The Dirty South Wrestling Podcast

On the latest episode of the podcast, we are getting ready for the upcoming high school season and we are starting with Class 2A.

The rules are simple, we are all tasked to pick a team in each region that didn’t finish in the Top 10 that we think people should be talking about. 

Region 1

Kabra Wrestling: Chiles

The Timberwolves graduated two wrestlers who reached Kissimmee last season but the cupboard is not bare for the Timberwolves. State qualifier Toby Trumbower is back and joined by district finalists Levi Bradley, Jayden Larson, and Sammy Passetti. 

SE Wrestle: Lincoln

A deep team could power the Trojans back to the state duals and make them a contender in a tough district and region. State placers Juan Torres and Luke Rodriguez are back alongside state qualifier Daniel Clement. 

Ward Wrestling: Gulf Breeze

The Dolphins are building something special and will be breaking through soon. Will it be this season? State placers Leyton Collazo and Ryder Cohen are back and if the team can stay healthy, they’ll be a player this season.

Region 2

Kabra Wrestling: Mount Dora

The most experienced team in Hurricanes history will be looking for the school’s second district title as it moves up to Class 2A. Mount Dora returns a bunch of talent, led by state qualifier Damian Quinonez, blood round wrestlers Kaleb Olson and Jackson Keller, and senior Cannon Sommer.

SE Wrestle: River Ridge

Jayden Frey leads a team that is looking to build off of the school’s first district title since 2013. The returning state placer is joined by state qualifiers Frank Muir and Kevin Hannigan. 

Ward Wrestling: Weeki Wachee

The Hornets move to Class 2A and bring back the entire core of last year’s team. State placers Jashaun Contegiacomo and Levi Chancey power a team that includes state qualifier transfer Jeremiah Rodriguez.

Region 3

Kabra Wrestling: Hollins

The two-time defending district champions could be returning the strength of last year’s lineup. State placer Joseph Obstaculo leads a talented group that includes blood round participants Ethan Going and Mateo Itric. 

SE Wrestle: Manatee

Could this be the year that the Hurricanes reach the state duals tournament? Manatee has some depth heading into the season and have district champions Christopher Larin-Herrera and Becket Smith in the room along with state placing transfer Broc Dahlin. 

Ward Wrestling: Gulf Coast

The Sharks turnaround continues as Gulf Coast got a healthy injection of kids via transfer, including defending state champion Benito Barnhart and state placer Kenly Estevez. They join a team that went from 11th place in the district in 2025 to third this past season and didn’t lose a key wrestler from that squad that included state qualifier Julian Bolanos.

Region 4

Kabra Wrestling: Olympic Heights

A veteran team that shouldn’t be phased by moving down to Class 2A and into the tough region 4. The Lions have three state qualifiers back, including state placer Chris Schnobrick. Preston Williams and Ryan Fain both went to Kissimmee last season. 

SE Wrestle: Heritage

The Panthers found their footing again last season and enter the year with a big group of returning talent. State placer Camari Riche is back for his junior year alongside senior state qualifiers Seyrious Peterson and Matt Moise. 

Ward Wrestling: Miami Beach

Dan’s alma mater is in Class 2A and will be powered by returning district finalists Lajuan Ingraham and Sandro Baca. The Hi-Tides are always a tough out and should succeed in the new classification. The question is, will they get Dan a Miami Beach Wrestling t-shirt? 

On the latest episode of the podcast, we are getting ready for the upcoming high school season and we are starting with Class 1A.

The rules are simple, we are all tasked to pick a team in each region that didn’t finish in the Top 10 that we think people should be talking about. 

Region 1

Kabra Wrestling: Episcopal

The Eagles have won two straight district titles and return the heart of their lineup after graduating just two seniors from last year’s squad. Senior Mikah Ikeda returns and is looking for a third state podium after finishing seventh the past two seasons. State qualifier Easton Tarpley comes over from Providence School and should add some depth. 

SE Wrestle: Trinity Christian

A school with a history of building top sports programs has invested in wrestling and the results have already been shown. The third-year program is chasing its first district title this season and should be lead by state qualifier Nicco Musso.

Ward Wrestling: South Walton

Travis Laxton has been putting together a solid room and last year’s district champions return a ton of talent. Led by state qualifiers Heiu Roberts and Cam Langston, the Seahawks hope to improve on last season’s performance with a deep room. 

Region 2

Kabra Wrestling: Mulberry

This team was so close to making school history last year, missing out on a first-ever team district title for the school. 11 of 14 postseason wrestlers return for the Panthers with district champions Wyatt Bryant and Gabriel Romero leading the way. 

SE Wrestle: Crystal River

The Pirates return one of the strongest squads in Class 1A with over 200 district points that could be back in the lineup. Senior state qualifiers Zaid Moore and James Copeland top a deep group of experienced wrestlers. 

Ward Wrestling: Space Coast

Three state qualifiers are back for the Vipers who have built a solid team in a super tough district. Seniors Angel Jones, Dominic Berger, and Ashton Swanson will all be looking to finish their high school careers with another trip to Kissimmee. 

Region 3

Kabra Wrestling: Dunedin

The Falcons return 13 of 14 starters from last year’s district champion team. State placer Giovanni Perez and two-time state qualifier Michael Rodriguez return to lead this team that has goals on at least a Top 15 finish in Class 1A. 

SE Wrestle: Lemon Bay

Coach Jeff Ragan has built up big programs before and the Manta Rays look ready to take that next step in the process. State placers Elliott Sear and Matthew Lopez-Rojas return with state qualifier Atticus Randall and will be joined by two wrestlers with state experience elsewhere with Huntley Adcock and Cam Snyder onboard. 

Ward Wrestling: SLAM Tampa

There is something special being built by Grayson Fisher here and with state placer Noah Leota leading the way, the Spartans hope to repeat their first-year successes that saw a district IBT title and trip to the state duals. State qualifiers Ari Rupe and Declyn Wilson are back to lead a young and talented squad. 

Region 4

Kabra Wrestling: Coral Shores

State placer Gavin Matheis is back and gunning for the top spot on the podium and is joined in the line-up by returning state qualifier Sterling Keefe and region blood round wrestler David Beltran. The team is looking to build depth with the ultimate goal of beating Keys rival Key West in a dual. 

SE Wrestle: Cardinal Newman

The entire postseason lineup could be back for the Crusaders with Parker Sullivan and Jason Ciano leading the charge for the school’s first district title since 2016.

Ward Wrestling: Key West

The Conchs always put together a tough squad and they’ve won 17 consecutive district titles under head coach Chaz Jimenez. State finalist Alexandre Allens could be back to chase the first state title for the school since 2012. 

Florida wrestling takes center stage this weekend with the monstrously sized Super 32 Early Entry at Kissimmee Osceola High School.

We spend the first part of the show with tournament director Jim Price as he goes over all the important things you need to know heading into the weekend.

Then we spend the rest of the show breaking down the high school weight classes on both sides based on the latest entry list and Kabra Wrestling's latest rankings. 

All of this and more on this week's episode. 

We are getting ready for the upcoming high school season but that doesn't mean we aren't finishing up some big Olympic style events. 

Jovanni Tovar joins us with some of his friends to talk about his triumph at the World U17 Championships. 

We also talk to North Carolina official Jonathan Sutton, who is helping put on the Elite Official Wrestling Clinic on August 22 in Cornelius, North Carolina. 

You can find out more and register at www.eliteofficials.com. 

Between the guests, we talk about the Florida transfer list so far this summer and discuss some of the moves that will have huge impacts on the coming season. 

You can always find an updated transfer list on Kabra Wrestling here. 

Dan is in Fargo, Brant and Jason are getting ready to cover it from home, and the South is ready to make some history. 

We preview the biggest tournament of the year and look at some of the wrestlers from the south that we could see winning a stop sign or a coaster. 

Who are you looking forward to seeing wrestle there? 

JD Ramsey joins the podcast to talk about taking over the wrestling program at Christopher Columbus and how it was a dream job. 

Read more: https://www.kabrawrestling.com/news/jd-ramsey-named-head-man-at-christopher-columbus

Ramsey is also part of the leadership for Team Florida and discusses the dual tournaments coming up, getting ready for Fargo, and about how the sport is growing so quickly in Florida.

At the end, we break down some of Kabra Wrestling's teams to watch series. 

April was a busy month for high school wrestling in the state of Florida with two big news items coming down. 

First, the format for the state duals series has been amended heading into the 2026-2027 season. We break down how the district and region duals will be competed next season and try to answer any possible questions that people might have. 

The second big change was the announcing of the new FHSAA classifications for the next two seasons. We discuss some of the big moves and talk about the new "districts of doom" in Florida. 

Links from the show:

https://www.kabrawrestling.com/

https://sewrestle.substack.com/

https://shotbyward.substack.com/

We break down the entire Florida state tournament - well as much as we can in an hour-long show. 

Every state champion is mentioned and we discuss some of the biggest surprises and exciting moments from the weekend.

It's an exhaustive look at the state tournament weekend from an exhausted trio. 

The guys give you an in-depth preview of the FHSAA Class 3A State Wrestling Tournament. 

They break down every single weight class, talking about who could win a title, what matches you shouldn't miss, and some surprises to watch for. 

Everything you want to know about the Class 3A state tournament is in there. 

Links from the show:

https://www.kabrawrestling.com/

https://sewrestle.substack.com/

https://shotbyward.substack.com/

The guys give you an in-depth preview of the FHSAA Class 2A State Wrestling Tournament. 

They break down every single weight class, talking about who could win a title, what matches you shouldn't miss, and some surprises to watch for. 

Everything you want to know about the Class 2A state tournament is in there. 

Links from the show:

https://www.kabrawrestling.com/

https://sewrestle.substack.com/

https://shotbyward.substack.com/