended up thrilling the crowd in Kissimmee.
"The fans were not trying to miss those matches because he was getting so many takedowns," French said.
Moder had a highlight of his own after finishing off Lemon Bay's Chase Alden in the Class 1A 182-pound bout with a 12-2 major decision.
Moder flipped backward into a casual lounging position to celebrate repeating as a state champion.
"Finishing off my high school career felt amazing," Moder said.
.@FBA_Athletics_’s Christian Moder repeats as a state champion and celebrates in style. pic.twitter.com/mUFexZYz09
— Dustin Levy (@DustinBLevy) March 5, 2023
Moder credited the First Baptist coaching staff, including Elias Rey, Edwin Rey and Shane Hillis, for helping to develop him as a wrestler and a person.
"It just feels great to finish off with a win after a tough four years," he said.
First Baptist came in third place as a team in Class 1A with Jonathan Moder, Michael Kersey, Gavin Patton and Caleb Rodriguez each reaching finals.
Palmetto Ridge also had a successful weekend, finishing fourth in Class 3A.
Jean Valoria, Austin Foye and Roman Garcia came away with hardware with the latter two becoming state runners up.
Washburn competed in a dramatic final at 113 pounds, pinning his opponent 30 seconds into overtime when the score was tied at 2-2.
"He’s clutch," Palmetto Ridge head coach Blaine Ison said. "When the big lights come on, he turns on."
The opponent, Doral Academy's Christian Vazquez, had defeated Washburn earlier in the season.
"This was sweet revenge," Ison said. "This was the match that Tyler wanted."
Washburn becomes the second Palmetto Ridge wrestler win three state championships, matching Richie Dehnz's total with the Bears.
He was particularly proud of winning every round of the tournament win a pin.
"Knowing that I pinned all the way through the state tournament, it’s a lot," Washburn said. "It’s a big accomplishment. Not many people actually do it."
Though the four Southwest Florida champions made adding hardware to their collections look easy with their dominance, the pressure can build with every standout season.
"To win three in a row, it’s something very hard to do," Ison said. "It’s not too many that have done it. Every single year, this year especially, he’s been doubted. Every year, they predicted him to come up short."
Other wrestlers to reach finals included Riverdale's Alexander Soto, Barron Collier's Lucas Giles and Riverdale's Jazlyn Diaz, who achieved the best result for Southwest Florida at the girls tournament.
Southwest Florida state wrestling medalists
Class 3A
113 pounds
Tyler Washburn (Palmetto Ridge): 1st place, fall 6:30
Charlie Smiarowski (Riverdale): 8th place
120 pounds
Ayden Balma (Riverdale): 5th place
132 pounds
Zachary Balma (Riverdale): 8th place
138 pounds
Jean Valoria (Palmetto Ridge): 8th place
152 pounds
Alexander Soto (Riverdale): 2nd place
170 pounds
Roman Garcia (Palmetto Ridge): 2nd place
285 pounds
Austin Foye (Palmetto Ridge): 2nd place
Class 2A
106 pounds
Maynor Herrara (Immokalee): 8th place
113 pounds
Robert Albert (Cape Coral): 4th place
120 pounds
Enis Ljikovic (Barron Collier): 5th place
Richard Albert (Cape Coral): 6th place
126 pounds
Maximus Brady (Mariner): 1st place, tech fall 2:11 (15-0)
132 pounds
Jonathan Martinez-Mercado (South Fort Myers): 5th place
McKenley Charelus (Lely): 7th place
138 pounds
Lucas Giles (Barron Collier): 2nd place
145 pounds
Judd Cole (Cape Coral): 8th place
152 pounds
Hansel Pompa-Mauri (Mariner): 3rd place
160 pounds
Christopher Minto (Mariner): 1st place
170 pounds
Konner Stuttgen (Bonita Springs): 3rd place
220 pounds
Frank Cornelison (North Fort Myers): 7th place
Class 1A
120 pounds
Jonathan Moder (First Baptist): 2nd place
126 pounds
Asher Bacon (First Baptist): 4th place
145 pounds
Michael Kersey (First Baptist): 2nd place
160 pounds
Gavin Patton (First Baptist): 2nd place
182 pounds
Christian Moder (First Baptist): 1st place, 12-2 major decision
285 pounds
Caleb Rodriguez (First Baptist): 2nd place
Girls championships
100 pounds
Kiera Partello (Barron Collier): 4th place
105 pounds
Reagan Thomas (Naples): 3rd place
110 pounds
Jazlyn Diaz (Riverdale): 2nd place
135 pounds
Genesis Turrubiartez (Immokalee): 8th place
190 pounds
Brianice Silguero (Immokalee): 8th place
235 pounds
Destine'e Thomas (Cypress Lake): 4th place
This article originally appeared on Fort Myers News-Press: FHSAA state wrestling: Washburn, Minto, Brady, Moder repeat as champions
