By: J. Daniel Pearson
Seniors Nathan Lyttle (120) and Nathan Barrett (150) each took home silver medals as the Harmony Longhorns (77 points) posted a top five team finish at 2026 FHSAA State Wrestling Championships contested this weekend at Silver Spurs Arena.
In the highly anticipated 120 Final, Lyttle – a defending state champion at 113 – would meet Southwest Miami’s Lozaro Soto – the defending state champion at 103. The match would live up to all the hype, with Soto winning a hard-fought 3-2 win.
The two battled to a 0-0 stalemate in the first period. After winning position choice, Lyttle chose the top and rode Soto out for the entire period but failed to turn him as the two entered the final period tied, 0-0. Soto elected to start the final period on his feet, giving up the automatic escape point to Lyttle. But inside the final minute, Soto got a take down for a 3-1 lead. Lyttle escaped with 30 seconds remaining, but failed score.
“Tough match for Nathan,” Harmony coach Vic Lorenzano said. “I felt he actually dominated the match from all three positions and he had several good shots in the match but Soto was able to fight off the takedown attempts and hold on. The setback certainly doesn’t dimmish the great season and career that Nathan had.”
Barrett reached the state championship match for Harmony at 150-lbs. He had an impressive in his run to the finals, taking two tech fall wins before a 9-3 victory in Friday night’s semifinal against Southwest Miami’s Nelson Hued, 9-3. He would end up facing Armad Williams, the defending state champion in the finals. It was a rematch of last year’s 150-lb. semifinal, which Williams won 12-5. Williams would prevail again, 5-1, but he was aided by a first period call where a Barrett takedown was later disallowed on an close out-of-bounds call.
Three other all-state finishes allowed the Longhorns to amass 77 points and take fifth place in the team race. Those place winners included freshman Leo Ortiz (6th-113); and juniors Sebastian Rodriguez (4th-103), Nevan Irving (6th Place-132).
Ortiz won his first two matches handily before barely missing the finals by falling 6-4 in the semifinals to South Plantation’s Donovan Jenkins – a match he led 4-1 going into the final period. “He’s going to be an outstanding wrestler for us in the future,” Lorenzano noted. “He just improved every week and never let anyone intimidate him.”
One other county wrestler on the boys’ side earned all-state honors, as St. Cloud’s Carter Rivera reached the podium with a fourth round 6-1 consolation win over Brandon Lemke (Bloomingdale), before bowing out of the 7th place match with an injury.
Two county girls’ wrestlers also earned all-state honors. Osceola senior Aniyah Wayne placed fourth in the 100-lb. class; while Harmony’s Kaetlynn Holt was eighth at 235.
The five all-state finishes were enough for the Longhorns to finish 5th in the team race with 77 points. South Dade, with six 3A champions, won their unprecedented 17th consecutive state title. Mater Lakes (210) won the 1A Championship; while Polk County’s Lake Gibson (179) edged Somerst (173) for the 2A team title. Orlando’s Freedom (125) won the single classification girls’ championship.
Osceola County 2025 All-State Wrestlers
Girls
Anniyah Wayne (Osceola, Sr., 1A-100, 4th Place)
Win Dec. Kailani Hasenauer (Sebastian River), 3-1
Lost Dec. Ashlie Schlegel (Palmetto), 9-12
Win Dec, Lydia Gonzalez (South Dade), 3-2
Win Dec. Josie Reeves (Freedom) 4-0
Win Dec., Rylie Beville (Cocoa Beach), 7-3
3rd Place Match: Lose Dec., Sayun Cacares (Lincoln), 5-8
Kaetlyn Holt (Harmony, So., 1A-235, 8th Place)
Win, Fall Makhaila Norfleet (Lakeland), 3:19
Lost, Fall Zelnab Mourad (Douglas) 5:29
Win, Fall Taylor Morgan (Riverview) 2:58
Lost, MD Makayla Brianvil (Lincoln Park) 2-14
7th Place Match: Lose by fall Sabrina Richards (Boca Ciega); 2:71
Boys
Carter Rivera (St. Cloud, 3A-120, 8th Place)
Lost Maj. Dec. Justo Medina (Davenport), 3-14
Won, Dec. Jaron Montalvo (Winter Park, 3-0
Won, Dec. Brandon Lemke (Bloomingdale), 6-1
Lost, Dec. Janmichel Broche (Bradock), 5-7
7th Place Match: Lost, Injury For. Jayden Williams (Wellington Community)
Leo Ortiz (Harmony, Fr., 3A-113, 6th Place )
Won, Dec. Vincent Nickollas (Hagerty), 2-0
Won, Tech, Fall Luke Mims (Creekside), 20-3
Lost, Dec. Donovan Jenkins (South Plantation) 4-6
Won, Dec. Tyler Metellus (Monarch) 8-7
Lost, Fall Chris Schnobrick (Olympia Heights), 2:31
6th Place Match: Win, Dec. Vincent Nickollas (Hagerty), 6-5
Nathan Barnett (Harmony, Sr., 3A-150, 2nd Place)
Won, Tech Fall, Aiden Kavades (University Orange City), 20-2
Won, Tech Fall, Ricky Montolvan (Doral Academy), 17-1
Won, Dec. Nelson Hued (Southwest Miami), 9-3
Championship Match: Lost, Dec. Armad Williams (South Dade), 5-1
Nathan Lyttle (Harmony, Sr., 3A-120, 2nd Place)
Won, Fallm Niccolo Pellicano (Venice), :57
Won, Tech Fall, Janmichel Broche (Braddock), 17-2
Won, Tech Fall, Lincoln Darby (South Plantation) 17-1
Championship Match: Lost, Dec., Lazaro Soto (Southwest Miami),3-2
Nevan Irving (Harmony, Jr., 3A-132, 6th Place)
Won, Fall. Davian Lopez (Hialeah Gardens), :57
Won, Dec. Robert Twilley (Flagler Palm Coast), 8-5
Lost, Maj. Dec., Guillermo Jaramillo (South Dade), 13-0
Lost, Immanuel Gibbs (Treasure Coast), 3-6
5th Place Match: Lost, Dec. Brentley Crawley (Hagerty), 4-11
Sebastian Rodriguez (Harmony, Jr., 3-A, 102, 4th Place
Won, Tech Fall, Miseal Guerrero (Homestead), 16-0
Won, Dec., Jacob Held (Flagler Palm Coast), 10-5
Lost, Dec., Eli Valdez (Park Vista Community). 6-4
Win, Dec., Ajani Fields (Boone), 8-7
3rd Place Match: Lost, Dec. Chase Wolgamuth (Hagerty), 9-6
