Middleburg’s Cheyenne Cruce already in a league of her own

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Cheyenne Cruce is just getting started.

Cruce, the All-News4JAX girls wrestler of the year, had an unforgettable season. The Middleburg sophomore finished 39-0 and continued a Clay County wrestling tradition in the sport that0 is the area’s best. And she’s just getting started. The sophomore has great expectations for the rest of her career, both in high school, the summer circuit and beyond.

At Middleburg, she’s already in a league of her own.

Only two Broncos wrestlers have even made it to a state final before. Jon VanHoeven in 1998 and Joe Shoen in 2016 both finished as state runners-up.

Cruce finished fourth at state last year, the first season where girls had their own individual bracket tournament. Cruce said that a combination of events made wrestling the sport that she wanted to pursue into the future.

She looked at last year’s All-News4JAX girls wrestler of the year, Clay’s Madisyn Blackburn, as a trendsetter in the sport. It was after that where Cruce said she wanted to follow Blackburn’s lead and become a pacesetter of her own. Cruce and Blackburn both wrestled together at RPA Wrestling in Orange Park. And seeing the success and visibility of Blackburn made Cruce go all in on the sport.

“I got to experience her going and getting a state champ and her getting all her accomplishments,” Cruce said. “In a way it pushed me into getting better.”

If seeing a fellow Clay County wrestler emerge was one part of the motivation for Cruce, the other was getting to experience the competitiveness on the mat. She went on to finish fourth at the state tournament. That was a precursor to the summer circuit for Cruce. She traveled to Fargo, North Dakota for the USMC/USAW Junior and Cadet National Championships last summer. Cruce finished fourth there. The competitive fire was lit.

“At the end of last season, I kind of told myself that state champ was where I wanted to be,” Cruce said. “So, I made sure that I just kept putting in as much work as possible to be in that position.”

Cruce said that trip to Fargo was significant in her development. She was up there with wrestlers from area schools like Oakleaf and Orange Park, as well as others from around the state. Seeing the talent at Fargo, and getting to experience that with grapplers from the area was just a sample that the best is yet to come.

“Honestly very different [up there]. Wrestling’s big in Florida but when you go up north, it is huge. Everyone wrestles. You’re turning a corner and you always see somebody who is wearing a wrestling shirt or wrestles somewhere. Or you know them and you know they wrestle. … We’re definitely trying to put Florida on the books for wrestling.”

All-News4JAX girls wrestling

First team

Weight class, Wrestler, School, Classification

100, Gracie Bradshaw, Middleburg, Sr.

Season record 37-7. District 3 champ, Region 1 runner-up, state 3rd place.

105, Adrianna Barrientos, Oakleaf, So.

Season record 32-2. District 2 champ, Region 1 champ, state runner-up.

110, Mariah Mills, Matanzas, So.

Season record 36-5. District 3 champ, Region 1 champ, state 3rd place.

115, Erin Rizzuto, Ponte Vedra, So.

Finished 37-1. Postseason record 11-1. District 3 champ, Region 1 champ, state 3rd place.

120, Christina Borgmann, Matanzas, So.

-Season record 36-5. District 3 champ, Region 1 champ, state runner-up.

125, Tiana Fries, Matanzas, So.

Season record 33-7. District 3 champ, Region 1 3rd place, state 5th place.

130, Brielle Bibla, Matanzas, Sr.

Season record 37-4. District 3 champ, Region 1 runner-up, state runner-up.

135, Aubrianna Apple, Clay, Sr.

Season record 32-3. District 3 champ, Region 1 champ, state 3rd place.

140, Olivia Richie, Ponte Vedra, Sr.

Postseason record 10-1. District 3 champ, Region 1 champ, state 3rd place. Finished 28-4.

145, Kendall Bibla, Matanzas, So.

Season record 30-6. District 3 runnerup, Region 1 runnerup, state champion.

155, Ava Burre, Bartram Trail, Fr.

Season record 28-8. District 3 champ, Region 1 champ, state 3rd place.

170, Jayla Harrison, Oakleaf, Fr.

Season record 35-5. District 2 champ, Region 1 runnerup, state 3rd place.

190, Cheyenne Cruce, Middleburg, So.

All-News4JAX wrestler of the year. Season record 39-0. District 3 champ, Region 1 champ, state champion.

235, Ani Brown, Matanzas, So.

Season record 15-16. District 3 champ, Region 1 3rd place, state 6th place.

Second team

Weight class, Wrestler, School, Classification

100, Mackenzie Mock, Stanton, Fr.

Season record 11-15. District 2 champ, 1-2 at Region 1.

105, Skyla Fisher, Middleburg, Fr.

Season record 25-14. District 3 champ, Region 1 3rd place, 1 match from state medal.

110, Memphis Moses, Middleburg, Fr.

Season record 23-19. District 3 runner-up, Region 1 3rd place, 1 match from state medal.

115, Zakiya Williams, White, So.

Season record: 9-9. District 2 champ, Region 1 runnerup, 1 match from state medal.

120, Kailani Barrientos, Oakleaf, Fr.

Season record 28-3. District 2 champ, did not compete at Region 1.

125, Donavanne Reinhard, Ponte Vedra, Fr.

Postseason record 5-5. District 3 3rd place, Region 1 4th place, 0-2 at state. Finished 16-17.

130, Ana Vilar, Flagler Palm Coast, So.

Season record 12-6. District 3 runnerup, Region 1 3rd place, state 6th place.

135, Sara Goodman, Sandalwood, Fr.

Season record 14-6. District 2 champ, Region 1 runnerup, 1 match from state medal.

140, Gabby Proctor, Matanzas, So.

Season record 20-18. District 3 runnerup, Region 1 runnerup, 0-2 at state.

145, Katherine Stewart, Bartram Trail, Fr.

Season record 33-4. District 3 champ, Region 1 champ, state runnerup.

155, Karla Ortiz, Westside, So.

Comment: Season record 24-4. District 2 champ, Region 1 3rd place, state 5th place.

170, Brooklyn Watt, Matanzas, So.

Comment: Season record 25-11. District 3 runnerup, Region 1 3rd place, state 7th place.

190, Lillian Heflin, Ridgeview, So.

Comment: Post-season record 4-4. District 3 3rd place, Region 1 runner-up, 1 match from state medal.

235, Trayce Goodman, Westside, Fr.

Season record 4-6. District 2 champ, 1 match from state.

Third team

Weight class, Wrestler, School, Classification

100, Kassidy Grundy, Tocoi Creek, Fr.

Season record 10-15. District 3 5th place, 1-2 at Region 1.

105, Joslyn Johnson, Flagler Palm Coast, Fr.

Season record 20-13. District 3 runnerup, 1 match from state.

110, Makayla Johnson, Baker County, Fr.

Season record 13-4. District 2 champ, Region 1 4th place, 0-2 at state.

115, Sarah Walsh, Middleburg, Fr.

Season record 27-16. District 3 runner-up, 2-2 at Region 1.

120, Natalia Choquegonza, Ponte Vedra, So.

Postseason record 5-5. District 3 runner-up, Region 1 4th place, 0-2 at state. Finished 25-15.

125, Giannina Simonpietri, Bartram Trail, So.

Season record 10-13. District 3 runner-up, 1-2 at Region 1.

130, Sofia Saldana, Ponte Vedra, Fr.

Postseason record 2-3. District 3 3rd place. One match from state. Finished 13-14.

135, Saiomy Cabrera, Matanzas, Fr.

Season record 19-12. District 3 3rd place, Region 1 3rd place, 0-2 at state.

140, Jasmine Gore, Riverside, Fr.

Season record 15-11. District 2 champ, Region 1 4th place, 0-2 at state.

145, Aryan Benson, Tocoi Creek, Fr.

Season record 29-9. District 3 3rd place, Region 1 3rd place, state 7th place.

155, Isabella Tietje, Matanzas, Sr.

Season record 10-9. District 3 runner-up, Region 1 4th place, 0-2 at state.

170, Brooklyn Watt, Matanzas, So.

Season record 25-11. District 3 runner-up, Region 1 3rd place, state 7th place.

190, Hannah Matalobos, Bartram Trail, Fr.

Season record 8-12. District 3 champ, Region 1 3rd place, 0-2 at state.

Honorable mention

School: Wrestler, Weight class, Classification

Baker County: Deanna Walker (170, Sr.).

Bartram Trail: Claire Townsend (100, Fr.); Kyla Crooks (105, So.); Vanessa Stobe (120, Sr.); Paige Stewart (170, Fr.).

Beachside: Karson Kremski (120, Fr.).

Bishop Kenny: Mallory Frattle (155, Sr.).

Columbia: Carlee Morrison (140, So.).

Matanzas: Autumn Jarvis (115, So.).

Middleburg: Heidi Castleberry (135, So.).

Paxon: Nichole Guzman (130, Fr.).

Ridgeview: Cheyanne Moralez (100, Fr.).

Stanton: Rhodaisha Norgaisse (115, Fr.).

Tocoi Creek: Saniyah Callahan (135, Fr.).

Westside: Layah’ Mixon (120, Fr.); Degriece Coleman (145, Sr.).