The 2026 FHSAA Wrestling State Championships were held March 5-7 in Kissimmee, and multiple wrestlers from Okaloosa County made strong showings on the state stage.

Here’s a full look at how the locals fared.

Top finishers

285 2A: Eric Stouder finishes as runner-up; Jace Schmidt finishes 8th

Fort Walton Beach’s Eric Stouder had quite the run, entering the weekend undefeated on the season.

The senior defeated Lake Region’s Jakari Johnson 11-3 in the first round, edged Christopher Coleman of Deerfield Beach 2-1 in the quarterfinals and posted a 9-4 victory over Ari Bentley of Tavares in the semifinals before meeting defending state runner-up Jaxon Newton in the final.

Newton would hand Stouder his first loss of the year, winning 1-0 to claim the 2A 285 title. The result denied the Vikings their first individual state champion since Cedric Fairrow won the 220 class in 2022. Still, it was an impressive season for Stouder, who finished as state runner-up with 20 total points.

Meanwhile, Niceville’s Jace Schmidt finished 8th in the class with five points. Schmidt lost to Bentley 13-4 in the first round but bounced back with a 5-1 win over Julian Bolanos of Gulf Coast and a 6-2 win over Lincoln’s Daniel Clement before falling 18-5 to Jensen Beach’s Blake Elder and 7-3 to seventh-place finisher Roger Valeus of Atlantic.

215 2A: Rome Kendrick finishes 8th

Fort Walton Beach’s Rome Kendrick finished 8th in the 215 class with eight total points. Kendrick picked up wins over Sebastian Corporan of Bonita Springs and Mejo Taloute of Fort Pierce Westwood while losing to eventual state champion Jeremiah Chavis of Lake Gibson, sixth-place finisher Marco Gonzalez of Winter Springs and seventh-place finisher Jelani Bentley of Tavares.

170 Girls: Brooke Arbic finishes 4th

Niceville’s Brooke Arbic had a strong outing at state. Arbic defeated Tampa Bay Tech’s Zadaryhea Moore in the first round and Dr. Krop’s Jada Haughton in the quarterfinals before falling to Flagler Palm Coast’s Alexa Calidonio. She then lost to Admiral Farragut’s Riley Lancaster in the third-place match to finish fourth.

155 Girls: Veronica Madrid finishes 5th

Destin’s Veronica Madrid earned a solid fifth-place finish. She defeated Hernando’s Addison Johnson in the first round and Jefferson’s Jannessa Gomez in the quarterfinals before losing to East Lake’s Arianna Antoiou. Madrid then defeated Charlotte’s Bailey Beechler to secure fifth place.

120 Girls: Mary McKinney finishes 7th

Choctaw’s Mary McKinney finished seventh in the 120 class. McKinney defeated Jefferson’s Siaya Guardiola in the first round before losing to Kailea Villavicencio from Archbishop McCarthy in the quarterfinals. She then defeated St. John Neumann’s Emily McIntosh, lost to Admiral Farragut’s Vanessa Whitelock and beat Belleview’s Ariel Walker to earn the seventh-place finish.

Other qualifiers

175 2A: Brady Gifford, Niceville

Despite being a freshman, Gifford impressed simply by qualifying for state. He lost both of his matches, falling to Lake Gibson junior Paul Wright 19-3 and McArthur senior Jordan Evans 7-3. But as just a freshman, this should only be the start of a promising career with the Eagles.

150 2A: Collver Hipp, Niceville

The senior picked up a 12-7 win over Immokalee’s Isaac Maldonado before falling to Jesuit’s Mason Basile 17-2 and Mater Academy’s Andres Viera 19-2.

113 2A: Jonah Lee, Crestview

Lee put in solid work as the Bulldogs’ only male qualifier. After losing to Charlotte’s Caden Moore, the junior defeated Sebastian River’s Austin Douglass 9-8 before falling to Joseph Obstaculo of Dixie Hollins 3-0, giving Lee something to build on entering his senior year.

106 2A: Jace Brechler, Niceville

Brechler had a good outing representing the Eagles, picking up an 18-2 victory over Berri Ali Stvil of Mater Academy while losing to Brandon’s Ethan Raley 7-0 and Lake Gibson’s Jaxson Hackett 1-0. It’s a solid foundation to build on as Brechler enters his senior campaign.

115 Girls: Payton Gaines, Crestview

Gaines, the Bulldogs’ only female state qualifier, lost both her matches, first to Florida Christian’s Melissa Gallo and then to Mariner’s Maple Brady.

105 Girls: Sophia Tran, Choctaw

Choctaw junior Sophia Tran lost both her matches, falling to SLAM Academy’s Sariyah Ford and Viera’s Zahar Zouaki. Tran will be back for her senior year.