Mikey Tal Shahar wins state championship as American Heritage wrestling finishes third
Phillip Suitts
Mikey Tal Shahar won a state championship as American Heritage wrestling finished third in Class 1A on Saturday in Kissimmee.
American Heritage was one of seven Palm Beach County teams to compete in the state championships across three classifications this weekend, joined by Suncoast in 2A and Wellington, Palm Beach Gardens, Park Vista, Jupiter and Olympic Heights in 3A.
As for Heritage, Tal Shahar finishes the season with a 39-2 record after defeating Ryan Cody of Oviedo-The Master's Academy 5-2 to win the 195-pound title. To get to the championship, Tal Shahar beat Tyre Smith of Sarasota Military Academy in the semifinal, scoring the first point of the ultimate tie-breaker to win 3-2.
Six of Tal Shahar's teammates made the podium as well with Omer Barak and Joseph Nicolosi finishing second at 152 pounds and 182 pounds, respectively.
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Vincenzo Napolitana was third in 138-pound division, Andrew DeSola came in fourth at 126 pounds and Rafael Romero was fourth at 145 pounds. Chase Thompson earned a spot on the podium with a sixth-place finish at 220 pounds.
Tal Shahar's state championship was also vindication for the junior after he lost last year's state final following some controversial officiating decisions.
“We did as well as we could as a group," American Heritage coach J.P. Reese said. "The season had challenges throughout the year and these kids persevered through travel restrictions and virtual learning. We weren’t sure if there would be a season. Mikey Tal Shahar had a bad taste in his mouth from last year’s finals result. He got two takedowns against a very game senior, Ryan Cody from The Master’s Academy. He now joins his brother (Frankie Tal Shahar) and Ryan Thomas as American Heritage’s third state champion in school history.”
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Wellington was 13th in 3A with 33 points. Patrick Jones was the Wolverines' top finisher, coming in third in the 106-pound classification, and Mason Powell also earned a spot on the podium, coming in sixth at 285 pounds.
While Jupiter was 26th with 17 points, Aiden Alexander finished third in the 220-pound division.
Gardens earned 30 points to tie for 15th in 3A. William George led the way with a fifth-place finish at 160 pounds, and Elijah Ortiz was sixth in 126 pounds.
Olympic Heights (10 points, tie for 39th place) and Park Vista (1 point, tie for 52nd place) did not have a wrestler make the podium.
Suncoast did not earn a point in the 2A state championships.
psuitts@pbpost.com