The 2022-23 wrestling season has just gotten underway in the Baltimore area and we will be following the action all season. To prepare you for what’s to come, here is a preview of our initial Top 15 with lineup breakdowns (where available).
1. Mount St. Joseph
The Gaels return eight starters from the lineup that saw them win their fifth consecutive Maryland Independent Schools State Title. Returning state champions are Carter Nogle and Bryce Phillips. Coleman Nogle and Cameron Cannaday were state runner-ups. Gavin Bage and Nicolas Barnabae were third-place finishers. Rounding out St. Joe’s returning state placers are Will Hudson (6th) and Austin Lewis (5th). An intriguing addition to the Gaels’ lineup is Ben Smith. The Maryland native wrestled in Ohio last year and has been successful on the national stage, including placing at last year’s NHSCA Freshman Nationals.
“Our main goal this year is to stay healthy,” coach Harry Barnabae said. “Right now, the team is solid from top to bottom, and we are looking for strong performances and leadership from our upper classmen. The Nogle brothers, Coleman (126) a senior and Carter (120) a junior, Senior Gavin Bage (285), and Bryce Phillips (215), a junior, will lead the way.
“We expect breakout years from a number of returning sophomores, which includes Nicolas Barnabae (165), who finished 3rd in the MIS States, Cameron Cannaday (144), who finished 2nd in the MIS States, and Ben Smith (157) a sophomore transfer. Two juniors will look to make a name for themselves this season are Austin Lewis, who moves up to the 175-pound weight class, and Max Conley, who sat out last season, will start at 132.
“Every year we are blessed with a number of promising freshman wrestlers and this year is no different,” Barnabae continued. “We have two shining stars at 106 pounds (JoJo Cooper and James Wright - Jacob Wright’s younger brother), Jake Tamia (113), Ryder Kolat (132), Jayden Diggs (138) and Josh Taylor at 157.
“A dual meet match up in February with South Carroll will prove to be exciting, and naturally we expect St. Mary’s-Ryken to be hot on our heels as we move into the MIS State Championships.”
2. Gilman
“For the first tournament we are still getting guys down to their weight classes,” said coach Bryn Holmes. “(I’m) looking forward to seeing what we can do this year. We have a tougher schedule this season, but I know our guys can handle it. We are hoping to shake up the team rankings this season. We have a great combination of older and younger wrestlers this year. The goal this season is to solidify our place as one of the top teams. I want to have a legitimate chance to win the MIAA and possibly the Independent State tournament. There are a lot of great teams in the state of Maryland. If we are healthy and wrestling the way I know we can, then I think we have a chance to compete with the best of them.”
Potential Lineup:
106- Anders Martin
113- Sawyer Enright (7th in the state)
120- Zac Glory (4th in the state)
126- John Jurkovic (notched quality wins over several opponents last season before injuries derailed him)
132- Tyson Sherlock (3rd in state)
138- Emmitt Sherlock (3rd in state)
144- Buck Franklin
150- Trey Heath
157- Allan Gushue
165- Gabe Smith (4th)
175- Marcus Walker/Nick Haughey
190- Carson Mingo (2nd)
215- Wes Seba
285- Bryce Wilson
3. Loyola
“From the 2021-2022 team we lost eight starters: Jimmy Douglas, Matty Walsh, Jeremiah Aybar, Cole Myers, Alex Fichter, Ryan Kness to graduation and underclassmen Damon Nelson and Dallas Mattheu” Loyola coach Steve Truitt pointed out. “That is a lot of firepower. Despite this, we will still be a tough team which speaks to the depth and health of our program. We have a lot of talent, but we also will have some fresh faces who are ready to make their mark. Our team has a nice blend of upper-class leadership and talented but untested underclassmen. The measure of any team is where they start vs where they finish. As we like to say in practice “work hard or get worked”. If the guys work hard, fight for each other, and buy in to what the coaches are teaching them, we can definitely make some noise this season.”
The most telling statement from that conversation, “is where they start vs where they finish”. Truitt knows the importance of that all too well. His squad came out of the gates firing on all cylinders to begin the season last year. They defeated Mt. St. Joe in a dual matchup at the Bauerlein Duals to claim the No. 1 ranking in the state. Cracks started to show in late January, culminating in a dual meet loss to St. Joe at their house. They ended the season fourth at the MIS State Tournament.
They bring back the following wrestlers/starters:
113: Cayden Farver Soph (25-16, 3rd @ MIAA, 4th @ MIS)
120: Brandyn Fish Jr (24-8, 4th @ MIAAs but was injured at states)
132: Logan Kisner Sr (22-15, 4th MIAA, 7th MIS)
144: Judah Aybar Jr (33-5, MIAA Champ, 7th @ National Preps)
215: Chance Miller Sr (Highly ranked but dislocated elbow mid-year)
HWT: Luke Randazzo Soph (28-8, 3rd@ MIAA, 4th MIS)
Upcoming JV standouts who couldn’t break into the lineup last year:
150: Finn Smith Jr / Evan Williams Jr
157: Trevor Randolpn (JV State Champ) Jr
165: Josh Hallam (lost in MIS blood round last year at 182!) Jr
190: Aiden Bird Jr
They also brought in some tough 9th graders:
106: JJ Jackson(Outsiders)
126: Josh Hale (Manchester)
138: Nevan McKneely (HeadHunters)
4. South Carroll
The Cavaliers brought home the first dual meet state title in school history last year. If there was team scoring at the individual state tournament, they would have won that title too. So, it was a bit surprising to see Varsity Sports Network’s 2022 Coach Of The Year, Matt Thomas, step aside with such a bright future in place. Person demands with family and work pulled him away reluctantly. Assistant Coach Jay Braunstein has stepped up and become the Head Honcho. Braunstein was an assistant coach at Old Mill alongside Mike Hampe when the Patriots were pocketing state titles on a yearly basis. He helmed the St. Paul’s program for a bit then surfaced at Mt. St. Joe as an assistant before moving over to South Carroll.
106-Grayson Barnhill (FR)
113-Evan Owen (SO)(4th in the state)
126-Jojo Gigliotti (FR)
138-Gage Owen (SR)(Two-time state champ)
145-Michael Pizzuto (SR)(Two-time state champ)
152-Anthony Rodrigues (FR)
160-Manny Rodrigues (SO)
170-AJ Rodrigues (SR)(Two-time state champ)
182-Rylan Moose (SR)(state runner-up, two-time state placer)
Gage Owen, Pizzuto, and AJ Rodrigues won state titles as freshmen. They lost their sophomore season due to COVID-19. They returned last year and picked up their second crowns.
5. Sparrows Point
“It is going to take us a couple of weeks to get there (target weight class alignment) because of the weight certification process,” coach Mike Whisner remarked. “We have several wrestlers who cannot wrestle their weight for a couple of weeks. The key for us is going to be to stay healthy and on weight. Our depth is down a little this year. Our goal is to be back at North Point High School competing for a state title.”
106 9th Grade Ryan Topper
113 12th Grade Chris Pakacki
113-120 10th Grade Christian Manley (County Champion)
120-126 10th Grade Gabe Dorsey (JV County Champion)
126-132 12th Grade Dom Ambrosino (State Champion)
132-138 11th Grade Nick Weber (JV County Champion)
138 11th Grade Mike Belzner
145 10th Grade Russell Fary (from Cheseapeake-BC)(2nd in County)
152 11th Grade Tanner Cooper (2nd in County)
160 12th Grade Matt Laubach (3rd in County)
170 12th Grade Jason Worthington
182 12th Grade Damon Nelson (from Loyola)(No. 1 in the state when his season ended)
195 12th Grade Chris Manrreza
220 12th Grade DeAndre DuVall
285 12th Grade Hunter Petrovia (County Champion)
6. Calvert Hall
“These are what guys will be after the first week,” coach Karl Green added. “A few are descending from the weight above. This is probably one of toughest teams we have had in the past few years. The Goals are to finish third in MIAA in both dual and tournament, and top six at the state tournament.”
106 Aidan Palura - freshman (no experience)
113 Ty Hawk - freshman (3 years’ experience, MJWL placer)
120 Liam Keough - sophomore (9-16 last season at 106)
126 Griffin Stewart - sophomore (returning MIAA placer 3rd, returning state placer (5th) at 113. 34-9 record)
132 Josh Jackson - freshman (state runner up in junior league)
138 Matt Lombardo - senior (29-15 season last year, returning MIAA placer 5th at 132)
144 Aidan Kammar - sophomore (20-13 season last year at 120)
150 Harrison O’Connell – freshman (two-time junior league state champ)
157 Joel Nagy - junior (returning state placer (8th) at 160, returning MIAA placer (5th) at 152. 18-7 record)
165 Byron Baldwin - sophomore (returning state placer, 8th)
175 Sisto Averno - junior (19-4 last season broke ankle before MIAAs at 160)
190 Duncan Kammar - senior (returning state placer (7th), returning MIAA placer (5th) at 170)
215 Max Garland - sophomore (injured freshman year, MJWL two-time state champ)
285 Michael McQuaid - senior (MIAA placer 2019/2020 season at 285. Suffered a broken ankle last season.)
7. Broadneck
Coach Daniel Bloomfield played it close to the vest when asked about his team’s prospects for the upcoming season, “We are returning 10 of the 11 starters from last year’s lineup along with filling the weights with solid wrestlers that were forfeits last year. We are expecting a strong season.”
South River and Chesapeake lost more to graduation than the Bruins did. While those two squads captured dual meet state crowns last year, it looks like Broadneck may be the top dogs in Anne Arundel County this year.
106: Luck Podkrajac: Sophomore
113: Cam Williams: Sophomore...State Placer last year
120: Brandon Whyte-Taylor: Sophomore....State Placer last year
126: Peter Saroch: Senior....State Qualifier... Missed placement by one match
132: Justin Henchen: Senior
138: Ben Durkin: Senior: State Qualifier Alternate
145: Ryland Woodward: Senior State Qualifier Alternate....good shot at state placer
152: Petyton Miller: Sophomore....I think he was an alternate....has greatly improved...expected state placer
160: Liam DeBaugh: Senior...State runner up
170: Max Demella: Senior....Should be state qualifier this year
182: Jake Chambers: Senior....
195 : Dax Avila: Senior.....Expected state placer
220 : Calieb Collazo: Sophomore
8. Chesapeake-AA
“I think our team will be solid” said coach Randy Curtin. “We might not be exactly where we were last season. We graduated a lot of talented wrestlers. However, I still expect to be in the mix during the end of season tournaments and dual meets.”
106: Braydon Ambrose: should be solid this year
113: Brayden Roberts: solid freshman with experience.
120: Michael Greenstreet/ Jackson Worley
126: Dylan Ritter: 1st in county, 2nd in region, 5th in state last year
132: Dawson Hoover: 3rd in county, 3rd in region last year
138: Ethan Mills
145: Ethan Jimenez
152: Matthew Curtin
170: Gavin Lewis: solid freshman with experience
182: Keanu Furbush: should surprise some people this year
195: Collin Lewis: 3rd in county, 1st in region last year
220: Ty Schwartz
285: Delmar White: 3rd in county, 2nd in region, 6th in state last year
9. South River
John Klessinger begins his 23rd year as the head of the South River program. Last year, the Seahawks were 29-4 and brought home their first dual meet state title.
Returning Starters: Cole Peeples (11) 113lbs, Ben Ford (10) 132lbs, John Titow (11) 126lbs, Sam Travis (10) 120lbs, Bryce Potter (11) 132lbs, Ismael Tamayo (12) 152lbs, Ben Travis (12) 145lbs, Sam Ditmars (12) 145lb, Aidan Healey (11) 195lbs.
Sam Ditmars was a county, region, and state runner-up, John Titow a state qualifier, Aidan Healey, county runner and 3rd region. Ben Travis 4th county and 3rd region. Cole Peeples and Ben Ford were 4th in the region.
New impact wrestlers: Alex Szkotnicki 120lbs, grade 12, Fargo Womens National Champion and McKendree University commit. Brent Phillips (11) 182lbs, Zach Gliencke, 160lbs, (11), JR Ritter (11) 195lbs, Busayo Balgon (10) 220lbs, Antonio (11) 285lbs. Ethan McWaters (11) 160lbs.
Anticipated Team Strengths:
“Led by Sam Ditmars and seniors Ismael Tamayo, Ben Travis, and new addition Alex Szkotnicki, adding in successful varsity wrestlers John Titow and Aidan Healey, we have a base of talent and numerous others with varsity experience last year,” Klessinger continued. “We graduated a strong group last year. We are pretty young and with youth we expect a learning curve the first couple of months. I am not sure of our strengths beyond our work ethic each day in the room. The kids are training hard each day. That’s all we can ask for right now and care about. Success is a byproduct of work ethic, commitment, and consistency. If our kids can do that, we will get better. Youth and inexperience will be our main obstacle.
“We have around 50 wrestlers this year. I believe Broadneck and Chesapeake are the front runners. They return the most depth and established wrestlers. Old Mill will be tough as usual. I expect Crofton with their large numbers and enthusiasm to be an up-and-comer. Last year saw a significant change in the overall landscape of our county. Our county has gotten better and the separator between the top and the bottom shrunk creating more parity.”
10. Harford Tech
“We are looking to replicate and build upon our successes last year which brought an UCBAC Championship, a Regional Duals title, and a trip to the State Dual Finals,” sixth year coach Ja’Juan Burrell said. “We return seven of our 13 UCBAC place winners from last season, along with an eighth from three years ago, who missed last year with an injury (Gavin Lawson). The nucleus of our team will look a little different this year but will still be tough and highly competitive.”
Top Returners:
Logan Barkey (Sr. - 126 lbs., UCBAC Runner-Up, Region Champ)
Charlie Turney (Sr. - 170 lbs., 3rd UCBAC, Region Champ)
Gavin Lawson (Sr. - 220/285 lbs. - missed last year due to injury)
Gavin Thompson (Sr. - 182/195 lbs. - 4th UCBAC, 2nd Region)
Zaden Tablan (So. - 113 lbs. - 5th UCBAC, 2nd Region)
Damon Boniface (Sr. - 106 lbs. - 4th UCBAC, 3rd Region)
Wesley Outlaw (Jr. - 152 lbs. - 4th UCBAC)
Nikolai Chervak (So. - 138 lbs. - 5th UCBAC)
Key Newcomers: Christian Donlick (Fr. - 120 lbs.), Hamza Abedrabuh (So. - 220 lbs.), Brian Vickers (So. - 160 lbs.), Spiros Nikitaras (Jr. - 182/195 lbs.)
11. Rising Sun
The lofty ranking to begin the season may surprise some, but this is a team on the rise. A crop of returning underclassmen who had varying levels of success last year provides a foundation on which three highly regarded freshmen are joining.
“Our season is starting out good and we have a good class of freshman wrestlers with lots of junior league experience,” said coach Seth Garvin. “Some freshmen that should make an instant impact are Adan Stewart (106) and Zach Garvin (138). We also have a transfer at 120, Xzavier Brown, who should contribute with a lot of Freestyle and Greco experience.
“I am also excited to have a solid group of returning starters with Tyler Garvin (113), Mason Testerman (182), and Elijah Farr (220) all with state champion aspirations. Other returning starters from last season include Jonathan Horne (126), Connor Dube (145), Collin Bell (170) and Thomas Whitehurst (285), who all contributed over 20 wins for us each last season.
“I think we are going to have a lot of individual success and should do very well in duals, with several key dual meets this season, Bel Air (12/7/22) and a Tri-meet with Stephen Decatur and C. Milton Wright (1/23/23). We hope to challenge for the east regional duals and perform well in several dual tournaments (Husky Duals) and (Westminster Duals). We are also attending War on the shore, which should help highlight some of our best wrestlers. I have a solid group of wrestlers who work hard in the room and I am expecting great things from them this season.”
Tyler Garvin, who is a multiple time Fargo All-American, went 43-0 last year en route to a state title. Mason Testerman was third in the state, while Elijah Farr was fifth.
12. Archbishop Spalding
No information about their lineup was provided at press time. The Cavaliers are typically a stronger tournament team than a dual meet team. Because of that, they have a spot as one of the area’s top teams despite not putting a full lineup on the mat.
Notable returners who wrestled at the Ray Oliver touranment are state champion Sean Garretson (120/126), Vincent Paolucci (3rd in the state, 132), and Charlie Gessford (6th in the state, 144).
Three freshman earned spots on the podium at Ray Oliver, Eli Chesla and Roc Zang at 106, and Zane Leitzel (138).
13. Bel Air
No information was received on Bel Air’s lineup. They have been the top team in the UCBAC nearly every year until recently when C. Milton Wright took them down a few years ago, and last year when Harford Tech won the UCBAC crown.
Gavin McDowell (138) and Chris Nice (145) were both sixth at last year’s state tournament. Other returnees include four conference silver medalists, Manny Lucas (152), Taran Johnson (160), Savion Ricketts (170/182), and Cade Zengel (195). Ian Nitz (220) was third in the UCBAC. Cole Bursk (120) and Austin Bacot (132) also return for the Bobcats.
14. Old Mill
Old Mill is perennially one of the top teams in the state, not just in Anne Arundel County. The Patriots are a team that should not be overlooked. While they may not be returning many proven commodities, Grimm gets the most out of his athletes and his squads always end up being very competitive.
“We are extremely young,” said coach Jim Grimm. “We graduated a few studs. Three starters decided not to come back out and my heavyweight (RJ Duncan) transferred to St Mary’s-Ryken. So, it will be a young lineup. But I still think we are gonna surprise some people. We have some tough kids who are very strong and athletic. We will just lack experience. Bryan Arevalo (145), a senior who was sixth in the state last year, and senior Logan Cookerly (160) both should be really solid. Senior Drayk Bunn should also be tough as well. He will start at 195 but probably end at 182.”
Any of the following teams (listed alphabetically). These teams are traditional powers, not only in their conference or county, but on the state level. They lost a good amount of talent to graduation. But the coaches at the head of these programs always seem to get the most out of the new additions to their lineups. And, of course, every year a few teams make the next step and push the traditional powers. Time will tell who those teams are.
15. Manchester Valley
“This is what I believe our beginning of the season line-up might look like at Manchester Valley,” coach David Dodson said. “As the season goes there will be adjustments. We would like to improve every day and compete at the highest level against every team we wrestle against.”
106- Lance Chapman
113-Chase Ries
120- Dakota Barnard
126- Ryan Hydorn
132-Bradyn VanDervoort
138-Camden Yowell
145-Kameron Reid
152-Blake Ray
160-Travis Green
170-Jake Boog
182-Gunnar Grimm
195-Johnny Bolt
220-Cru Boog/Braeden Fourhman
285-Derek Martin
Other Notables
C. Milton Wright
The Mustangs lost a good bit of their fire power from last year’s team. In fact, there are no returning state placers in their lineup.
106-Kane Desch (2nd in UCBAC)
113-Sean Downey
120-Mitchell Nguygen (3rd in UCBAC)
126-Joza Peters
132-Ethan Lylo
138-Brody Zumbano (3rd in UCBAC)
145-Devin Sweeney (5th in UCBAC)
152-Joey LoBianco (5th in UCBAC)
160-Jaxon Simms
170-Hayden Goscinski
182-Islom Salokhitdinov (5th in UCBAC)
195-Nick Marzen
220-Joel Tufts (4th in UCBAC)
285-Luke Longerbeam
Glenelg
“Right now, we are going to have a bunch of young guys in the lineup who should improve as the season goes on,” coach Matt Bichner said. “Ethan Sotka will be 170 until probably Christmas and then drop to 160. Leo Conti will be 182 until then as well and then go to 170. Those are probably our best wrestlers but then I expect to get contributions from Phil Key Fr. 106, Ben Schott So. 126, Isaac Choi So. 132, Max Dail Sr. 220 and Travis Goodwin Sr. 285. Overall, we are young. I expect our lineup to consist of more than half freshman and sophomores. We should compete in county but will have our hands full against Manchester Valley and Middletown. Either way we will compete.”
Hammond
“We have another great group of kids in the room coupled with our best senior leadership since I have come to Hammond,” said coach William Yeo, who enters his eighth season as Hammond’s coach. “There are several second-year wrestlers who earned a lot of varsity mat time last year back with us after a productive offseason including Michael Perez 132/38, Asher Staley 132/38, and Cody Johnson 113/120. The off-season work many of these kids put in has resulted in a huge leap in skill and ability. There are a number of returners and some first year wrestlers that will certainly push to find time in the starting lineup as well.
“The varsity team will again have an opportunity for a strong showing at the county, regional, and state level. Our JV team will be competitive from top to bottom and look to continue to push our program forward.”
Top returnees: Jeffery Acheampong 106/113 County Finalist, Will Terry (11th) 126/132 regional placer, Joseph Munyaneza (12) 145/152 County Finalist/regional placer, Jonathan Neypes (12) 160/170 region champ/State Qualifier, Jinan Khan (12) 182/195 county champ/State Qualifier, Wayne Low (12) 195/220, Clara Freeman (10) 125/130 State Qualifier
Newcomers to watch: While we don’t bring in anyone with meaningful junior league experience, we are very excited about the 30 or so first year wrestlers that have come out. This group includes the largest group of female wrestlers in program history.
McDonogh
“We are definitely a very young group,” said coach Pete Welch. “I kind of excited about it. We’re doing a little more back to basics in the room and the kids are working hard. I’m not really sure how it’s going to play out this year as far as our wins and losses. But they are great kids and they are working hard and I’m having fun coaching them. We’re starting from there and hopefully we’ll build things back to where we were pretty quickly.”
Known commodities for the Eagles are defending stat champion, Noah Onkst (190), state runner-up and National Prep placer, Enzo Bell (132), and state placer Connor Bollinger (138). JJ DiMonte is a freshman that Welch said to keep an eye on.
Oakland Mills
106-Sarah Carroll
113-Michael Cowan
120-Jada Fowler
126-Keshon Tate
132-Raul Rodriguez
138-?
145-Mason Cowell (2nd in county)
152-Diego Gambrill
160-Brayden Fisher
170-Joe Clark
182-Levonte Kama
195-Brighton Barker (2nd in county)
220-Tori Smith (4th in county)
285-Emmanuel Oluremi
St. Frances Academy
Former Dunbar coach Doug McClain has moved to the private sector and heads up the new program started this year at St. Frances. McClain brought some of his Dunbar grapplers with him, then recruited throughout the city and county to field a team that could be surprisingly competitive in its first season.
113-Christian Wright (MSWA state runner-up)
120-Kamren Griffin (state qualifier at Dunbar)
126-Noah Shird (state qualifier at Parkville)
132-Jason Wright
138-Kychaunn Simpson (Owings Mills)
144-Ty Simpson (Owings Mills)
150-Wayne Henry (multiple time junior league state placer)
157/165-Chase Carpintieri (multiple time junior league state placer)
175/182-Derrick Grant (state qualifier at Dunbar)
190-Jao’oyn Williams (Virginia middle school placer)/Shawill Clark (Delaware state qualifier)
215-Camren Wright (3rd in the state at Perry Hall)/Douglas Johnson (MJWL Champ)
285-James Carrington/Christian Ose
Winters Mill
“We have 14 freshman who came out for wrestling this year, which is the largest class I have seen in my nine years coaching at Winters Mill,” coach Eric Meszaros said. “There is a solid group of upperclassmen who have created a positive culture in the crowded practice room. We only have a few returning seniors who made the starting lineup last year, so there will be plenty of opportunity for individuals to step up. I am looking for our team to work hard and get better every time they step on the mat so we can compete for a county championship and test our strength in the tough 2A West Region.”
Returning Starters:
126 - Chris Gaeng (10th grade) – 1A/2A State 6th Place @ 106
132 - Damian Claypool (12th grade)
145 - Caleb Crouch (11th grade)
170 - Jackson Richmond (12th grade)
182 - Craig Love (12th grade)
195 - Matthew Pawley (11th grade)
220 - Sam Richmond (11th grade)
285 - Gianni Serafin (12th grade)
Wrestlers to Watch:
Willis Kiler (9th grade)
Brody Lockwood (9th grade)
Colton Wasmer (9th grade)
Landon Buchman (9th grade)
Chase Taylor (10th grade)
