On February 24, 2023, 40 boys from Hernando County traveled to Palm Bay High School in Melbourne, Florida, for an exciting two days of wrestling at the 1A Region 2 Championships.
In attendance were Weeki Wachee with 14 boys, Hernando with 12, Nature Coast with 11, and Central with 3. There were 25 schools competing for a region title and 222 wrestlers looking to have their “ticket punched” to the state tournament. The top four boys in each weight class would advance.
Hernando High School, as a team, was the region’s runner-up with 182.5 points; only 37 points behind Palm Bay. Weeki Wachee came in 5th with 108.5 points, Nature Coast had 67 points and Central had 7.
Of the 40 local boys, 14 earned the much-coveted spot to compete at this year’s FHSAA State Championships to be held at Silver Spurs Arena in Kissimmee, Florida, March 2-4. Six of the 14 boys made it to the finals match of the regional tournament, and Hernando’s Devin Williams won a region title. Devin Williams is a senior at Hernando with a record of 37-3 this season and is currently ranked 3rd in the state in the 285 lb weight class.
The 14 wrestlers heading to state championship tournament are:
106 Nick Guy (WW) 27-5, So. placed 3rd
113 Kyle Pearson (Her) 36-10, Jr. placed 3rd
120 Jordyn Valle (Her) 34-7, Sr. placed 3rd
Ben Goyeneche (NC) 34-7, Fr. placed 4th
126 Addison Breeding (WW) 43-7, Sr. placed 2nd
132 Kenneth Pritz (Her) 32-9, So. placed 2nd
138 TJ Rodier (Her) 42-9, Sr. placed 3rd
Kaden Etheridge (NC) 35-11, So. placed 4th
145 James Gadson (Her) 40-9, Sr. placed 2nd
Ricky Bowermaster (WW) 26-8, So. placed 3rd
152 Shaw Garrett (Her) 41-11, Fr. placed 3rd
182 Jisir Allen (WW) 39-9, Sr. placed 2nd
195 Jayshawn Nantce (Her) 41-8, Sr. placed 2nd
285 Devin Williams (Her) 37-3, Sr. Region Champion
