KISSIMMEE - Middleburg High 190 wrestler Cheyenne Cruce may have thought she was wrestling in a fog of deja vu as her quest for a third straight 190 state title was halted with a third place finish after three days of wrestling at Kissimmee's Silver Spurs Arena.

"It was a matter of what happens happens and move on to the next best thing," said Cruce, who entered as a third at region qualifier with three season losses matched up against her two previous years of an unbeaten season record and two 190 state titles. "Of course, I came here to get that third title, have a third region title, stay unbeaten, but the plan changed and I had to go for the next best thing plenty of times this season. Adversity builds character is something my dad has always told my brother Austin and me."
The deja vu part of Cruce's weekend stemmed from a bracket opening win over Sunlake's Paisley Murphy, then a consolation semifinal win over the same Murphy as well as a supertough 1-0 win over previously unbeaten Latoya Sylvestre of South Broward that turned into a near-brawl looking third place match that Cruce's prevailed 4-2 in for the bronze medal.
"I knew both girls would want to get back at me in the consolation rounds and that I might get a little rough," said Cruce, who beat Murphy the second time 6-3 with five third period points as the two looked to take their rematch into overtime. "I just always rely on my own knowledge of what I know I am capable of and what I am willing to do to keep moving forward."
Against Syvlester, who Cruce always utilized a third period score, a nifty escape, to claim her winning point, the second round turned into a rough battle with Sylvestre on Cruce's back with a flurry of cross faces and face-smashed into the mat causing some concern by officials, but no stoppage.
"She was tough in the first match and I knew she would be rougher in the second match," said Cruce. "I don't know how I would react if the roles were reversed, but I always try to stay focused and just wrestle. She was taking some shots at me, but, in the end, I think she got frustrated and made some tactical errors that I could score on."
Cruce wound up against proving her championship pedigree with her six points coming in the final period for the emotional win.
"I thank God and my coach Jamie Harrison, who took me under his wing after eighth grace at Wilkinson Junior High where I absolutely hated wrestling," said Cruce. "His mentoring me was the biggest part of me getting to this point and hopefully will guide me into college wrestling."
In another third place finish, Oakleaf High's Kailani Barrientos, third last year, had the unfortunate bracket as she was to face eventual state champion Emma Hoppe of Viera in her semifinal with Hoppe ranked number 1 and Barrientos number two.
Hoppe, who pinned her first two matches to Barrientos, up just 4-2 into the third period. got to a 15-2 lead as Barrientos tried to close the scoring gap before Hoppe wrapped up the match with a pin.
In the consolations, Barrientos annihilated two opponents quickly and decisively with a 30 second pin in her consolation semifinal and a 1:35 pin in her consolation final over Kaitlynn Oliver of Lake Gibson.
Middleburg, with coach Coll Robertson and Harrison carrying two more girls to the girls state championships, junior Lily Bradshaw and junior Sarah Walsh, both finished out of the medals with Bradshaw losing her first match by pin then lost her second match against South Dade's Lydia Gonzalez with a 5-0 score.
Walsh, at 100, lost her first also to a Gonzalez, this one a 35-1 freshman, Abigail Gonzalez of MHS, the eventual state champion. Walsh continued into consolations with a win before facing rival Natalia Choquegonza of Ponte Vedra, who won with a pin to end Walsh's journey For Oakleaf, freshman Zoe Goode, lost by pin in her first match, then came back to lose a tough 3-1 consolation match to finish her rookie season with a state meet berth.