BY CLIFF SMELLEY
Wyatt Acevedo won two matches, but the season ended for him and three of his Bradford High School teammates at the Feb. 28-March 1 Region 1-1A wrestling meet at Bay High School in Panama City.
Wrestlers had to place in the top four to earn a berth in the state finals.
Acevedo, who wrestles in the 144-pound class, pinned Suwannee’s Jose Garcia in 2:43, but then lost by a 19-1 technical fall to North Bay Haven’s Jack Mulnix, who would go on to win the championship match. Acevedo bounced back by pinning Marianna’s Connor Chandler in just 28 seconds, but his tournament came to an end with a 16-0 loss by technical fall to Baker County’s Jareb Lauramore, who would go on to place fourth.
Bradford’s Daniel Banda and Miguel Rivera each went 1-2.
Rivera, who wrestles in the 150 class, opened with a 19-3 loss by technical fall to South Walton’s Sam Madden. He then pinned Marianna’s Samuel Basford in 4:54 before being eliminated when he was pinned in 25 seconds by Wakulla’s Aaron Robinson. Robinson qualified for state by placing third.
Banda, who wrestles in the 157 class, earned a 16-1 win by technical fall over South Walton’s Sebastian Dewitz, but then lost 23-11 by major decision to Fernandina Beach’s Hassan Hlodalla and by 7-1 to Baker County’s Sabastian Overland. Hlodalla and Overland went on to place third and fourth, respectively.
The Tornadoes’ Jonathan Armstrong got to participate in the tournament as an alternate. He went 0-2 in the 126 class, getting pinned by Bishop Kenny’s Dylan Lunsford (the eventual class runner-up) and Baker County’s Christian Gravelle.
