ORANGE PARK – Middleburg High got a second place finish from Riley Girgis and a third from Grady Woodard after the region 1-2A wrestling championships with both advancing to first-time state meet invites on Friday.

Girgis, 24-9 at 126, lost a 10-5 match to New Smyrna Beach’s Jamie Bruner in that final while Woodard lost his semifinal via pin to Lincoln’s Elijah Hendley, now at 33-1 and the eventual region champion. Woodard regrouped and battled back to win his final two matches to capture the third place spot over Belleview’s Zack Young with a 9-4 score.

Middleburg had 10 wrestlers at the region meet. At 106, freshman Shane Jourdan lost in his semifinal to eventual champion Brett Millard, a senior from Columbia High. Millard pinned Orange Park’s Ryder Pimienta, also a freshman, in the final.

Girgis got to his final with two pins and a 10-4 semifinal win with Bruner pinning his way in before beating Girgis 10-5.

For Orange Park, coach Justin Daniels traveled with eight wrestlers and advanced two finalists; Ryder Pimienta, second at 106 and Davon Bailey, second at 120 and one third place finisher, Gabriel Hecht, at 285.

Bailey, 24-2, got to the final with a thrilling overtime semifinal win over Fort Walton Beach’s Brandon Mallin before losing 9-5 in the final to Chiles’ Hunter Brown (26-3).

Hecht, just 8-3, lost his opening match then ran the table with four wins; two in overtime, to his third place match, a win by pin.