On February 29th, March 1st and 2nd, 2024 was the FHSAA IBT State Championships in Kissimmee. Fl [Silver Spurs Arena]. As like many years prior, this tournament proved to be one of the most exciting wrestling tournaments you’ll ever witness at the high school level. From team races, anticipated individual match-up’s, significant wins/losses and everything in between. You saw it all at this state tournament.
One match in particular caught my eye in the 1A classification. Jeremiah Chavis, an 8th grader out of Zephyrhills Christian would meet up with the defending state champion David Mercado in the 190 pound semi-finals. Mercado is a senior from North Bay Haven who entered the state championships with a perfect 48-0 record. Mercado was the strong favorite to not only beat Chavis but to repeat as the state champion. Apparently Chavis wasn’t one of those people feeling this way as he went out there and beat Mercado by a score of 11-6. The win over Mercado catapaulted Chavis into the state finals with a match against yet another 8th grader!!! Yes, two 8th graders at 190 pounds advanced to the state finals. Peter Mocco, son of the great NCAA legend and United States Olympian Steve Mocco, also advanced to the state finals by defeating a very tough senior from Bayshore HS named Tyron Huffman. Huffman had been ranked in the top 5 in the TFWR state rankings all year, so he was definitely predicted to get on the podium. Peter Mocco ended Huffmans run to the state finals with a pin at 4:41 of the third period! Huffman wrestled back and was able to place 4th to finish his high school career.
The finals were very exciting as they usually are, but when these two very large 8th graders took to the mat, the arena erupted in anticipation of what everyone was hoping to be an incredibly entertaining match. The boys did not disappoint, as they both wrestled their hearts out. At the end of the match Peter Mocco was able to secure his state title by pinning Chavis at 5:03 of the final period. Mocco got up and walked over to the edge of the mat, faced all of his family and fans and busted out with his version of the Macarena. It was all in good taste and the two wrestlers gave each other a hug out of respect.
The very next match on that same 1A finals mat would be Peter Mocco’s older brother Michael Mocco. Michael won a state title last year and once again in the state finals. This year he would face Mater Lakes Academy’s Damian Soto, a junior with a 22-2 record. The two have met before with Mocco winning. This night would be no different as Michael Mocco won his second state title in a row with a 22-7 Technical Fall over Soto at 4:56 of the third period. Michael had his own little celebration of his own as he walked over to his corner, grabbed a pair of black “Tom Cruise” Ray Ban sunglasses and slapped them on his face. He walked around the mat with the sunglasses on as if to show everyone that his future is so bright he needs to where shades!! Again, it was all done in fun and wasn’t anything people were upset about.
The Mocco Brothers showed up and did what they were expected to do. They both had gold medals draped around their necks and celebrated each others accomplishments as two loving brother should do. To watch their father Steve Mocco smile as big as he did was a beautiful sight to see. I was around in the beginning of these two boys wrestling careers. They started out very rocky and I remember many youth tournaments where they would lose quite frequently. But as time passed and they grew in size and in wrestling knowledge passed down from their 2X NCAA Champion father, the two boys started winning more and more. They both train very hard and have the best training facility anyone could ask for. Besides their regular school practices and coaches they are very fortunate to have a place like American Top Team [Coconut Creek] to train at as well. It is very common to see some of the best UFC fighters walking around the facility and training along side of them. Steve Mocco doesnt only train his two sons, he also trains 2X State Champion Gaby Caro of Stoneman Douglas HS.
Gaby won her 2nd consecutive state title in the girls 130 pound division. Gaby is coached at Douglas HS by her coach Kenny Gendason who was a great HS wrestler himself in Maryland. Gendason was a lightweight for Owings-Mills HS and has coached for many years now. He is notorious for taking brand new wrestlers and developing them into state placers. Gaby has been ranked #1 at her weight all year by TFWR and was expected repeat as state champion. She did win her 2nd title as expected but she definitely had to work very hard to secure her win in the finals. Gaby beat a very tough JULIANNA CAISSE of Palm Harbor University HS in the semi-finals by a score of 6-3. This would set up her state finals match against Rachel Silva, a junior from Florida Christian School. Silva took out Ana Vilar from Flagler Palm Coast by a score of 4-1 in the semi-finals to advance to her state finals match against Caro. Caro and Silva went at it and when the final seconds ticked off the clock it was Caro who was victorious. Caro beat Silva 6-3 to win her second state title in a row.
Mocco Wrestling Club is open to any wrestler, youth to high school who would like to learn from one of the best in the world. Contact Steve Mocco for further information. You can message Steve on FB.