Area wrestlers set for regional tournaments

Each step toward the state wrestling tournament is more difficult than the last.

Area wrestlers will especially learn this fact starting Friday at respective regional tournaments. Last week’s district round was the easiest to advance with the odds greater due to less teams and fewer complete rosters.

Advancement to the state event is the same from regionals as it was from districts, as the top four wrestlers in each weight class qualify. However, Mosley’s wrestlers in Region 1-2A and those from other Bay County and surrounding areas in Region 1-1A will contend with 16 opponents in each weight class. The odds of advancing are smaller and the competition level greater.

Wrestlers from Arnold, Bay, Bozeman, Marianna, Rutherford and Wewahitchka will travel to Green Cove Springs Clay for the 1-1A meet. Matches begin at 9 a.m. CST Friday with two rounds of wrestlebacks to thin the field. Championship semifinals begin at 9 a.m. on Saturday and finals in mid-afternoon.

The group includes four wrestlers looking to get back to the state meet, which is held at The Lakeland Center. Arnold’s Colby Baker (132-pound weight class) and Doug Miner (138) and Bozeman’s Brandon Reyes (113) and Kris Kenney (160), all District 1-1A champions, are proved veterans and aiming for the pinnacle for another season.

Mosley’s Forrest Lang (145), a District 1-2A champion, also seeks a repeat trip to state. The Dolphins compete in the Region 1-2A meet at Tallahassee Lincoln also Friday and Saturday. Two other Dolphins, Dillon Humphrey (champion, 132) and Michael Cannizzo (second, 170) also will vie for advancement.

The Region 1-1A meet also includes district champions Jonah Savage (106) of Bozeman, Marianna’s Jameson Maddox (126) and Dalton Hendrix (170), Arnold’s Taylor Ryan (145), Dillon Lamont (182) and Kole Krimm (heavyweight) and Rutherford’s Marcus Roberts (195) and John Lee (220).

Roberts is a senior with an impressive 27-3 record, including winning the district title with a pin over South Walton’s Nicholas Manzaneres. Roberts, like all district champions, will open the regional against a fourth-place finisher from another, and will possibly have a more favorable path to the championship semifinals.

The longer a wrestler stays in the championship bracket the better chance they have of moving on. Roberts understands this lesson, as he has come within one win of advancing to state in each of the last two seasons before falling short in the consolation round. He is one of 32 area regional out of the 47 qualifiers with a winning record.

The 1A and 2A state meets take place Feb. 17-18.

Regional wrestling qualifiers by school:

Region 1-1A

• Arnold (7) — Colby Baker (132), Doug Miner (138), Taylor Ryan (145), Dillon Lamont (182), Cody Sikes (195), Reginald Gordon (220), Kole Krimm (HWT)
• Bay (3) — John Serman (145), William Bartels (152), Gregory Haymon (170)
• Bozeman (8) — Jonah Savage (106), Brandon Reyes (113), Austin Tarter (120), Johnathan Kenney (126), Terance Ruddy (138), David McKee (152), Kris Kenney (160), Anthony Bennett (HWT)
• Marianna (11) — Edwin Velez (120), Jameson Maddox (126), Christopher Warf (132), Devin Combs (138), Pascal Hampel (145), Elija Stewart (160), Dalton Hendrix (170), Gavin Hall 9182), Greg Screen (195), Alex Winskey (220), Antron Johnson (HWT)
• Rutherford (7) — Joshua Mirkinson (106), Mitchell Gomillian (132), Michael Lee (170), Cory Vick (182), Marcus Roberts (195), John Lee (220), Kenny Guyton (HWT)
• Wewahitchka (8) — Beau Boggess (106), Bryan Harris (113), Cameron Laster (120), Weston Sarmiento (126), Josh Epps (132), Casey Dauphin (152), Sean Rice (160), Randy Roth (182)

Region 1-2A

• Mosley (3) — Dillon Humphrey (132), Forrest Lang (145), Michael Cannizzo (170)