Meet The News-Press 2024 All-Area Boys Wrestling Team sponsored by Babcock Ranch
At the end of each season, The News-Press and Naples Daily News select All-Area teams honoring the best athletes for every sport. Coaches from area schools are sent nomination forms and are asked to nominate and rate their athletes as well as those from other teams. That data combined with our research led to the selection of the All-Area team.
FIRST TEAM
Maximus Brady
School: Mariner
Year: Junior
Highlights: Brady went 3-for-3, earning his third state championship wrestling at 132 pounds in Class 2A. On his way to the repeat, he went 47-2 and won regional and district titles.
Tyler Charette
School: Cape Coral
Year: Senior
Highlights: Wrestling at 175 pounds, Charette placed second at districts and third at regionals. At the Class 2A state meet, he came in eighth and finished the year with a 39-9 record.
Judd Cole
School: Cape Coral
Year: Senior
Highlights: Cole won 49 matches against just five losses in his senior season. Wrestling in Class 2A at 157 pounds, he won the district title, came in second at regionals and third at state.
Frank Cornelison
School: North Fort Myers
Year: Senior
Highlights: Cornelison lost just three matches, helping the Red Knights win the LCAC title and come in second at districts. The 215-pound wrestler won a district title and earned a Class 2A state medal after finishing in seventh.
Camren French
School: Mariner
Year: Senior
Highlights: After finishing second the last two seasons, French finally got his hands on the gold when he won the Class 2A state title at 126 pounds. He won regional and district titles and posted an impressive 54-1 record.
D'Angelo Gil
School: North Fort Myers
Year: Senior
Highlights: Wrestling at 120 pounds, Gil won a district title and came in second at regionals. At the Class 2A state meet, he finished in fifth place.
Julian Gonzales
School: North Fort Myers
Year: Junior
Highlights: Gonzales won more than 40 matches wrestling in the 165-pound weight class. He won a district title, came in third at regionals, and made the podium in sixth place at the Class 2A state meet.
Devon Jackson
School: LaBelle
Year: Senior
Highlights: The only state qualifier for the Cowboys, Jackson came in seventh place at 144 pounds in Class 1A. A district runner-up, he finished the season with a 35-6 record.
Jonathan Martinez-Mercado
School: South Fort Myers
Year: Senior
Highlights: The 144-pound wrestler put together an outstanding 58-4 season. He won district and regional championships before coming in fifth at the Class 2A state meet.
Derrique Mytial
School: Gateway
Year: Junior
Highlights: Mytial became the first athlete from Gateway to win a state medal, coming in eighth place in Class 1A at 132 pounds. He won 36 matches and came in second at districts.
Bennett Sweitzer
School: Bishop Verot
Year: Sophomore
Highlights: Sweitzer made history for the Vikings this season, becoming the school's first regional champion and state placer — he came in fourth at 175 pounds in Class 1A. He finished the season with a 52-4 record.
Seth Tshiams
School: North Fort Myers
Year: Junior
Highlights: Tshiams went 41-6 and won a district title wrestling at 285 pounds this season. At the Class 2A state meet, he came in fifth place.
Derek Washington Jr.
School: ECS
Year: Junior
Highlights: The 190-pound wrestler captured a district title and came in third at regionals this season. With 36 wins on the year, he came in sixth at the Class 1A state meet.
Triston White
School: Cypress Lake
Year: Senior
Highlights: White finished his senior season with a state medal after coming in eighth at the Class 2A meet. He was also a district runner-up and LCAC champion.
SECOND TEAM
Owen Brown, SFCA
Kealan Clifton, Oasis
Joseph Conrad, Fort Myers
Anthony Farnot, Gateway
Noah Figueroa, East Lee County
Frederick Harley Jr., Oasis
Solomon Lucas, Cypress Lake
Logan Ngo, Mariner
Eddie Nolan, Bishop Verot
Kevin Salas, Fort Myers
Kael Seneca, Fort Myers
Hudson Sweitzer, Bishop Verot
Justin Tobia, North Fort Myers
Isaac Towenko, Cape Coral
HONORABLE MENTION
Bishop Verot: Jack Benaitis, Dash Fu, Ethan Swanson
Bonita Springs: Jay Athouriste, Matthew Frost, Arath Preciado
Cape Coral: Diego Delarosa, Gavin Trebisovsky, Jeremy Velasco
Cypress Lake: Anthony Cardenas
Dunbar: Chancey Alexander, Jason Perez, Vaughn Wilson
East Lee County: Darion Gantt, Dominic Gutierrez
ECS: Kaden Behrman, Luke Collins, Leland Flaherty
Estero: Adrain Cavazos, Hunter Haugh, Pierce LeBlanc
Gateway: Curtis Peacock, Evander Rodriguez, Bryce Vasquez
Gateway Charter: Andrew Laurent
Ida Baker: Braylon Hillyard, Ricardo Villaquiran
LaBelle: Joseph Albaron, Jonathan Espinoza, Kendall Mann
Lehigh: Damion Carter, Juan Navarro, Patrick Navarro
Mariner: Ryan Boos, Mason Fox, Jonathan Semple
North Fort Myers: Carter Hartley, Kalel Hernandez, Bret Formosa
Oasis: Colin Anderson
Riverdale: Preston Thompkins
SFCA: Dominic Faila, Gianni Monteiro, Conner Watermieyer
South Fort Myers: Raul Hosking-Cruz, Austin Thompson
COACH OF THE YEAR
Andre Metzger
School: South Fort Myers
Highlights: In his second year leading the Wolfpack, Metzger guided his team to win the Class 2A-District 12 championship after coming in second at district duals. The program produced a state placer in Jonathan Martinez-Mercado for the second year in a row.
This article originally appeared on Fort Myers News-Press: The News-Press 2024 All-Area Boys Wrestling Team
