Victor Balmeceda Lists His Top 10 Moments Since Retiring from Coaching Wrestling at Miami South Dade

WINTER HAVEN, FLORIDA – And now it’s time to look back.

Miami South Dade wrestling head coach Victor Balmeceda decided to retire from coaching this week after leading the Buccaneers to 27 FHSAA state championships - 20 IBT crowns and seven Duals titles - during his 32 seasons at the same school, beginning in the middle of the 1993-94 season. He was inducted into the National Wrestling Hall of Fame in 2014.

Balmeceda graduated from South Dade’s archrival Southwest Miami in 1989, where he was a state runner-up. He was a JUCO All-American at Chowan College in Murfreesboro, N.C. before becoming a Southern Conference champion at Appalachian State. He was named the Conference’s Outstanding Wrestler and was an NCAA Division 1 qualifier.

He took timeout this week to reflect and rank his 10 most-memorable moments on the mats.

Here they are and the countdown to No. 1. 

10.  2022 IBT Comeback Victory

South Dade overcame a 13.5-point deficit entering the final day’s action to beat second-place Southwest Miami for the Buccaneers 17th IBT state championship on March 5, 2022 at Silver Spurs Arena. Ironically, South Dade won the title by 13.5 points, 171.50 - 158. In the process, South Dade crowned two individual state champions: Ansel Cervantes (195) and Sawyer Bartelt (220).

“It was a different feeling winning that state title. (Southwest) really believed they were going to win that title. They were waiting for Rome to fall and we ripped it out of their hearts.”

9. D1 Success of Former Wrestlers

Watching two former South Dade wrestlers, Alex Hernandez and Patrick Williams, competing at the 2005 NCAA D1 Championships. They were both wrestling at the exact same time. Hernandez was competing for North Carolina State and Wiliams was with Arizona State. 

“Up until that point, our school was always known for great wrestling, but the question remained: Could our kids make it at the D-1 level? It was one of my proudest moments as a coach.”

8. Former Wrestlers at Olympic Trials

Three South Dade wrestlers competed at the 2012 Olympic Trials: Isaiah Varona, Earl Hall and Kendrick Sanders. All three won match matches and Verona was still in high school at the time.

“Hall almost beat a returning Olympic champion.”

7. Three-Peat Across Two Classifications

In 2001, South Dade, the two-time defending Class 2A state champions, was bumped up to 3A where two-time defending state champion Miami Southridge was ruling the roost. 

While in different classifications, the two neighboring teams had been practicing together without any competitive worries. Now all bets were off, and when the postseason arrived Southridge won a controversial Greater Miami Athletic Conference title, a district title and a regional title that was also contested.

“They beat us in a dual meet and then beat us in a regular season tournament. At GMAC, the computer said we won the tournament, and their assistant coach, Kenny Johnson, who was keeping score with pencil and paper said Southridge won. I told him, ‘Sorry, but the computer is the computer.’ And we took the trophy and medals home. The next day, the GMAC called and the computer had a glitch. So, we had to return the trophy and the medals.”

Southridge mopped up on South Dade at the district meet. Then at the regional, a Southridge wrestler was disqualified but reinstated the next day by the FHSAA. The overturn gave Southridge enough points for the regional title.

After all the setbacks against Southridge, South Dade had the last laugh, edging Southridge by 6.5 points for the FHSAA IBT state title, 132.5 -126.

“We took away their bid for back-to-back-back titles and we ended up with three-straight titles.

6. Four State Titles for Balmeceda's Son

Brevin Balmeceda, Victor’s oldest son, won his fourth state title culminating his senior season in 2019. He also finished as the No.1-ranked 160-pound wrestler in the nation with 339 career wins. 

5. Broken Heart and Big Break

In 1997, South Dade head coach Mike McCoy, who hired Balmeceda at South Dade, died from cancer before the season started. Balmaceda, still an assistant, was elevated to head coach. The broken-hearted Buccaneers went on to win the state championship in dramatic fashion for their former National Wrestling Hall of Fame coach.

“We put three kids in the finals, but needed all three kids to win with one needing a pin and another needing at least a major decision to win the state championship. The first kid won, but only by 7. The second kid, his first time at the state finals, gets a major decision. I felt like it was divine intervention with Coach McCoy looking down and helping. The third kid, Eric Brown, was totally confident and went out and got the pin.”

4. Brevin's First State Title as an 8th Grader

In 2014, Brevin Balmeceda, suiting up for Keys Gate Charter School, became the first wrestler from Dade County to win a state championship as an eighth-grader at 120 pounds.  

“He was wrestling his state championship match on the 1A mat and I was coaching one of my wrestlers in the same weight class on the 3A mat at the same time. So, I couldn’t even watch my son.”

3. Ending Brandon's Dual Win Streak at 459

In 2008, South Dade ended Brandon’s historic dual meet winning streak at 459 wins. "The Streak" stretched for 34 years but it all ended during a nationally televised match with ESPN producing a documentary on Brandon. South Dade won 32-28.

“Anytime I see someone do a documentary on a team and its winning streak, that is the year they lose. On the way home, I was getting calls from all over the country, like USA Today and my teammates from Appalachian State. Did I appreciate it that much when it happened? No, but days later people kept contacting me. It was like we won state and then we had to go win state again.”

2. Gavin Balmeceda Adds to the Family Legacy with A State Title

Balmeceda’s youngest son, Gavin, won his only state title at 165 pounds in 2024. 

“He got out to a quick lead, and then he had to hold on to win. I was crying because he finally won a state championship, and all this pressure from being my son, finally got off his back.”

1. Sending 10 to State Finals and Crowning Six State Champs

South Dade advanced 10 wrestlers into the finals, producing six state champions along the way. The Buccaneers won by 157 points, the largest margin in its history, and his son, Gavin, won his first state title. And before the night was over, his oldest son, Brevin, won a national title on television.

“We had an RV outside the arena and we turned the big screen TV on, and there is my other son trying to win his second NAIA title, and he pulls it off. It ended a perfect weekend.”