Balmeceda, Walker approach milestones as Duals Wrestling State Championships arrive

3 FHSAA Duals state titles up for grabs this weekend in Kissimmee

WINTER HAVEN, FLORIDA – In case anyone’s counting – and they should be – two of the states premiere prep wrestling coaches are approaching significant milestones.

Heading into the FHSAA Duals state tournament this weekend, South Dade head coach Victor Balmeceda has compiled a 495-24 career duals record with five Duals state championships and 18 IBT state championships tucked under his belt.

He needs just five more dual meet victories to hit the monumental 500-win milestone, and if the Buccaneers can deliver a sixth Duals state title, he will edge even closer to the mark with 498 - leaving him two wins shy.

South Dade head coach Victor Balmeceda stirs his team on to victory during the Class 3A state championship duel at the FHSAA Duals this past season at Osceola High School in Kissimmee / Bill Kemp

South Dade has two regular-season duals left on its schedule after the state tournament, which include Mater Lakes and crosstown rival Homestead on Jan. 31 for senior night, which could translate into a special evening with the 500th win.

“It just makes you feel old a little bit,” Balmeceda said. “We don’t wrestle that many dual meets anymore, so 500 is a big accomplishment. It says a lot about the tradition here at South Dade. You can’t do this without a great coaching staff.”

The FHSAA Duals state tournament, which began in 2018, commences with regional finals rounds Friday at Osceola High School in Kissimmee. The semifinals and finals are slated for Saturday.

Lake Gibson head coach Danny Walker is also staring down a career duals-win milestone. He has racked up 348 wins and can hit 350 if the Braves win the state semifinals round Saturday.

Walker notched his 300th win against Winter Springs two years ago while winning one of his five Duals state championships. He has also won four IBT state titles.

“When you first start coaching, you don’t even think about those things,” Walker said. “Had I thought about it, I probably would have wrestled more duals. Duals meet tournaments weren’t as popular as they are now.”

Balmeceda said he loves the Duals state competition and believes some of his first IBT state championship teams in the 1990s would not have come away with a Duals state title.

“I wish we would have had it when I began coaching,” he said. “Personally, I think from 30 years of coaching, the winner of the dual meet competition is a better measuring stick on how solid your team is. Back in 1994 or 1997, you could win a state tournament with four or five really good kids. You can’t win a dual meet with four kids.

“You take a (state champion) kid like Sawyer Bartelt, who can score 30 to 36 points in an IBT tournament, he can only score you six points in a dual meet. So, you need everybody from your best kid to your weakest link.”

Bameceda began at South Dade as an assistant to Mike McCoy during the 1993-94 school year and was eventually elevated to head coach in 1997. During his tenure, his team ended Brandon’s legendary duals win streak at 459 — which was the longest prep win streak in any sport in the nation. The meet was nationally televised.

Lake Gibson head coach Danny Walker (center white and black shirt) reacts with his coaching staff during a crucial moment in the 2A championship duel against Fleming Island at the FHSAA Duals Wrestling State Championships this past year at Osceola High School in Kissimmee / Bill Kemp

Walker said he agrees with Balmeceda that the Duals state tournament is a better measuring stick of which program has the best team.

“I started realizing how important dual meets were when we started doing the Polk County Duals,” Walker said. “The school and the sport needs duals because it creates good rivalries and a good atmosphere. A lot of coaches still shy away from duals, but I think the Duals state tournament is one of the best things the (FHSAA) has ever done.

“From top to bottom, you must have a better group. And if you have a glaring weakness, you have to find a way to hide him. But in the IBT, your strongest kids are going to carry you.”

Walker also feels the Duals state tournament helps a team bond, become stronger and offers a better experience to the individual wrestlers who may never reach the state IBT tournament.

“It gives more purpose to these kids having a dual meet state tournament because every individual is important,” Walker said.

“If a wrestler, who may not even win a match, can stay off his back and save you two bonus points, that is so important to the team. And the team is going to surround him and show him so much love. It’s a full team, family atmosphere. Win or lose, you have a job.”

Regional finals begin Friday at 11 a.m. for Class 1A, 2 p.m. for 2A and 6 p.m. for 3A. On Saturday, 1A and 2A semis are scheduled for 10 a.m. and 3A semis are slated for 11:30. Finals, in all three classifications, begin at 2.