- January 16, 2023
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Mainland's Mya Hill, bottom, came back to win with a late pin against Matanzas' Bella Tietje in the 155-pound semifinals.
Mainland 155-pounder Mya Hill flexes after receiving her second-place medal. Photo by Brent Woronoff
Matanzas coach Mike Fries holds up the first-place team trophy. Photo by Brent Woronoff
Matanzas 110-pounder Mariah Mills holds up her first-place trophy. Photo by Brent Woronoff
Gabby Proctor, right, won a major decision over Niceville's Alexis Krumnow in the semifinals to secure a spot at state. Photo by Brent Woronoff
Matanzas' Christina Borgmann holds up her first-place trophy. Photo by Brent Woronoff
Matanzas 140-pounder Gabby Proctor placed second to advance to state. Photo by Brent Woronoff
Christina Borgamann, left, won the 120-pound championship. Photo by Brent Woronoff
Mainland's Cheyenne Wigley wrestles Ahma Stokes of Lake Mary in the 235-pound final. Photo by Brent Woronoff
Brielle Bibla fell to 34-3 on the season with a loss to Aireaana Gavere of Milton in the 130-pound final. Aireaana Gavere
Matanzas' Ani Brown (third place) and Mainland Cheyenne Wigley (second place) flank 235-pound champ Ahma Stokes of Lake Mary. Photo by Brent Woronoff
FPC's Ana Vilar, left, qualified for state for the second year in a row. Photo by Brent Woronoff
Mainland's Eva Rojas on the podium. Rojas placed fourth in the 170-pound weight class. Photo by Brent Woronoff
Matanzas sophomore Tiana Fries, placed third at 125 pounds. Photo by Brent Woronoff
Matanzas' Saiomy Cabrera placed third at 135 pounds. Photo by Brent Woronoff
Matanzas won the region title by 100.5 points. Photo by Brent Woronoff
Matanzas 110-pounder Mariah Mills wrestles Sigrun Metzger of Crestview in the final. Photo by Brent Woronoff
Mariah Mills wins her semifinal match with a 45-second pin. Photo by Brent Woronoff
Matanzas coach Mike Fries talks to a Pirates wrestler at the Region 1 tournament on Feb. 18. Photo by Brent Woronoff
Matanzas sophomore Kendall Bibla wins her semifinal match against Aryan Benson of Tocoi Creek, Bibla's former school. Photo by Brent Woronoff
FPC freshman Joslyn Johnson, top, advanced to the 105-pound consolation semifinals with three wins along the way. Photo by Brent Woronoff
Christina Borgmann of Matanzas wrestles Tate's Lahela Turnquist in the 120-pound final. Borgmann won by injury default. Photo by Brent Woronoff
Brielle Bible with her second-place medal. Her loss in the final was her first this season to a Florida wrestler. Photo by Brent Woronoff
Brielle Bibla wrestles University's Bryanne Kaminsky in the semfinals. Photo by Brent Woronoff
Matanzas' Bella Tietje, left, wrestles Karla Ortiz of Jacksonville Westside in the consolation final. Photo by Brent Woronoff
Matanzas' Bella Tietje, who placed sixth at state last year, is headed back to the state championships. Photo by Brent Woronoff
Matanzas' Ani Brown is excited after receiving her third-place medal. Photo by Brent Woronoff
Matanzas' Ani Brown, right, wrestles Lake Brantley's Alaysia Linton in the 235-pound consolation final. Brown won a 3-1 decision. Photo by Brent Woronoff
Mainland 190-pounder Katherine Meza Perez on the podium. Photo by Brent Woronoff
Mainland's Mya Hill (third place) and Bella Tietje (fourth place) on the podium for 155 pounds. Photo by Brent Woronoff
Matanzas' Bella Tietje wrestles Mainland's Mya Hill in the semifinals. Photo by Brent Woronoff
Mainland's Katherine Meza Perez qualified for regional with a fourth-place finish in the 190-pound weight class. Photo by Brent Woronoff
Mainland's Mya Hill and Matanzas' Bella Tietje in between periods in the 155-pound semifinals. Photo by Brent Woronoff
Matanzas senior Brielle Bibla won an 8-7 decision over Bryanne Kaminsky of University in the 130-pound semifinals. Photo by Brent Woronoff
Matanzas sophomore Mariah Mills, left, wrestles in the 110-pound final. Photo by Brent Woronoff
Gabby Proctor gets emotional as the referee raises her arm after her semifinal victory, guaranteeing a spot in the state tournament. Photo by Brent Woronoff
As the referee raised Gabby Proctor's arm, tears began to flow down the sophomore's face.
Proctor's semifinal victory guaranteed the 140-pounder a spot in the state wrestling championships March 2-4 at the Silver Spurs Arena in Kissimmee, and she became emotional in the moment.
Proctor was one of 10 Matanzas wrestlers to qualify for state at the Region 1 girls wrestling tournament Saturday, Feb. 18, at the Pirates' gym.
Having 10 going to state is huge. It's going to be hard to beat us. — Mike Fries, Matanzas girls wrestling head coach.
"We only have 12 kids. Having 10 going to state is huge," Matanzas girls wrestling head coach Mike Fries said. "It's going to be hard to beat us (for the state championship). I truly believe the 10 we're bringing all have potential to place."
The Pirates had two region champs — sophomores Mariah Mills (110 pounds) and Christina Borgmann (120). Proctor, Brielle Bibla (130) and Kendall Bibla (145) were runners-up. Tiana Fries (125), Saoimy Cabrera (135), Brooklyn Watt (170) and Ani Brown (235) placed third. And Bella Tietje (155) placed fourth.
No other team had more than four state qualifiers and that was evident in the team standings as the Pirates ran away with the title, collecting 201 points, doubling up second-place Middleburg's score of 100.5.
Mainland finished sixth with 74 points. The Bucs are sending three wrestlers to state: Mya Hill (second place at 155), Eva Rojas (fourth at 170) and Cheyenne Wigley (second at 235).
FPC sophomore Ana Vilar will be making her second trip to the state championships. Vilar placed third at 130 pounds at region. The Bulldogs have only two girls wrestlers, but both scored points as FPC finished 18th with 30 points. Freshman Joslyn Johnson advanced to the consolation quarterfinals at 105 pounds.
There were surprises. Proctor came into the tourney with a 17-15 record but won three straight matches before she was pinned in the final by third-ranked Olivia Richie of Ponte Vedra.
"That girl is a dark horse," Mike Fries said of Proctor. "She was second at district, and she made the finals again."
Top-ranked Brielle Bibla (34-3) lost her first match of the season to a Florida wrestler. Her previous two losses were in the Wonder Woman Tournament in Missouri. At region, the senior was losing 6-3 to University's Bryanne Kaminksy in a 130-pound semifinal before battling back to an 8-7 decision.
But seventh-ranked Aireaana Gavere of Milton won a 12-4 major decision over Bibla in the final, scoring three takedowns and a reversal and forcing four stalling calls.
"Brielle is such a high-profile wrestler. These kids and coaches game plan for her," Mike Fries said. "I believe she was just forcing too much stuff. We just need to go back to the drawing board."
In a battle of two wrestlers who placed at state last year, Tietje wrestled Hill in the 155-pound semifinals. The Matanzas senior had a 6-0 lead before Mainland's Hill recorded a pin at 5:24.
"We call her Magic Mya," Mainland coach Matt Lawrence said. "She's never out of it."
Tietje came back to win the blood round to face fourth-ranked Karla Ortiz of Jacksonville Westside, who took third place with a pin at 4:53.
Borgmann (33-4), ranked third in the state, recorded three pins and won the final on an injury default. She didn't have to wrestle second-ranked Kailani Barrientos of Oakleaf, who didn't make weight.
Mills recorded three pins in less than a minute and decisioned fourth-ranked Sigrun Metzger of Crestview, 5-2 in the final. Mills (32-4) handed Metzger her first loss of the season.
Kendall Bibla lost to top-ranked Katherine Stewart of Bartram Trail in the final for the season week in a row. They could meet again in the state final.