KISSIMMEE - Middleburg High's girls wrestling team, led by senior Sarah Walsh at 135 pounds, and Oakleaf High's senior Kailani Barrientos at 140, have finished as the top two wrestlers after day one at the Knockout Christmas Invitational at Silver Spurs Arena in Kissimmee.
Walsh, 1-2 at 110 at FHSAA state championships last year, and Barrientos had a one on one matchup a week ago within a dual meet between the Oakleaf and Middleburg boys and girls teams; won by Middleburg in both matches, with Barrientos taking command in the latter part of the match to win by pin.
Walsh, at 135 at Knockout, sits in the semifinal match set for Saturday with Walsh, second ranked in Class G to face off with third ranked in Class G Eysis Estes-Brinson of Miami Palmetto. Shamari Smith of South Dade number one. Smith was not competing at Knockout.
Walsh's first opponent of the tournament was 15th ranked Cassidy Harrington of Viera with Walsh winning 6-1 to advance.
In the 135 semifinals are Walsh, the third seed, against Estes-Brinson, the second seed with top seeded Ella Hughes of Jefferson High in Georgia against fourth seed Eduarda Franklin Soares of Freedom High, seventh at 130 last year in FHSAA.
Hughes advanced with a 3-0 win over Middleburg's other 135, Riley Toomey followed by a 7-0 win over Aquilla J. Morgan High of Florida's Naomi Luna.
Walsh advanced with 6-1 wins over both Malia Rezac of Sunlake and Harrington.
At 140, where Barrientos, third at 135 last year at state, is ranked third by Kabra, it is Florida Christian School freshman Zoe Delgado, the second ranked 140, who will be on the mat in the semifinal on Saturday.
Barrientos advanced to the semifinal with a familiar face in front of her in Miami Southridge's A'Niyah Leon Goodrich. Barrientos beat Leon-Goodrich last year in the consolation semifinal 3-0 and repeated the 3-0 win on Friday.
In her round one and two matches, Barrientos was dominant with 5-0 and 17-1 wins to get to the quarterfinal win over Leon-Goodrich.
In the semifinal, Barrientos will face off with freshman Zoe Delgado, also of Florida Christian and the number two seed in 140 Class G. Delgado was 120 state runnerup last year.
In the opposite semifinal is top seed Julianna Caisse, a senior at St. John Neumann, the top ranked in 140 and Mary Ellen Wingate of Lake Mary, the seventh seed in Class G and fourth at 140 last year. Caisse was state runnerup last year at 140 while at Riverdale High School.