If you are a wrestling fan, this was your weekend to see all of the area’s top public school wrestlers stake their claim to City and County individual titles, while helping their teams battle for supremacy of their jurisdictions.
Here is a detailed roundup of those events.
Broadneck tops the field in Anne Arundel County
It’s been an up and down season for Broadneck’s wrestling team, a highlight of which featured a 15-point victory over Anne Arundel County rival South River in January that secured the regular-season dual meet crown.
But the Bruins were brought to earth 38-30 loss on Feb. 9 to South River in the Class 4A East Region finals which catapulted the Seahawks, two days later, toward the winning of their second straight Class 4A state dual meet crown.
The host Bruins were back on top at Saturday’s county tournament, where senior champions Liam DeBaugh (160) and Jake Chambers (182) were among their nine finalists and 10 wrestlers who finished within the top four of their weight classes.
The Bruins (224 points) out-gunned second place Chesapeake (178.5) with runners-up in seniors Peter Saroch (126), Ben Durkin (138), Max DeMella (170) and Dax Avila (195) and sophomores Cam Williams (113), Branden Whyte-Taylor (120) and Peyton Miller (152). Senior Rylan Woodward (145) finished fourth.
“We didn’t wrestle our best in the regional duals, but we knew how good we could be,” said Bruins coach Reid Bloomfield. “We punched them in the mouth on their senior night, they punched us in the mouth at the duals, and we punched them right back tonight. That’s how it goes in Anne Arundel County.”
DeBaugh improved to 38-1 following a 6-3 championship victory over junior Jacob Speed (38-7) of Crofton, having reached the finals on a 17-1 technical and a 61-second pin.
“I got a four-point move early to go up 4-0 on [Speed.] I had beaten him twice before. The first time it was 6-0, and the second time it was 4-2,” said DeBaugh, who was second at both counties and Class 4A-3A state last year. “We came out here kind of nervous being at home and under the spotlight.”
Chambers (36-6) required a takedown and three nearfall points within the final 50 seconds to erase a 2-0 deficit for a 5-2 decision over junior regional champion Obina Onyeson (30-5) of Meade High.
“Obina and I are friends and he beat me last year at regionals and he placed first and I placed fifth. I pinned him earlier this year in the first period, but I knew he was going to bring it and he did,” Chambers said. “This feels good after losing to South River and knowing that we had made some mistakes. We knew it wasn’t the end of the season and that we just had to ramp it up.”
Chesapeake crowned seniors Dylan Ritter (126) and Dawson Hoover (138) as well as sophomore Delmar White (285), the latter of whom improved to 37-0 with a dramatic, 1-0 victory over junior RJ Duncan (13-2) of Old Mill.
“Last year I lost to him by nine points and he almost pinned me,” said White, who was third at counties, second at regions and sixth at states last year. “This year I’ve beaten him twice. I’ve gained more muscle and I’m more confident.”
Ritter (36-4) won three bouts by a combined, 35-7, comprising a pair of major decisions and a 9-3 championship victory over Saroch (38-4), a returning regional champion.
“I was confident, came here expecting to win, this being my second time and having been here before,” said Ritter, a repeat county titleist who was second at regions and fifth at states last season. “I wanted to put on a dominant performance and I feel very good about it. I’m hoping to have a strong run at regions and states.”
Hoover used a pin and a 10-7 semifinal victory over Meade junior Cavell Morris to reach the final, where his bout was tied at 2 before he pinned Durkin’s shoulders to the mat at the 4:24 mark.
“I had a hold on him and it was pretty tight. I was squeezing for dear life,” Hoover said. “l came out looking for blood because I had wrestled him once during the regular season and lost to him, 3-1.”
Old Mill seniors Bryan Arevalo (152) and Logan Cookersly (170) were champions after having placed fourth and third last season. Arevalo decisioned Miller, 6-4, to improve to 39-3.
“Previous match I was up 17-4 when I pinned him in the second period,” said Arevalo, a sixth-place finisher at states. “Peyton is 0-6 against me, but he’s a tough opponent and you can never underestimate him.”
South River crowned seniors Alex Szkotnicki (113) and Aidan Healey (195) along with freshman Trent Shipley (106) and sophomore Busayo Balugon (220).
Shipley (42-5) overcame a 2-0 deficit for a 10-8 victory against Old Mill freshman Logan Johnson (36-7). Shipley bear-hugged Johnson to his back for a 6-2 lead heading into the second period, but the Patriots’ wrestler battled back to lead, 7-6, midway through the third period.
A reversal by Shipley regained the lead with 27 seconds left, and, coupled with a pair of nearfall points, accounted for the margin of victory.
“I was down and escaped. Then I saw his near leg I and was able to stack him onto his back. He was able to fight it off, but once I got those back points I worked from there,” said Shipley, who reached the finals on a 22-second fall and a 13-1 major decision. “I wrestled him prior to this and pinned him in the third period, so I knew he would come back wrestling hard. Toward the end I could let him up and get away because I hadn’t had any stall points on me.”
Szkotnicki (42-5) followed with a 1-0 decision over Broadneck’s Cam Williams (26-3) to become just the second female to win a county title following Nicole Woody in 2007. The victory was the second for Szkotnicki over Williams, who she vanquished, 5-2, earlier this year. In addition to Szkotnicki, another girl, Arundel junior Jada Chaves (106) has a 30-6 record and placed fifth.
Balugon (28-7) demonstrated resilience toward earning his crown. Balugon pinned his first round opponent in 4:41, won his quarterfinal, 5-1, against eventual third-place finisher, Sean House of Crofton, and escaped his semifinal, 6-4, in overtime against Grayden Stramanak of Annapolis. That set him up for his title bout with Old Mill sophomore Xxavien Mackell (24-6), whom he edged, 3-1
“The last time we wrestled this season I beat him 4-2, but I let him up for an escape at the end,” said Balugon. “I had to keep the pressure on him this time from the beginning to the end.”
Down by two and being ridden from the top position by championship rival Dax Avila (36-2) of Broadneck, Healey (45-3) reversed and nearly pinned his opponent in the final moments of the second period to regain a permanent 8-5 lead.
“Last year I wrestled him four times and beat him all four times,” Healey said. “Last year I lost in the county finals, but this year, I came back ready for blood.”
Annapolis’ lone champion was 145-pound senior Nik Antonelli (37-3), whose 1-0 victory dethroned South River senior Class 4A-3A state runner-up Sam Ditmars (45-2).
Their bout was scoreless until the final six seconds of the second period, when Antonelli made an escape to stand up for the win after riding out Ditmars throughout the third period.
A returning third-place finisher at Class 4A-3A states, Antonelli entered at 0-6 lifetime against Ditmars and had lost twice earlier this year at 5-2, and, 4-3.
Antonelli eschewed a rise into the 152 pound weight class, where he already has pinned Miller and major decisioned Arevalo.
“This came down to heart and who wanted it more. I made the decision a week ago that I would drop down to 145, and now we’re going for that state title, baby,” Antonelli said. “That escape late in the second period was a big factor. Third period I put the boots and the power-half in and said, ‘I got this guy, now.’ I couldn’t have moved up and ended my career going 0-6 against some guy. Next week and at states, I’ll beat him again.”
Northeast freshman Beau Schmidt (132) led 13-1 when he planted Cole Figueroa of Arundel in 4:58 to improve his record on the year to 23-0
“That last match was the best one I had all weekend,” said Schmidt, who reached the finals following a pin and 12-2 decision over Southern’s eventual third-place finisher Luke Ruel. “I was nervous at first, but all of the butterflies went away and I felt quick, strong and fast. County champ, baby.”
Severna Park freshman Michael Queen (120) used an 80-second pin, a 16-1 technical fall and a 6-0 decision to reach the finals, where scored a 12-4 major decision over Whyte-Taylor.
“This feels nice after working hard all season,” said Queen, who improved to 39-3. “I came out and got it done as a freshman. All of the hard work has paid off.”
Team Scores:
Broadneck (224)
Chesapeake High School (178.5)
Old Mill High School (177)
South River High School (175)
Crofton High School (172.5)
Annapolis (110)
Northeast High School (101.5)
Arundel High School (74)
Severna Park High School (68.5)
Meade High School (59)
North County (59)
Southern High School (35)
Glen Burnie High School (34)
106
1st Place Match
Trent Shipley (South River High School) 42-5, Fr. over Logan Johnson (Old Mill High School) 36-7, Fr. (For.)
3rd Place Match
Braydon Ambrose (Chesapeake High School) 33-5, So. over Nate Gottlieb (Crofton High School) 28-17, So. (Fall 1:28)
113
1st Place Match
Alex Szkotnicki (South River High School) 42-5, Sr. over Cam Williams (Broadneck High School) 26-3, So. (Dec 1-0)
3rd Place Match
Brayden Roberts (Chesapeake High School) 37-6, Fr. over Robert Maher (Old Mill High School) 24-14, Fr. (Fall 1:52)
120
1st Place Match
Michael Queen (Severna Park High School) 39-3, Fr. over Branden Whyte-Taylor (Broadneck High School) 32-6, So. (MD 12-4)
3rd Place Match
Michael Greenstreet (Chesapeake High School) 18-7, Jr. over Cody Fanzo (Crofton High School) 20-16, Jr. (Fall 4:10)
126
1st Place Match
Dylan Ritter (Chesapeake High School) 36-4, Sr. over Peter Saroch (Broadneck High School) 38-5, Sr. (Dec 9-3)
3rd Place Match
Ayden Eremita (Crofton High School) 32-16, So. over Noah Akers (Glen Burnie High School) 29-12, So. (Dec 3-0)
132
1st Place Match
Beau Schmidt (Northeast High School) 22-0, Fr. over Cole Figueroa (Arundel High School) 21-8, So. (Fall 4:58)
3rd Place Match
138
1st Place Match
Dawson Hoover (Chesapeake High School) 31-8, Sr. over Ben Durkin (Broadneck High School) 39-4, Sr. (Fall 4:24)
3rd Place Match
Kevin Van Besien (Annapolis High School) 26-9, Sr. over Kevin Blair (Glen Burnie High School) 29-10, Sr. (Dec 8-3)
145
1st Place Match
Nik Antonelli (Annapolis High School) 37-3, Sr. over Sam Ditmars (South River High School) 45-2, Sr. (Dec 1-0)
3rd Place Match
Kairyn Hall (North County) 27-8, Jr. over Rylan Woodward (Broadneck High School) 38-5, Sr. (Dec 2-0)
152
1st Place Match
Bryan Arevalo (Old Mill High School) 39-3, Sr. over Peyton MIller (Broadneck High School) 34-4, So. (Dec 6-4)
3rd Place Match
Ismael Tamayo (South River High School) 39-9, Sr. over Ronan Keohan (Annapolis High School) 24-16, Sr. (Dec 4-3)
160
1st Place Match
Liam DeBaugh (Broadneck High School) 38-1, Sr. over Jacob Speed (Crofton High School) 38-7, Jr. (Dec 5-3)
3rd Place Match
Devin Brown (Meade High School) 29-9, Jr. over Carter Alexander (North County) 18-8, So. (Dec 5-1)
170
1st Place Match
Logan Cookerly (Old Mill High School) 37-2, Sr. over Max DeMella (Broadneck High School) 32-6, Sr. (Dec 9-3)
3rd Place Match
Scott Anderson (Northeast High School) 25-5, So. over Nick Eremita (Crofton High School) 34-6, Sr. (Dec 3-2)
182
1st Place Match
Jake Chambers (Broadneck High School) 37-5, Sr. over Obina Onyeson (Meade High School) 30-6, Jr. (Dec 5-2)
3rd Place Match
David Fish (Northeast High School) 26-5, Sr. over Drayke Bunn (Old Mill High School) 35-7, Sr. (Fall 4:43)
195
1st Place Match
Aidan Healey (South River High School) 45-3, Jr. over Dax Avila (Broadneck High School) 36-2, Sr. (Dec 8-5)
3rd Place Match
Mannaseh Ojaomo (Arundel High School) 20-8, Fr. over Chris Coleman (Crofton High School) 21-11, So. (MD 10-1)
220
1st Place Match
Busayo Balugon (South River High School) 28-7, So. over Xxavien Mackell (Old Mill High School) 24-6, So. (Dec 3-1)
3rd Place Match
Sean House (Crofton High School) 13-6, Sr. over Brandon Matthews (Arundel High School) 21-11, So. (Fall 3:52)
285
1st Place Match
Delmar White (Chesapeake High School) 37-0, Sr. over RJ Duncan (Old Mill High School) 13-2, Jr. (Dec 1-0)
3rd Place Match
Michael Gandy (Crofton High School) 22-6, Sr. over Elijah Boston (North County) 23-11, So. (Dec 1-0)
Cavaliers in command in Carroll
South Carroll’s returning senior two-time Class 2A-1A state champions Gage Owen (138), Mike Pizzuto (145) and A.J. Rodrigues (160) and senior state runner-up Rylan Moose (182) all won their third straight Carroll County titles to lead the Cavaliers (228 points) past runner-up Manchester Valley (179) for the tournament crown at Westminster on Saturday.
Cavaliers sophomore Evan Owen (113) won his second straight crown, while the trio of sophomore Manny Rodrigues (195) and freshmen Grayson Barnhill (106) and Joseph Gigliotti (120) won their first county championships.
Gage Owen used a pin and a technical fall to improve to 41-0, AJ Rodrigues, Moose and Gigliotti pinned twice in rising to 41-2, and Pizzuto rose to 39-3 with a fall and a technical fall. Manny Rodrigues improved to 39-3 with a pin and a major decision, Evan Owen to 39-4 with pins in 47 and 94 seconds.
Barnhill notched consecutive 12-second pins ahead of Evan Owen, who was fourth at states last year while Gigliotti is a former four-time junior league state champ.
Manchester Valley’s Boog siblings were repeat champions. Senior Class 2A-1A state champion Jake (170) rose to 43-2 on pins in 82 and 70 seconds, and sophomore Cru (220), to 40-2 on pins in 68 seconds and 3 minutes and 48 seconds.
Senior Travis Green (152) of Manchester Valley improved to 45-0 following a 60-second pin and an 11-2 decision over South Carroll freshman Anthony Rodrigues.
Fourth-place state finishing sophomore Dylan Ohler (132) of Liberty earned his second straight county title with a 6-0 decision over South Carroll’s Angelo Marchany.
Manchester Valley wrestlers Bradyn VanDervoort (126) and Derek Martin (285) scored upset victories. Sixth-place state finishing sophomore Chris Gaeng (126) of Winters Mill slipped to 23-3 following a 7-1 loss to VanDervoort, and Westminster senior Randy Green (285) dropped to 40-2 following a 7-2 loss to Martin.
The Cavaliers (33-1) won their second straight Class 1A state dual meet title last week, 46-30, over the Northern-Garrett County Huskies (25-1).
The victory was the seventh straight for the Cavaliers following a 36-25 loss on Feb. 2 to visiting top-ranked private school power Mount St. Joseph (9-0), which came from behind to end the Cavaliers’ winning streak at 61 consecutive matches.
The Cavaliers were Class 2A-1A state tournament champions in 2014, 2015, 2016 and 2017 before the Maryland Public Secondary Schools Athletic Association ceased scoring the state tournament in 2018.
Bel Air takes UCBAC
Bel Air senior Savion Ricketts earned an 8-0 decision over junior Hayden Goscinski of C. Milton Wright for the 160-pound title as the Bobcats (230 points) overcame runner-up Rising Sun (211) for the Upper Chesapeake Athletic Conference title at Edgewood on Saturday night.
Ricketts was among the Bobcats’ six finalists and 11 wrestlers who placed within the top four of their weight classes, with runner-up in seniors Chris Nice (132), Gavin McDowell (138) and Chris Vonziah (220), sophomore Manny Lucas (145) and junior Ian Nitz (195).
Placing third for the Bobcats were freshman Dominick Gray (120) and seniors Luke Johnson (160) and Cade Zengel (182), while senior Austin Bacot (126) and Will Entner (285) were fourth.
“I hadn’t wrestled any of these guys at 170 because I was at 182 for most of the year,” said Ricketts, who reached the finals after winning, 21-8, and 15-3 to raise his record on the year to 33-7.
“My opponents felt a lot lighter and I’m getting better with my movement. My neutral on my feet has been great, so I did a lot of cutting and taking them down. I feel like I’m hitting the stride at the right time. Now I have some momentum going into the regional tournament.”
Rising Sun crowned junior Tyler Garvin (113), freshman Zach Garvin (138), junior Mason Testerman (182 ) and sophomore Elijah Farr (195), with Tyler Garvin, Testerman and Farr winning the UCBACs for the second consecutive year.
A returning regional and Class 2A-1A state champion who finished at 43-0 last year, Tyler Garvin rose to 42-0 after winning by technical fall, 99-second pin and a 24-10 title-bout victory over North Harford sophomore Tommy Blankenship.
Testerman rose to 36-2 following pins in 27 and 28 seconds and a 15-2 championship major decision over Zengel, who slipped to 40-3. Farr had pins in 63 and 87 seconds before finishing Nitz in 3:44 of their title bout to raise his record to 40-3. Testerman was third at states and Farr was fifth.
Zach Garvin (39-4) reached the finals on a technical fall and a pin before winning a 1-0 decision over McDowell, who was a repeat finalist at UCBACs.
C. Milton Wright crowned six champions in sophomores Kane Desch (106), Mitchell Nguyen (120) and Devin Sweeney (145), freshman Jaxson Simms, junior Joel Tufts (220) and senior Brody Zumbano (152).
Zumbano had wrestled at 138 pounds all year until the tournament, where he reached the finals after a technical fall and won his semifinal by 14-9 decision.
Zumbano’s 3-1 championship victory earned the crown over Harford Tech Wesley Outlaw, a fourth-place finisher at UCBACS last year.
“We have a board in our room with the guys who have won any of the counties, regions and states. I wrestled 145 for the first time last week and won by decision,” said Zumbano, who was third at last year’s UBACs.
“I really wanted to win the UCBAC this year, so I figured the best path to take was at 152. I definitely felt the weight difference, but I was confident in my ability to win the tournament. Besides that, I could eat, wasn’t cutting weight and I only weighed in at 143. I never felt so good.”
Simms ground out consecutive 5-2, and 5-4 decisions to reach the finals, where he decked returning senior third-place finisher Kameron Schank of North East Cecil in 2:50.
“Jaxon has a lot of heart,” Zumbano said. “You can see that he’s put in a lot of work to make a name for himself by the way he’s pinning seniors and taking first place.”
Desch scored a 4-0 decision over Rising Sun freshman Aidan Stewart to improve on last year’s runner-up finish. Nguyen used a pair of first-period pins to reach the finals, where he won a clash of sophomores, 9-7, in overtime against Brown.
Sweeney used a 35-second pin and a 15-0 technical fall to reach his title bout, where he edged Lucas, 8-5. Tufts also pinned twice to reach the finals, where he used a 9-1 major decision over Vonziah to improve on last year’s fourth place finish.
North Harford had repeat champions in senior Cruz Cespedes (132) and junior Clay Lawrence (285), the former overcoming a three-point deficit with a four-point move in the final 30 seconds to defeat Nice, 5-4.
Cespedes pinned twice to earn his shot at Nice, a sixth-place state finisher who slipped to 39-1 and was runner-up for the second straight season. Lawrence rose to 38-1 on three pins, the last in a minute and 44 seconds over sophomore Thomas Whitehurst of Rising Sun.
Harford Tech senior Logan Barkey (126) used a 13-1 major decision and an 81-second fall to reach his title bout, where his overtime, 2-1 decision edged Perryville senior Kyler Brown. A runner-up last year, Barkey improved his record to 35-4. Brown (28-4) finished third at UCBACs last year.
Hammond hammers Howard
Hammond crowned Cody Johnson (113), William Terry (126), Joseph Munyaneza (145), Jinan Khan (182) and Raynard Kanu (285) among seven finalist classes to win the Howard County Tournament at Glenelg High on Saturday night.
Jeffery Acheampong (106) and Jonathan Neypes (152) finished second and Zach Terry (120) third as the Bears (232 points) placed eight wrestlers within the top four of their weight to dethrone host and defending champion Glenelg (182).
Munyaneza had three pins before winning his championship bout, 8-2, over Reservoir’s Jose Lazo to improve on last year’s runner-up finish. Terry won his crown, 5-4, over Sam Vissers of Reservoir after pinning his first round opponent and winning his semifinal, 8-0.
Khan scored a 7-2 upset over repeat finalist Brighton Barker (182) of Oakland Mills, who had pinned twice to reach the finals. Kanu’s 3-2 title bout victory came at the expense of River Hill’s Nathan Faulkner, who had scored a 79-second fall in his semifinal victory over Glenelg’s top seed Travis Goodwin.
Johnson won his title bout, 6-1, over Rocky Alabbadi of Marriotts Ridge after winning his semifinal, 5-3, over top seed Jonathan Sexton of Glenelg. Johnson also had a fall over eventual third-place finisher Michael Cowan of Oakland Mills in his quarterfinal bout.
Glenelg’s pair of champions were Phil Key (106) and Peter Danko (195). Key pinned Acheampong in four minutes even, and Danko won his title bout, 4-1, over Mount Hebron’s Dax Haak after having upset Centennial’s top seed, Tristan Yee, 6-3, in the semifinals.
Oakland Mills crowned Mason Conwell (132) and Joe Clark (160), each of whom pulled upsets.
Conwell scored pins in 50 and 49 seconds before winning his championship match, 8-7, over Atley Turner of Marriotts Ridge, a repeat finalist who was fourth at last year at states.
Clark dethroned returning title winner and senior Class 2A-1A state runner-up Ethan Sotka of Glenelg, this after each had pinned twice to reach their showdown.
A returning county runner-up and third place finisher at states last season, Reservoir’s Andrew Dolezel (120) pinned his semifinal opponent in 61 seconds and finished off River Hill’s Jacob Cohen at 3:25 of their title match.
Fifth-place state finisher Tyler Bury (152) of Marriotts Ridge won his title match, 10-5, over Neypes after having registered pins in 43 and 73 seconds and won his semifinal, 14-2.
Sixth-place state finisher Samuel Jordan (220) of Mount Hebron used a pin and a technical to reach the finals, where his 6-1 decision over Tori Smith of Oakland Mills improved on last year’s third place finish at counties.
Centennial’s Class 4A-3A state champion Calvin Kraisser (138) pinned all three opponents on the way to winning counties for the second straight year.
Class 4A-3A state runner-up Dylan McCullough (170) scored falls in 86 and 64 seconds before winning his championship match, 15-0, over Jonah Obitz of Marriotts Ridge. McCullough has a record of 42-1 this year after having finished at 34-1 last season.
Wavie wins again with Poly
Poly senior Sorensen Wynn (160) pinned Digital Harbor’s Marcus Thorn in 67 seconds to earn his second straight Baltimore City crown and lead the host Engineers to the overall title on Friday.
A Class 3A North regional champion who was a sixth place finisher at last year’s Class 2A-1A state tournament, Wynn earned a 15-0 technical fall in his semifinal to improve to 25-2 this year.
Wynn is guided by 23rd-year coach Wavie Gibson, a former state champion at Mardela High on the Eastern Shore whose Engineers earned their 11th tournament crown and their first since 2017. Gibson coached five city championship teams at Walbrook through 1994.
Others winning titles for the Engineers were freshman Jaden White (120) and senior Donald Meredith (220). White pinned Marquis Prater of the Academy for College and Career Exploration in 3:48, and Meredith pinned Dunbar’s Eli Turpin in 3:53.
Runner-up Digital Harbor crowned freshman Jeremiah Wise (113), senior Sidi Kante (132), junior Rudolfo Auguliera (138), freshman Tavon Williams (152) and sophomore Ihlan Jean-Louis (285).
ACCE’s champions were freshmen Avery Harrington (106), Kennard Pratt (126) as well as junior Rakim Peacock (145). Other title winners were Baltimore City College freshman Abraham Stolbach (170), Mervo senior Brandon Bruce (182) and Forest Park junior Brandon Fauntleroy (195).
Sparrows Point continues its reign in Baltimore County
Sparrows Point won its third consecutive Baltimore County wrestling tournament, Saturday at Dundalk, crowing four champs as the Pointers crowned four individual champions and amassed 220 team points, 85.5 more than second place Hereford.
Check out our full coverage of the Baltimore County Tournament by clicking here.
