A trio of Montgomery Blair wrestlers won their first-ever Class 4A-3A South regional titles last weekend at Laurel High, each being motivated by past shortcomings to achieve success.
Junior Jaden Cheung (120) added his regional title a week after becoming a Montgomery County champion for the first time, this a year after having failed to place at either of those tournaments.
Senior Silvan Unger (144) improved on the previous week's third place county finish by winning his crown, this, a year after injuries prevented him from participating in either event.
Senior Leonel Kanwa (190) also earned his first regional title following a third-place finish at counties after not placing at counties or regions as a junior.
Not only have all three have earned a right to have their names displayed on the Blazers' championship board for wrestlers, but they are first-time qualifiers for the Class 4A-3A state championship on the weekend of March 1-2 at the Show Place Arena in Upper Marlboro.
Cheung used a 69-second fall and a 17-5 major decision to reach his title bout, where he earned an 8-4 decision over senior Prince George's County champion Jonathan Robles of High Point. Robles' record slipped to 21-2.
"My goal for my entire high school career was to get on the board. The last two years I didn't place in counties or regions," said Chang, whose record improved to 28-5. "This year I really dug deep, pushed through injuries, and I got this. Winning two championships is really a blessing."
Unger used falls in 3:54 and 3:20 to reach his title match against senior Prince George's County champion Macdiel Marquez of Laurel, whom he decisioned, 7-1. Marquez's record is now 7-1.
"This is my comeback year, and it just feels amazing," Unger said. "Last year I injured myself for the entire season with a broken nose and tore my MCL. I couldn't wait to get on the board."
Kanwa reached the finals after a 7-1 decision and a fall in 2:32 over eventual third-place finishing junior Nhaemeka Ezirike of Eleanor Roosevelt. In the finals, Kanwa earned a 13-3 decision over Howard County runner-up Isaac King of Howard High.
"This is my second year in wrestling. I thought I was good last year, but I got smoked at counties and didn't place," Kanwa said. "Being a senior in my last year, I have had to just push myself. To go from third at counties to winning the regionals feels wonderful."
Prince George's County champion Eleanor Roosevelt crowned two champions in freshman Austin Hayes (106) and sophomore Leo Foreman (138), as did Bethesda-Chevy Chase (B-CC) in junior Nizhoni Deschene (150) and senior Seth Weaver (157), and Oakland Mills in freshman Orlando Castelan-Cortez (126) and senior Joe Clark (165).
Hayes used a 15-0 technical fall and a 94-second pin to reach his title bout, where he won an 8-2 decision over fourth-place Montgomery County finishing freshman Kanik Deschene of B-CC.
"I felt like I wrestled well in the finals, but I could have done better," said Hayes, a county champion who improved to 37-0. "I placed fifth in the state qualifier for middle school and didn't qualify for states. So, with that in mind, this does feel nice."
Foreman reached the finals following a fall in 3:29 and a 9-7 overtime victory over third-place finishing senior Roy Jones of Reservoir, who had placed third at the previous week's Howard County tournament. Foreman won his title bout, 2-1, over senior Jake Klingler of Montgomery Blair.
"I got sixth at counties last year and lost in the pigtails of the regional," said Foreman, a county runner-up who improved to 35-2. "This feels good, especially as a sophomore. To get second at the counties and then to win this and to have improved so much feels excellent."
Weaver and Deschene used nearly identical moves to finish their championship rivals in 23 and 49 seconds, respectively. Weaver pinned Digital Harbor sophomore Tavon Williams, and Deschene did the same to Howard County champion sophomore Raul Rodriguez.
Weaver used a fall in 15 seconds and a 17-5 major decision over eventual third-place finishing senior Michael Amadiegwu of River Hill to reach his title bout against Williams, adding his regional crown to the previous week's county title.
"The move [against Williams] was an ankle pick to a cradle," said Weaver, a county and regional runner-up last year who improved his record to 43-1. "I re-positioned, drove for my front headlock, went for my ankle pick and locked up the cradle for the pin."
Last year, Weaver won his first-round match at states, 5-4, over the eventual third-place finisher Gannon Brooks of Leonardtown. But Weaver was injured during the match and could not continue in the tournament.
Deschene used a 36-second pin and a 9-5 decision to reach his championship against Rodriguez, being a champion after finishing second at counties last week.
"The pin was the same thing as Seth used -- a front headlock to an ankle pick," Deschene said. "My coach says we practice wrestling in the room and winning out here, so that's what I came here to do."
Class 2A-1A state runner-up Clark (165) earned his second straight regional title a week after earning his second straight Howard County title, and he did it against the very same opponent.
Clark used falls in 53 and 48 seconds to reach the finals, where he earned a 4-2 decision over junior Jonah Obitz of Marriotts Ridge. Clark won his county title bout, 3-2, over Obitz, against whom he also owns a 7-2 decision from earlier this season.
"Every match is a lesson and every match you can learn," said Clark, whose record improved to 36-0. "Against the better guys, you can't rely on strength and speed. You have to use set ups and be tactical."
Castelan-Cortez used falls in 3:54 and 1:58 to reach the finals, where he held off third-place Howard County finishing junior Sam Vissers of Reservoir for a 4-2 decision victory.
"I beat him in the county semifinals, 6-2, so I'm 2-0 against him," Castelan-Cortez said. "He got in deep on my legs near the end, but I didn't want to give him two and potentially go into overtime. I kept my composure and fought off that cradle."
Other champions were senior Rocky Alabaddi (113) of Marriotts Ridge, junior Andrew Dolezel (132) of Reservoir, junior Joshua Danso (175) of Mount Hebron, senior Mark Enamorado (215) of Atholton and junior Taylor Brown of Henry A. Wise (285).
Dolezal improved his overall record to 39-0 on a pin in 24 seconds and in 2:47 before winning his title match, 9-4, over Eleanor Roosevelt senior Stephen Exum.
A regional champion last year, Dolezel was second at counties and regions and third at states as a freshman. Dolezel trailed, 2-0, and 3-2, against Exum, whose record slipped to 23 -2.
"I just kept my composure," Dolezel said. "I've had a lot of losses in the past, but all of those losses have amounted to me now being among the best in the state."
A runner-up in Prince George's County, Brown rose to 24-0 following a 39-second pin and decisions of 6-3 and 6-0, the latter over senior Howard County champion Nathan Faulkner of River Hill.
"My brother was an inspiration to me, telling me that I should go out for wrestling," Brown said. "He said I would be really good, but this is my first year of wrestling, so to go from being second at counties to first at regions feels amazing."
Alabaddi improved to 38-2, adding his regional crown to last weekend's Howard County title when the Mustangs won their first-ever county tournament championship under first-year coach first-year head coach Vince Muscato.
Alabaddi reached the finals following a 6-2 decision and a fall in 5:54 over third-place finishing junior Johnathan Maslan of Atholton. Alabaddi won a tough 10-5 title bout decision over B-CC junior Ethan Makle, scoring third-period nearfall points after having endured a grinding, second-period bar-arm pinning maneuver.
"This is my last year, and I wasn't giving up. I'd rather risk breaking my shoulder than lose it," Alabaddi said. "Winning this regional tournament was always on my mind during the match, especially when he had the bar-arm in."
Alabbadi said he was motivated in part by the fact that the tournament took place at the alma mater of assistant coach David Land, who competed at 98, 105 and 112 pounds as a wrestler at Laurel High, graduating in 1989 after having won a pair of 98-pound AA-A state titles.
Land's name was listed on a banner in the Laurel High gymnasium.
"I see his name on the wall over there and it motivated me," Alabaddi said. "Coach Land gave me a championship mindset and I wanted to win this regional championship really badly."
Enamorado was similarly motivated by wrestling at Laurel High, the alma mater of his coach, Sidney Billups. Enamorado used falls in 29 seconds and 2:41 to reach the finals, where he won a major decision over Oakland Mills junior Lavonte Kama.
"You see coach Billups' name on the wall over there and it's inspiring," Enamorado said. "We talk about it all of the time how coach was a monster, and it feels nice to make him proud by winning the regionals."
Billups won state titles at Laurel in 1994 and 1995.
"My day has come and gone. This is Mark’s Day. I feel great for him," Billups said. "County champ, regional champ, these are great memories for him. Mark has worked really hard this year and I'm glad that he was able to come in here and put it on these guys."
Danso finished fourth at last week's Howard County tournament, where Marriotts Ridge sophomore CJ Nyorkor was a runner-up. But Danso won their regional title bout, 2-1, pinning his first opponent in 15 seconds and his second in 5:59.
“I had to work hard to bounce back from my fourth-place finish last week,” Danso said. “I'm just happy that all of my hard work paid off.”
106
1st Place Match
Austin Hayes (Eleanor Roosevelt) 37-0, Fr. over Kanik Deschene (Bethesda-Chevy Chase) 36-8, Fr. (Dec 8-2)
3rd Place Match
Srivanth Saladi (Marriotts Ridge) 31-2, Sr. over Miles Molina (Baltimore Polytechnic Institute) 27-11, Fr. (Dec 8-1)
5th Place Match
Bennett Custodio (Howard) 34-6, So. over Josef Finn (River Hill) 22-23, Fr. (Fall 0:57)
113
1st Place Match
Rocky Alabaddi (Marriotts Ridge) 38-2, Sr. over Ethan Makle (Bethesda-Chevy Chase) 32-13, Jr. (Dec 10-5)
3rd Place Match
Johnathan Maslan (Atholton) 26-11, Jr. over Alex James (Bladensburg) 23-4, . (Fall 2:31)
5th Place Match
Michael Cowen (Oakland Mills) 25-14, Sr. over Daniel Perez (Northwestern) 17-8, Fr. (Fall 1:49)
120
1st Place Match
Jaden Cheung (Montgomery Blair) 28-5, Jr. over Jonathan Robles (High Point) 21-2, Sr. (Dec 8-4)
3rd Place Match
Boden Pistorio (Marriotts Ridge) 33-4, So. over Chase Garison (Atholton) 37-9, So. (Dec 5-1)
5th Place Match
Oluwatunmise Faniyi (Eleanor Roosevelt) 25-4, Jr. over Timmy Zink (Mt. Hebron) 29-12, So. (MD 8-0)
126
1st Place Match
Orlando Castelan-Cortez (Oakland Mills) 26-6, Fr. over Sam Vissers (Reservoir) 26-3, Jr. (Dec 4-2)
3rd Place Match
Brian Holder (Dr. Henry A. Wise Jr.) 21-7, Sr. over Kiv Mativo (Howard) 25-18, So. (Dec 3-0)
5th Place Match
Zach Cannistra (Bethesda-Chevy Chase) 24-15, Jr. over Oscar Bustos (Patterson) 8-6, . (Fall 4:09)
132
1st Place Match
Andrew Dolezel (Reservoir) 39-0, Jr. over Stephen Exum (Eleanor Roosevelt) 23-2, Sr. (Dec 9-4)
3rd Place Match
Daniel Wu (Montgomery Blair) 32-8, Jr. over Ronen Israel (Bethesda-Chevy Chase) 27-16, Sr. (MD 12-3)
5th Place Match
Jamie Kraft (Marriotts Ridge) 28-13, Jr. over Gilberto Medina (Atholton) 27-7, Jr. (For.)
138
1st Place Match
Leo Foreman (Eleanor Roosevelt) 35-2, Jr. over Jake Klingler (Montgomery Blair) 26-11, Sr. (Dec 2-1)
3rd Place Match
Roy Jones (Reservoir) 33-11, Sr. over Justin Soriano (Atholton) 37-7, Sr. (Fall 1:00)
5th Place Match
Edress Faiz (Parkdale) 22-6, Sr. over Albert Javanni (Northwestern) 21-9, Sr. (Fall 0:24)
144
1st Place Match
Silvan Unger (Montgomery Blair) 30-10, Sr. over Macdiel Marquez (Laurel) 31-6, Sr. (Dec 7-1)
3rd Place Match
Derrel Davis (Baltimore Polytechnic Institute) 21-8, So. over Ethan Lily (Eleanor Roosevelt) 17-5, Jr. (Fall 2:41)
5th Place Match
Malachi Johnson (Atholton) 29-16, Sr. over Kevin Blackledge (Digital Harbor) 11-8, . (Fall 2:27)
150
1st Place Match
Nizhoni Deschene (Bethesda-Chevy Chase) 38-6, Jr. over Raul Rodriguez (Oakland Mills) 30-6, So. (Fall 0:49)
3rd Place Match
Jose Lazo (Reservoir) 34-7, So. over Garin Jeng (River Hill) 30-8, Sr. (TF-1.5 4:59 (15-0))
5th Place Match
Grant Mizer (Howard) 32-10, Sr. over Rodolfo Aguilera (Digital Harbor) 17-9, Sr. (TF-1.5 2:46 (16-0))
157
1st Place Match
Seth Weaver (Bethesda-Chevy Chase) 43-1, Sr. over Tavon Williams (Digital Harbor) 36-5, So. (Fall 0:23)
3rd Place Match
Michael Amadiegwu (River Hill) 35-11, Sr. over Diego Gambrill (Oakland Mills) 26-12, Sr. (Fall 0:28)
5th Place Match
Jordan Hicks (Dr. Henry A. Wise Jr.) 18-12, over Aalil Coates (Laurel) 33-6, Sr. (For.)
165
1st Place Match
Joe Clark (Oakland Mills) 36-0, Sr. over Jonah Obitz (Marriotts Ridge) 34-5, Jr. (Dec 4-2)
3rd Place Match
Ray Hicks (Dr. Henry A. Wise Jr.) 28-3, Sr. over Rajhkamar Brown (Eleanor Roosevelt) 18-5, Jr. (Fall 1:53)
5th Place Match
Ayden Paulay (Baltimore Polytechnic Institute) 20-6, Jr. over Amadou Kante (Digital Harbor) 22-15, Sr. (Dec 4-2)
175
1st Place Match
Joshua Danso (Mt. Hebron) 35-6, Jr. over CJ Nyorkor (Marriotts Ridge) 28-11, So. (Dec 2-1)
3rd Place Match
Arif Mohammadi (Bladensburg) 26-1, Jr. over Brayden Fisher (Oakland Mills) 27-12, Sr. (Dec 4-2)
5th Place Match
Luca Selaru (River Hill) 18-22, So. over Cameron Collins (Dr. Henry A. Wise Jr.) 21-9, Sr. (For.)
190
1st Place Match
Leonel Kanwa (Montgomery Blair) 35-4, Sr. over Isaac King (Howard) 30-10, Sr. (MD 13-3)
3rd Place Match
Nhaemeka Ezirike (Eleanor Roosevelt) 31-5, Jr. over Brighton Barker (Oakland Mills) 35-3, Sr. (Dec 8-7)
5th Place Match
Sultan Goodwine (Dr. Henry A. Wise Jr.) 24-9, Sr. over Dax Haak (Mt. Hebron) 30-10, Sr. (Dec 7-6)
215
1st Place Match
Mark Enamorado (Atholton) 36-5, Sr. over Lavonte Kama (Oakland Mills) 27-8, Jr. (MD 11-3)
3rd Place Match
Benjamin Blackerby (Mt. Hebron) 11-5, Jr. over Ja`Kaylen Love (Marriotts Ridge) 26-13, Sr. (Dec 3-1)
5th Place Match
Dajorn Smith (Bethesda-Chevy Chase) 27-13, Jr. over Jose Vasquez (Reservoir) 15-14, Sr. (Fall 3:00)
285
1st Place Match
Taylor Brown (Dr. Henry A. Wise Jr.) 24-0, Jr. over Nathan Faulkner (River Hill) 36-12, Sr. (Dec 6-0)
3rd Place Match
Caleb Snype (Howard) 31-3, Sr. over Dean Chavez (Northwestern) 21-9, Jr. (Fall 3:36)
5th Place Match
Manny Oluremi (Oakland Mills) 23-17, So. over Luke Smith (Bethesda-Chevy Chase) 21-9, Sr. (Fall 3:30)
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