State Wrestling: Minto, Rodriguez, Van Hoecke, Washburn bring home gold; Palmetto Ridge second in 2A

Palmetto Ridge coach Blaine Ison didn't buy into the message boards that said with 12 state qualifiers, the Bears were the favorites in Class 2A in Lakeland this weekend.

But Ison was right when he expected one of the closest team finishes in state series history with Palmetto Ridge, Lake Gibson and Charlotte vying for the top spot.

Charlotte escaped over Palmetto Ridge, winning 153.5 to 145. Lake Gibson finished in third, just behind the Bears with 141.5 points.

Palmetto Ridge star Brennan Van Hoecke (49-0) closed out his junior season with a 9-3 decision over Charlotte's Issac Church in the 132-pound weight class.

Van Hoecke's teammate, Tyler Washburn, won via fall just 2:24 into the match against Miami Killian's Christian Vasquez, giving the Bears two state champions this season.

"Overall I'm happy with our performance," Ison said. "We came up a little short of our ultimate goal, but at the end of the day, our kids left everything out there. We battled for those two days, and there's nothing more as a coach you can ask for. That's just the way it fell.

"I think if you took that bracket and spun it four different times, you might get four different teams that won it. I thought it was going to take seven placers to win it, and that was exactly how it went. We had seven placers, Charlotte had seven placers.

Two more Palmetto Ridge stars were close to joining Van Hoecke and Washburn atop the podium. Carson Miller and Roman Garcia took second-place finishes in the 145- and 152-pound classes, respectively.

Christopher Minto, younger brother of Christian Minto, a three-time News-Press Wrestler of the Year finalist and a four-time first-team selection, defeated crosstown rival Caleb Massari from Fort Myers, 12-3 in the Class 2A, 120-pound division.

Massari wasn't the only Greenie to make the podium. Greg Dennard was the runner-up in the 195 pound class in 2A, while John Vadyak placed sixth in the 132 pound division.

Dominic Rodriguez (38-1) brought home the lone title for Riverdale, winning in a 7-4 decision over Michael Cuttita from Palm Harbor University.

"It felt good," Rodriguez said. "All of the hard work finally paid off."

"I haven't been able to wrestle the past two years in the state series, so finally getting the chance was amazing," Rodriguez added. "All my family, coaches, and teammates believing in me (really fueled me)."

A junior, Rodriguez was more focused on judo his freshman year, and as a sophomore, he tore his ACL, which took him off the mat for a prolonged period of time.

The Raiders ended the 2020-21 season with a sixth-place finish in 3A with 86 points. South Dade won the class handily, with 164 points, over 30 points ahead of Southwest Miami.

Jared Dinh was unable to repeat as a state champion for Riverdale this year, losing to Winter Park's Joe Gonzalez by a 5-2 decision in the state championship match.

Alex Soto rounded out the Riverdale medalists with a fourth-place finish in the 138 pound weight class.

Bonita Springs' Mateo Villalobos and Oasis multi-sport standout Hunter Eichelberger were the lone medalists in Class 1A, taking home sixth in the 145- and 182-pound weight classes. Villalobos was the first medalist in program history for the Bull Sharks.

Ida Baker's lone qualifier, Angel Alverio, made it to the final match in the 220-pound weight class in 2A, falling in an epic 3-1 decision to Lake Gibson's Tristan Middlebrook.

Barron Collier had a trio of medalists, with Ethan Byrd and Cory Cannan taking fourth place in the 126- and 170-pound weight classes. Lucas Giles placed fifth in the 120-pound class.

State Wrestling Medalists

Class 3A

138: Alex Soto, Riverdale (fourth place)

145: Jared Dinh, Riverdale (second place)

160: Dominic Rodriguez, Riverdale (first place)

Class 2A

106: Tyler Washburn, Palmetto Ridge (first place); Richard Albert, Cape Coral (sixth place)

120: Christopher Minto, Mariner (first place); Caleb Massari, Fort Myers (second place); Lucas Giles, Barron Collier (fifth place)

126: Ethan Byrd, Barron Collier (fourth place); Demetri Zertopoulis (fifth place)

132: Brennan Van Hoecke, Palmetto Ridge (first place); John Vadyak, Fort Myers (sixth place)

145: Carson Miller, Palmetto Ridge (second place); Christian Moder, Golden Gate (third place)

152: Roman Garcia, Palmetto Ridge (second place)

160: Mack Koselke, Mariner (fourth place)

170: Cory Cannan, Barron Collier (fourth place)

182: Lais Cardero, Golden Gate (fourth place); Gregorio Herrera, Palmetto Ridge (fifth place)

195: Greg Dennard, Fort Myers (second place)

220: Angel Alverio, Ida Baker (second place)

285: Austin Foye, Palmetto Ridge (sixth place)

Class 1A

145: Mateo Villalobos, Bonita Springs (fifth place)

182: Hunter Eichelberger, Oasis (sixth place)

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