Six Southwest Florida wrestlers emerged victorious at the FHSAA State Wrestling Championships in Kissimmee on March 7.
St. John Neumann finished as Class 1A state runner up in just the second year of the program. Senior Lincoln Sledzianowski and sophomores Benito Barnhart and Will Buckley reached finals, and Sledzianowski and Barnhart won the titles at 144 pounds and 120 pounds, respectively.
After winning his first state championship last year, Sledzianowski went back-to-back after dismissing Mater Lakes’ Bruce Li with a technical fall after 3:13. Sledzianowski won every round at states by fall to finish his senior season with an unbeaten 33-0 record.
“It feels good just to know all the work I put in all year paid off,” said Sledzianowski, who punctuated his victory with a backflip. “It’s all worth it.”
Barnhart reached the final last year as a freshman and did one better this year. He defeated North Bay Haven’s Koa DeLoach by 15-3 major decision in the final.
Barron Collier senior Kiera Partello became Southwest Florida’s second state champion in girls wrestling and first since the 2022 season when the sport officially debuted in the state.
Partello won the title at 105 pounds, coming back from an early deficit to win by 12-6 decision against Brandon’s Grace Jawulski.
Partello, who finished runner-up last year, said the key was staying calm and disciplined during the match.
“I knew if I could keep the pressure and push the pace, I would win,” she said.
The victory was the 150th in Partello’s high school career. Her father and coach, Tony Partello, won a pair of state titles with Barron Collier in 1993 and 1994.
“Winning state as a senior means the world to me,” Partello said. “It’s been the dream to join my dad on the state champ wall at Barron since freshman year.”
The Partello’s have the unique distinction as Barron’s first father-daughter duo to win state titles.
Bishop Verot senior Bennett Sweitzer also made history, becoming the Vikings’ first state champion after he took the Class 1A title at 175 pounds.
“To be the first, hopefully of many, is super, super exciting,” Sweitzer said. “I love my school and our program, and so to win our first is something I’ll hold onto forever.”
Sweitzer defeated Aubrey Rogers senior Jacob Bacon by 5-2 decision, making his move in the final period to come up with the win.
“I feel super blessed,” said Sweitzer, who also defeated Bacon for the regional title. “It’s definitely a huge relief. A state title has been the goal since I first started wrestling in elementary school and I can’t even put into words how happy I am right now.
“I owe everything to my coaches, teammates, and family. Without them, I know I wouldn’t have been in this position.”
Another wrestler who finished his career on top was Fort Myers’ Kael Seneca. The senior became the Green Wave’s first state champion since Chris Rivera in 2018.
“To be honest with you, it feels amazing,” Seneca said. “I made a promise to my dad when I was a kid that I’d do it, and just being able to keep that promise with kind of that last shot I had, be able to take it home, it meant a lot to me. It meant a lot to him. And honestly, no greater feeling than all the hard work I’ve put in paying off.”
Seneca defeated Lake Gibson’s Tyler White by 13-0 major decision in the final.
“I’d like to say thank you to everyone who’s played a role because it really took a village,” Seneca said.
Also in Class 2A, Riverdale junior Eric Bush rebounded from a loss in the state final last year to win the title at 120 pounds.
“When I lost last year, I got in my mind that I never want to lose a state title again,” Bush said.
Bush obliterated all opponents he faced, winning by fall in every round, including the final against Jensen Beach’s Kane Drake.
“Honestly, it was the mindset,” Bush said. “I went into every single match thinking, ‘Score, score score.’ If I wasn’t scoring, it wasn’t good enough for me. I wanted to be on that mat as least time as I could this whole weekend, and I got it done.”
North Fort Myers came in sixth place as a team in Class 2A, and senior West Lucas made the final at 190 pounds.
The St. John Neumann girls had the top local result, coming in 11th place at the girls tournament.
Naples’ Sophie Simons made the girls final at 125 pounds, Braden River’s Jacob Fuentes made the Class 2A final at 144 pounds and Cardinal Mooney’s Blake Roulund reached the Class 1A final at 215 pounds.
Girls Results
100
5th Place: Ashlie Schlegel (Palmetto), Fall 2:28
105
1st Place: Kiera Partello (Barron Collier), 12-6 decision
110
4th Place: Jazlyn Diaz (Riverdale)
115
7th Place: Isabella Hull (North Fort Myers), 9-0 major decision
125
2nd Place: Sophie Simons (Naples)
6th Place: Cora Hayes (North Fort Myers)
130
5th Place: Alyssa Doolittle (North Fort Myers), 10-7 overtime
7th Place: Kaja Williams (Parrish), Forfeit
135
6th Place: Alexis Hutter (Braden River)
140
4th Place: Julianna Caisse (St. John Neumann)
155
7th Place: Loghan Anzualda (St. John Neumann), Fall 2:47
Class 1A Boys Results
106
4th Place: Greyson McDonald (St. John Neumann)
113
4th Place: James Sanders (St. John Neumann)
120
1st: Benito Barnhart (St. John Neumann), 15-3 major decision
4th Place: Everett Stephens (Aubrey Rogers)
5th Place: Hudson Sweitzer (Bishop Verot), 6-4 decision
126
3rd Place: Erik Perez (St. John Neumann), 10-2 major decision
5th Place: Lukah Zherka (Aubrey Rogers), 17-6 major decision
132
4th Place: Jalal Naghib (St. John Neumann)
5th Place: Bekim Zherka (Aubrey Rogers), 18-4 major decision
6th Place: Leland Flaherty (ECS)
138
4th Place: Broc Dahlin (Bayshore)
8th Place: Russ Haas (St. John Neumann)
144
1st Place: Lincoln Sledzianowski (St. John Neumann), 19-4 technical fall
150
2nd Place: William Buckley (St. John Neumann)
165
7th Place: Braeden Mills (St. John Neumann), 6-3 sudden victory
175
1st Place: Bennett Sweitzer (Bishop Verot), 5-2 decision
2nd Place: Jacob Bacon (Aubrey Rogers)
7th Place: Jonathan Moder (St. John Neumann), Fall 1:31
215
2nd Place: Blake Roulund (Cardinal Mooney)
285
6th Place: Lennox Washington (ECS)
Class 2A Boys Results
106
6th Place: Andrew Bishop (North Fort Myers)
8th Place: Iam Kenly (Palmetto Ridge)
120
1st Place: Eric Bush (Riverdale), Fall 4:32
126
1st Place: Kael Seneca (Fort Myers), 13-0 major decision
6th Place: Jaden Morales (Braden River)
138
3rd Place: Clinton Thompson (North Fort Myers), Fall 3:11
144
2nd Place: Jacob Fuentes (Braden River)
150
3rd Place: Toby Pearce (Mariner), 18-11 decision
165
3rd Place: Evan Rowe (Braden River), 10-4 decision
175
4th Place: Kalel Hernandez (North Fort Myers)
7th Place: Nikolai Krywko (Parrish), 7-5 decision
190
2nd Place: West Lucas (North Fort Myers)
215
4th Place: Freedom McDaniel (Braden River)
3A Boys Results
132
8th Place: Porter Daniels (Palmetto)
144
5th Place: Kase Hopper (Venice), 7-6 decision
150
4th Place: Massimiliano Pellicano (Venice)
165
8th Place: Anthony Farnot (Gateway)
285
7th Place: Ryan Reid (Palmetto), Fall 2:11
Contact Sports Reporter Dustin Levy at dlevy2@usatodayco.com. For the best sports coverage in Southwest Florida, follow @newspresssports and @ndnprepzone on Instagram.
This article originally appeared on Fort Myers News-Press: Neumann finishes second at state wrestling, 6 from SWFL win titles
Reporting by Dustin B Levy, Fort Myers News-Press & Naples Daily News / Fort Myers News-Press
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