The Flagler Palm Coast Bulldogs wrapped up an impressive run at the 2026 FHSAA State Wrestling Championship on Saturday, March 7th, at Silver Spurs Arena in Kissimmee, with both the boys and girls teams finishing in 8th place. The Bulldogs continued their storied tradition of excellence on the mat, highlighted by five state placers, including standout performances by senior Alexa Calidonio and junior Alisha Vilar.

Girls Highlights

Senior Alexa Calidonio nearly captured the state title at 170 pounds, finishing as the state runner-up.  Calidonio opened the tournament with a fall in the 3rd period over Makayla Mallory of Northeast HS, followed by a 4-1 quarterfinal victory over Amaris Echezarreta of South Dade. In the semifinals, Calidonio edged Brooke Arbic from Niceville, 4-1, before facing a tough overtime loss in the championship match, 2-1 to Isabella McFarlane of King HS.

Junior Alisha Vilar claimed 3rd place at 145 pounds, wrestling her way through a dominant performance. Vilar pinned Tori Gibson of George Jenkins HS in 1:59 in the opening round, then secured a narrow 4-3 quarterfinal win over Alen Arik of Mater Lakes Academy. After a semifinal loss, Vilar rebounded to win the 3rd place match by pin at 2:51 in the second period over Sariah Forgione Franco of Cypress Creek HS.

Boys Highlights

The Bulldogs’ boys squad also saw strong individual results, with three state placers, all finishing in 3rd place. Sophomore Kevin McLean dominated early rounds, winning 18-1 by tech fall over Yeison Santana of Miami Southridge HS and 18-1 by tech fall over Jaden Williams of Wellington Community HS in the quarterfinals. After a semifinal setback, McLean finished strong with a 9-3 victory over Justo Medina of Davenport to claim 3rd place.

Junior Trey Twilley opened with a 16-9 win over Leonardo Perdomo of Bloomingdale HS, then battled through a tough quarterfinal loss. Twilley wrestled back through the consolation rounds, capturing the consolation finals 4-3 in overtime over Immanuel Gibbs.

Freshman JoJo Foalima made an immediate impact at 165 pounds, posting an 11-0 opening round win over Julian Sierra of Christopher Columbus HS, followed by a 3-0 quarterfinal win over Ehab Shalaby of Freedom HS. After falling in the semifinals, Foalima battled back to claim the consolation finals with a fall in the 3rd period at 5:29 over Drake Bonney of Miami Palmetto HS.

Another Chapter in Bulldog Wrestling Tradition

With five state placers, the Bulldogs demonstrated depth, resilience, and skill across both the boys and girls teams. The performances of Calidonio, Vilar, McLean, Twilley, and Foalima continue to add to Flagler Palm Coast’s proud wrestling tradition, setting the stage for future success.