THE FLORIDA WRESTLING ROOM

Cocoa Beach, Fla. — Cocoa Beach seventh grader Rylee Beville turned a hard lesson into a statement title. Just days after flying to Tulsa, Oklahoma, to enter a national-level event above her natural weight, the 12-year-old pinned her way to the 100-pound championship at the 2025 Girls Flagler Rotary Invitational—one of Florida’s toughest girls’ tournaments, featuring 38 teams and multiple Top-10 contenders in each bracket.

On Tuesday, November 25, Beville travelled with her father and head coach, Chris Kelly, to Tulsa seeking tougher competition than the regular Cocoa Beach schedule, which is very tough by the way!  Weighing in at 94.4 pounds, she chose to bump up to 102 to feel the strength and pace of bigger athletes—the kind she’ll face this high school season as an undersized seventh grader at 100. Beville reached the semifinals before falling to an opponent whom Coach Kelly said had cut from 120 down to 102. In that bout, he saw Rylee get pushed around and slip into survival mode rather than continuing to wrestle to win.

That post-match conversation with her dad became the turning point. “These girls will try to push you around and bully you because you are much younger and smaller than they are,” Kelly told her. “Weather the storm and just battle.”

The next day, they flew home for the Flagler Rotary Invitational. Still under the weight class limit and trying to eat up to 100 while many opponents cut down to get there, Beville brought her Tulsa lesson to Flagler County—and dominated.

Flagler Rotary Invitational — 100 pounds (match-by-match)

• Round of 16: pinned Dani Aldridge (George Jenkins HS) in 0:41 (1st period)
• Quarterfinal: pinned Addison Neufeld (North Bay Haven) in 0:57 (1st period)
• Semifinal: pinned Josie Reeves (Freedom HS, Orlando) in 4:57 (3rd period)
• Final: pinned Madison Carroll (Gulf Breeze HS) in 3:40 (2nd period)

Beville finished 4-0 with four pins, including a composed semifinal against a tough opponent and a decisive finals fall over an experienced 11th grader in Carroll. In one bout, she fell behind early—a situation that mirrored Tulsa—but this time she stayed composed, battled back to take the lead, and sealed the victory with a pin. That response, more than the medal itself, was what made her coach and father most proud.

For Beville, who remains undersized for the 100-pound weight class while many opponents are cutting, it’s a powerful start. If she keeps training and building on these lessons, she has a legitimate shot to contend for a state title this season.

Coach Kelly’s impact extends beyond his daughter. He’s helped turn Cocoa Beach into a steady podium program, developing beginners and average wrestlers into reliable contributors—a hallmark of a strong coach. A former standout himself, Kelly chose to wrestle Division III for his father, then a head coach, and now brings that teacher’s mindset to Cocoa Beach.

Good luck to Rylee and the entire Cocoa Beach program.