Wrestling season is never over

By Andrew Conrad
Posted: April 13, 2011

With rain once again washing out a day of spring baseball games, I thought I would go back to the well for one more wrestling blog. (MAYBE this will be the last one…)

The nation’s top two postseason high school wrestling tournaments — the FloNationals in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio, and the National High School Coaches Association Wrestling Championships in Virginia Beach — took place in late March and early April, and Howard County had some success stories to bring home.

At Flonationals, Reservoir senior Mark Colabucci, a two-time state champion, placed eighth in the 160-pound weight class to become an All-American. High school teammate Josh Hamilton (285) was 2-2 at Flonationals, as was Hammond’s Jonathan Goodwin (125), a junior. Hammond junior Raven Coleman-Brooks also traveled to Cuyahoga Falls, though he did not win a match.

In Virginia Beach, River Hill freshman Cory Daniel became the Hawks’ first ever finalist at 152 pounds of the freshman division. Daniel lost to a fellow Marylander, LaPlata state champion Josh Llopez, in the finals. Fellow Hawks freshman Logan Kirby (189) finished fifth, giving River Hill a pair of All-Americans for the first time at the event in the same year. River Hill’s Omar Messallam (189) and Jason Johnson (285) each won a pair of matches in the junior division, while senior Cameron Kirby (130) and freshman Casey Guthier (135) came home with a win in their respective divisions.

Archbishop Spalding freshman Matt Pente (119, three wins), a Howard County resident, Reservoir freshman Donovan Peek (145, two wins) and Wilde Lake seniors Alvin Harris (189) and Zathy Ndiang (189, two wins) also competed in Virginia Beach.

Finally as a little bonus for the faithful readers who have read this far, I’m also including the All-Freshman and All-Sophomore teams. Last week I posted my All-Star teams by class year, but combined the freshmen and sophomores into one group due to the smaller pool of wrestlers. I had a little more time on my hands, so after a little more digging, this is what I came up with. Please let me know if you think I missed someone…

All Freshman Team
103: Mason Kilcarr, Re
112: Joe Zoller, G
119: Paul Quattrone, Re
125: Austin Pagnotta, G
130: Malik Jackson, WL
135: Casey Guthier, RH
140: Donovan Peek, Re
145: Cory Daniel, RH
152: Chris McTauge, MR
160: Dylan Juskus, OM
171: Logan Kirby, RH
189: Michael Sullivan, Re
215: Ryan Hassan, MH
285: Scott Desaulte, MR

All Sophomore Team
103: Zach Hensley, OM
112: Taariq Mohammed, RH
119: Ryan Carter, G
125: Austin Pagnotta, G
130: Seth Rowell, Re
135: Shreif Shata, Ha
140: Tola Morakinyo, WL
145: Bryan Overton, Ha
152: Anthony Pagnotta, G
160: Michael Min, MR
171: Adam Satterfield, WL
189: Humphrey Anuh, Ha
215: Ryan Holcomb, MH
285: Sean Twigg, G

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Wrestling: All-Star Teams By Class Year

By Andrew Conrad
Posted: April 6, 2011

Wrestling season ended a month ago, but our winter all-county stories will be in this week’s edition. So to get everyone thinking about wrestling again, I thought I’d look at the best wrestlers by class year and assemble all-star teams as a fun diversion. Let me know if you think I missed someone. I combined the freshman and sophomore classes to have a bigger pool to draw from, and I took some liberties with bumping up weight classes if I thought it could make a stronger team. Who do you think would win in an actual match? (The obvious answer is the seniors, but I’m willing to listen to any opposing viewpoints.)

All Fresh/Soph Team
103: Zach Hensley, OM
112: Joe Zoller, G
119: Ryan Carter, G
125: Austin Pagnotta, G
130: Seth Rowell, Re
135: Shreif Shata, Ha
140: Tola Morakinyo, WL
145: Bryan Overton, Ha
152: Anthony Pagnotta, G
160: Michael Min, MR
171: Logan Kirby, RH
189: Humphrey Anuh, Ha
215: Ryan Hassan, MH
285: Sean Twigg, G

All Junior Team
103: Jeff Barbera, MR
112: Tony Farace, OM
119: Alex Polonsky, WL
125: Nathan Kraisser, C
130: Segun Seweje, OM
135: Macon Stanley, C
140: Drew Staedeli, MH
145: David Ulysse, OM
152: Jack Noonan, RH
160: Tyler Asher, G
171: Kyle Harrington, Ha
189: Glenn Lucas, G
215: Jacob Benedict, RH
285: Jason Johnson, RH

All Senior Team
103: Forfeit
112: Colin Morse, MR
119: Ian Hochuli, MR
125: Drew Vickers, MH
130: Nick Caffrey, G/Cameron Kirby, RH
135: Jerry Fumba, OM/Marcus Coffield, WL
140: Parker Dymond, G
145: Jack Borkowski, G
152: Mathias Ngang, Ha/Alex DoQuang, OM
160: Charles Walls, G
171: Mark Colabucci, Re/Alvin Harris, WL
189: Zathy Ndiang, WL
215: Baldwin Asala, Ha/Payton Rose, Ha
285: Josh Hamilton, Re

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Wrestling: SUPER MATCHES!

By Andrew Conrad
Posted: March 11, 2011

The Maryland high school wrestling season may have officially ended last weekend with the public schools state tournament, but the best may be yet to come.

The annual Maryland State Wrestling Association senior all-star event will be held Saturday night at 7 at Mount St. Joseph High School, and organizer Kevin Colabucci (that name may sound familiar) is trying out a new format.

In the past, the 1A/2A public schools, the 3A/4A public schools and the private schools each fielded a team from 103 up to 285, made up of the best seniors available, and competed in a traditional tri-meet.

There were always a few really good dream matches, and several burning questions were always answered.

But this format also had its limitations. For example, it’s sometimes hard to find 103-pound seniors, even with the generous weight allowance (underclassmen are forbidden to compete in postseason all-star events). Also, some of the best seniors opt not to compete in the event, which is understandable given the rigors of the long season, travel time, scheduling conflicts with spring sports, having to make weight (private schools have already been done for a few weeks), etc.

With all that in mind, this year’s event will be called the Senior All-Star Super Matches. That name has a nice ring to it. Reminds me of some of those old WCW pay-per-view events, like the SuperBrawl or Starrcade.

The main event will be Spalding’s MIAA champ KK Smith against Southern Garrett’s three-time state champ Bubba Scheffel, but Howard County also will be well represented.

Five local guys will be taking the mat for one last time in their high school singlet:

130: Glenelg’s Nick Caffrey (two-time region champ, third state) vs. Mount St. Joseph’s Kevin Johnson (third private school states).

171: Wilde Lake’s Alvin Harris (two-time county champ) vs. Owings Mills’ Mohammad Ali (Baltimore County champ, region champ, third state).

171: Reservoir’s Mark Colabucci (county champ, two-time region champ, two-time state champ) vs. St. Marks’ Josh Snook (two-time Delaware state champ, third at Mount Mat Madness).

215: Wilde Lake’s Zathy Ndiang (two-time county champ, region champ, state champ) vs. Mount St. Joseph’s Tyler Tippett (MIAA champ).

285: Reservoir’s Josh Hamilton (county champ and region champ, third state) vs. Good Counsel’s Steve Snyder (two-time state champ).

These are the kind of matches that you can only hope to see during the season, and while this is an all-star event, these guys will be going hard. So if you want to see one more outstanding high school wrestling show before heading out to the baseball diamonds and lacrosse fields for the spring, this is your chance. Admission is $5.

Click here for more infoormation, including the rest of the Super Matches.

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Wrestling: Those who didn’t make it

By Andrew Conrad
Posted: March 4, 2011

I’m here at Cole Field House for the opening round of the state wrestling tournament, and I thought this would be a good time to point out a few of the best who didn’t make it this far.

It just goes to show that nothing can be taken for granted. Sometimes an extremely talented, experienced wrestler ends up in an incredibly difficult region and misses the trip to Cole.

Some of these guys will get another shot next year, but others won’t.

Drew Vickers, Mt. Hebron senior, 125. Vickers finished his season 33-6, and has more than 100 career wins. His only loss at the county tournament was to  Nathan Kraisser of Centennial. Yet he finished fifth in the region for the second year in a row to miss out on states.

Logan Kirby, River Hill freshman, 171. Kirby, the latest of the wrestling Kirby brothers (Brian, the youngest, is set to make his high school debut next year) but also the biggest, wrestled well for a freshman at such a high weight class, finishing 21-15, but came on very strong toward the end of the season. He upset Glenelg’s regional champion David Pruett in the third-place match at the county tournament, then lost to county champion Alvin Harris by a 3-2 decision in the regional tournament, where he failed to place.

Colin Morse, Marriotts Ridge senior, 112. He finished his senior season 32-6, and despite losing only once at the county tournament to take third, finished fifth in the 1A/2A South.

Anthony Pagnotta, Glenelg sophomore, 152. The transfer from McDonogh had a solid public school debut, finishing 26-9, taking third in the county and helping the Gladiators to their first state duals title. But the only Pagnotta helping Glenelg at the state tournament will be freshman Austin (125), because Anthony finished fifth in a tough region.

Donovan Peek, Reservoir freshman, and Tola Morakinyo, Wilde Lake sophomore, 140. The talented underclassmen finished second and third at the county tournament and combined to win almost 50 matches this season, but found themselves just over their heads at the 3A/4A East tournament.

Ryan Noonan, River Hill senior, 160. A county finalist a year ago, and a third-place finisher this year, Noonan placed fifth in the regionals and finished 27-16.

Omar Messallam, 189, and Jason Johnson, 285, River Hill juniors. Messallam finished 26-11, Johnson was 30-11. Both did well in the county tournament but missed the cut at regionals. Unlike Noonan, though, they’ll both get another shot next year.

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Wrestling: Fan’s guide to county tournament

By Andrew Conrad
Posted: February 18, 2011

The 42nd (if my Roman Numeral translation is correct) annual Howard County wrestling tournament is this weekend at Oakland Mills High, and I must admit, this is the time of the year when I’d prefer to just sit back and enjoy it. But once the finals start, I’ll be the one running around trying to interview all 14 champs while Tweeting the results and recording video of the action.

Still, it’s a lot of fun to see individuals from 12 different schools take to the mats to see who is best. We’ve already run the tournament seeds and schedule, so here I’m going to point out a few of the most interesting storylines and matches.

But first things first: This tournament doesn’t run as smoothly as it does year in and out without the efforts of many volunteers. Thanks are in order to Ed Boxwell, who has handled the preseason weight certification forever, and Stephen Mackin, the best scorekeeper around who passed away earlier this month, for their service to Howard County wrestling.

It’s worth noting that Hammond’s Jonathan Goodwin and Glenelg’s Ryan Fitzgibbons will miss the county tournament, and postseason because of injury. Goodwin and Fitzgibbons are underclassmen, and will get another shot next year. Conversely, Wilde Lake’s Ryan Drazenovic has recovered just in time for the postseason.

OK, on to the bracket breakdown:

The Elite

Nathan Kraisser (125) is going for his third straight county title, and he’s only a junior. He’s just about a lock to win, because he has already defeated second seed Drew Vickers of Mt. Hebron by tech fall. And Vickers is very good, with more than 100 career wins. Kraisser is one of the best to come through this county, and state, and you can catch him in his prime.

At 112, where Kraisser won last year, two state champs will likely meet in the finals — Wilde Lake’s Alex Polonsky and Oakland Mills’ Tony Farace. Farace has won two state titles, but no county titles because Kraisser has been in the way until now. Farace earned a lopsided win when these two met two years ago when they were both freshmen. I think Polonsky keeps it closer this time, but I see Farace defending his seed.

At 130, Cameron Kirby — who recently became River Hill’s all-time wins leader — will attempt to defend his county title against second seed Seth Rowell of Reservoir, one of last year’s best freshmen.

The 171-pound weight class features a state champ, Reservoir’s Mark Colabucci, who has won nearly 80 matches in a row; a county champ, Wilde Lake’s Alvin Harris; and a county finalist, David Pruett, who recently led Glenelg to a state duals title. The semifinal between Harris and Pruett should be one of the best matches in the tournament, but I see Colabucci’s experience giving him the edge against whoever emerges.

Harris’ teammate, Zathy Ndiang, will attempt to defend his county title at 189. Mt. Hebron’s Jon Iwaskiw should give him a tough match in the finals.

The 285-pound division will be fun to watch. The finals should pit Reservoir senior Josh Hamilton, a classic heavyweight, against Hammond’s Payton Rose, a traditional 215-pounder with outstanding strength, quickness and athleticism. Hamilton has never won a county title, but last year he was a state finalist, is undefeated this year, and is the top-ranked heavyweight among large public schools. The clash of styles in the championship will be fun to watch, but Rose will first have to get past Mt. Hebron’s A.J. Wade, who should pose a stiff challenge in the semis.

The Newcomers

At 103, Reservoir’s Mason Kilcarr has had an impressive freshman campaign, earning the top seed. He already owns a 7-2 decision over the second seed, River Hill sophomore Taariq Mohammed. The No. 3 seed, Oakland Mills sophomore Zach Hensley, will not be an easy out, however.

At 160, Pennsylvania transfer Charles Walls has already played a big role in Glenelg’s state dual championship run, and he seems poised to win a county title. Walls got the upper hand on second-seeded Joey Yarn of Oakland Mills last time they met, but Yarn’s a tough wrestler, and it might be closer this time.

The great, wide open

The 119-pound weight class, 135 through 152, and 215 could provide some of the best action of the tournament.

Marriotts Ridge’s Ian Hochuli has the top seed at 119, but Glenelg’s Ryan Carter, a returning county finalist and state place-winner, and Mt. Hebron’s Alex Stewart, a senior looking to make the most out of his final opportunity, could just as easily be considered the guy to beat.

There are only eight entrants in the 135-pound weight class. Wilde Lake’s Marcus Coffield has the top seed, but Centennial’s Macon Stanley, Mt. Hebron’s Joe Kendrick, Glenelg’s John Milani and Oakland Mills’ Jerry Fumba will all pose a threat.

Youth will be served at 140, where Wilde Lake sophomore Tola Morakinyo and Reservoir freshman Donovan Peek have the top two seeds. Whatever happens there, a new face will be standing atop the podium.

Glenelg senior Jack Borkowski, a returning finalist, looks more than ready to win his first county title, but River Hill freshman Cory Daniel, the two-seed, will stand in his way.

At 152, Oakland Mills senior Alex DoQuang earned the top seed with a strong regular season, but a regional champ, Hammond’s Mathias Ngang, will make a bid of his own for the title.

I see the 215-pound title going to either River Hill’s Jacob Benedict or Hammond’s Baldwin Asala, the top two seeds, but it’s tough to pick between the two.

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