FIRST: HUGE SHOUTOUT TO JEFF RANDALL & TRINITY KILLIP FOR SOME AMAZING SHOTS!
Now on to the story...
Linganore’s top-ranked senior Ethan Arneson (175) improved on last year’s runner-up finish, as did 12th-ranked junior teammate Brennan Considine (120) on his third-place finish as each won won titles at this weekend’s Class 4A-3A state tournament at the Show Place Arena in Upper Marlboro.
Einstein of Montgomery County’s pair of champions also improved on their finishes of a year earlier, with junior Stone Yuen (126) having been runner-up last year, and senior Isaac Ogunlade (190) after having placed sixth.
Repeating as champions were seniors Cooper VanScoyoc (132) of Oakdale and RJ Duncan (285) of Old Mill as well as junior Drew Montgomery (138) of Northern.
Clarksburg senior Jonathan Chang (144) improved on his runner-up finish of a year ago after having placed third as a sophomore, with Whitman sophomore Solomon Randall (113), Perry Hall sophomore Victor Marks-Jenkins (157) and Bowie junior Jamil Morrow (215) winning titles after last year’s third-place finishes.
Other champions were seniors Taigh Merola (150) of Churchill and Austin Combs (37-1) of Broadneck as well as freshman Jackson Peeples (106) of South River, Coached by Ethan’s father, Ben, a 1994 Linganore graduate who was a Class 4A-3A state runner-up at 140 pounds, the 10th-ranked Lancers (17-1) won last month’s battle of defending state duals champions, 34-31, over 21st-ranked South River.
Ethan Arneson ran his record to 37-0 with an 86-second championship pin over Severna Park senior Nathan Kohler, an Anne Arundel County and Class 4A-3A East Region champion.
A returning three-time Frederick County champion who has also placed fourth at the states and won a pair of regional titles in three appearances in that event’s final, Ethan Arneson had reached the finals on falls in 2:24, 3:06 and 3:23.
“To finish my wrestling career off like this and to have all of the hard work payoff is just super exciting,” said Ethan Arneson, who has signed with Shippensburg University to play football. “I’ve learned what it feels like to not be first, and I don’t like that feeling. I’ve learned that there are always going to be people who work hard, and you have to out-work them.”
A Frederick County runner-up this year to third-place Class 2A-1A state finisher Seth Crawford of Brunswick, Considine rebounded to win the previous weekend’s Class 4A-3A West regional title last weekend.
Considine used pins in 71 and 83 seconds as well as a 12-6 decision to reach the finals, where he overcame a 9-4 deficit to for a fall in 5:20 of his title bout with Broadneck junior Branden Whyte-Taylor, who had pinned his own way to Anne Arundel County and Class 4A-3A East Region titles.
“I felt a little nervous at first, but I felt comfortable when I got the bar-arm in,” said Considine, who improved to 38-3. “I pinned him with an arm-bar. This was a big step, but it feels really good to have achieved my goal of being a state champion.”
Yuen (38-1) won his title-bout, 5-0, over last year’s champion, junior Neil Sharma of Magruder (34-4) against whom he improved to 2-1. Yuen reached the finals on falls in 16-0 technical fall, a 12-2 major decision and a 12-5 decision.
Yuen already had avenged his lone setback of the season against Sharma with a 6-3 decision in their Montgomery County title bout.
Ogunlade (34-1) joined Yuen on the victory podium, but only after winning an overtime, 3-1 decision over previously unbeaten senior Dominic Queen of North Point. A third-place finisher at 182 pounds last year, Queen slipped to 42-1.
Ogunlade had won his first bout by 18-3 technical fall before reaching the finals following narrow decisions victories by 5-3 and 3-1 in overtime, the latter against eventual third-place finishing senior Charlie Trenkamp of Churchill, who slipped to 47-3.
“This is my seventh year as the coach,” said coach Oscar Salazar, a 2009 graduate of Einstein. “This is the first time in Einstein history that we’ve had two state champions in one state tournament.”
Montgomery (48-4) used a pin in 3:12, a 19-4 technical fall and an 11-2 decision to reach the finals, where he earned a 2-0 decision over last year’s Class 2A-1A runner-up junior Beau Schmidt (38-4) of Northeast-Anne Arundel.
A three-time Southern Maryland Athletic Conference and regional champion, Montgomery won his second Class 4A-3A state title in three championship berths against Schmidt, whom he defeated for the second time in as many weekends.
Montgomery won his third straight SMAC title last month by 10-1 major decision over senior Brian Davis of Calvert, who improved to 21-1 by winning the Class 2A-1A state title last weekend. Davis was third at states last year.
Schmidt is a two-time Anne Arundel County champion who had won a regional title before losing the previous week’s Class 4A-3A East Region final, 5-1, to Montgomery. Schmidt has five career losses, all of them coming by narrow decision against state champions. Schmidt lost last year's 132-pound Class 2A-1A state championship bout, 5-2, in March to Stephen Decatur senior Logan Intrieri.
This season, Schmidt has also lost, 3-2, to Centennial's three-time Class 4A-3A state champion junior Calvin Kraisser, as well as 4-2, to two-time Class 2A-1A state champion sophomore JoJo Gigliotti of South Carroll.
VanScoyoc (39-2) used a fall in 2:53, and decisions by 5-2 and 5-0 to reach the finals, where he earned a 7-5 decision over Eleanor Roosevelt senior Stephen Exum, who slipped to 26-3.
A Frederick County champ, VanScoyoc had lost, 5-3, to Montgomery County champion senior Jason Beale of Northwest in the previous weekend’s Class 4A-3A West Regional final.
Beale had lost Friday’s quarterfinals bout by fall in 5:55 to Exum, a Prince George’s County champion.
In addition, Exum had lost his previous weekend’s Class 4A-3A South Regional final, 9-4, to last year’s Class 4A-3A state runner-up Andrew Dolezel of Reservoir, whom VanScoyoc defeated, 5-2, in their quarterfinal. Dolezel (44-1) won his third-place bout, 4-2, over North Point junior Gable Paoule, whom VanScoyoc defeated, 5-0, in the semifinals. VanScoyoc became the Bears’ second two-time champion, joining Anthony Savage in 2013 and 2014.
“This feels great. I knew I could win again, and I stayed confident even after the regions. I was hoping to see Beale in the finals, but it didn’t work out that way,” VanScoyoc said. “This was the same path I took last year, taking down the first seed in the quarterfinals. It also feels great that I beat [Exum, Dolezel and Paoule,] the guys who placed second, third and fourth.”
Duncan (45-1) added his second Class 4A-3A state title to his second Class 4A-3A East regional crown and his first Anne Arundel County title after having been a runner-up as a junior. Duncan won an overtime, 3-1, decision over championship rival junior Busayo Balogun of South River, whom he blanked, 4-0, in the previous weekend’s regional finals.
Duncan used major decisions of 11-2 and 14-6 as well as a fall in 4:58 to reach the finals against Balogun, an Anne Arundel County champion who finished third in that event this year.
Balogun had used an overtime victory and two pins to reach the finals, including one in 5:49 of his previous bout with two-time third place finishing senior Abubakar Sherif of Seneca Valley, who slipped to 42-1.
Duncan became the Patriots' 36th individual state champion but only the second at heavyweight since Roy Carter in 1983 and is also the program's first Class 4A-3A state champion since 2011 when 140-pound champion Salaman Riddel defeated LaPlata’s Daniel Brannon, 4-2, to complete a 33-1 season.
Duncan is the Patriots’ first two-time 285-pound or heavyweight state champion, joining six other repeat title-winners in Chuck Sturm (1982, 1983), Charlie Royer (1984, 1985), Greg Wise (1988, 1989), Chris Combs (1997, 1998), Adam DeCosmo (2000, 2001) and Greg Saumenig (2006, 2007).
Chang dominated his competition, winning by pin 16-1 technical fall and 5-2 decision to reach the finals, where hammered Bel Air’s Chris Nice (45-2) by the score of 11-4. Chang is coached by Rob Pinsky, a 1986 graduate of Kennedy High where he was a two-time Montgomery County runner-up.
"I'm happy for the kid. It's well deserved,” Pinsky said. “He's gotten third, second and first. He's one of the hardest-working kids I've ever coached."
Randall Whitman sophomore Solomon Randall (113), Perry Hall sophomore Victor Marks-Jenkins (157) and junior Jamil Morrow (215) won titles to improve on last year’s third-place finishes.
Randall ran his record to 43-1, winning his title bout, 4-3, over Springbrook senior Ricky Dixon. Randall used falls in 51 and 98 seconds as well as a pin in 3:55 to reach the finals against Dixon. Randall won titles in Montgomery County and Class 4A-3A West Region after having placed third in each last season.
Marks-Jenkins (47-0) earned his second straight Baltimore County and Class 4A-3A North Regional titles and decked four state tournament rivals in 51 seconds, 2:54, 2:59 and 5:30.
The last fall was in Marks-Jenkins’ title bout against senior Seth Weaver (46-2) of Bethesda-Chevy Chase, who had won his Montgomery County and Class 4A-3A East Regional crowns by falls in 3:48 and 23 seconds respectively.
“It’s good for Victor to get this milestone out of the way and to relieve some of the pressure,” said Gators’ coach Doug Yoakum. “A state title and an undefeated season is now behind him. Those boxes have been checked.”
Morrow (37-0) earned his crown with a 5-1 decision over Chesapeake-Anne Arundel’s County champion junior Xander Dodd, whom he also defeated, 8-2, for the previous weekend’s Class 4A-3A East Region crown. Morrow used a 51-second pin and decisions by 6-1 and 11-5 to reach the finals against Dodd (41-3).
A winner of two Prince George’s County tournament titles after having placed third once,
Morrow became Bowie’s first state champion since 132-pound Nathaniel White in 2018 and only the third Bulldog wrestler to win a pair of state titles, joining three-time champion Stanley Proctor and two-time title-winner Norman Brown.
Proctor won titles at 138 pounds in 1983, 145 in 1984, and 155 in 1985. Brown won crowns at 155 in 1984 and 167 in 1985.
Merola ran his record to 49-0 on falls in 2:57, 3:02 and 5:51 before winning his title bout, 6-3 over Bethesda-Chevy Chase junior Nizhoni Deschene. A returning fifth-place regional and fourth-place Montgomery County finisher last year, Merola won both crowns this season. Merola edged Nizhoni Deschene, 3-2, in their county title bout.
A week later at Class 4A-3A West Regionals, Merola earned a semifinal, 6-5, decision over Clarksburg senior Mikey Herrera, and a 3-2 championship victory over Quince Orchard junior Gavin Hill. Merola is coached by Tim Lowe, a former two-time state champion at Einstein.
Combs (47-1) is a former junior league wrestler who competed for his first and only high school this season, yet he earned a championship, 4-2 overtime victory with a takedown on previously unbeaten senior Joe Clark (39-1) of Oakland Mills, a Class 2A-1A runner-up last year. Combs had lost the previous weekend’s Class 4A-3A East Regional title, 9-3, to Crofton senior Jacob Speed a week after having vanquished Speed by 6-3 in their Anne Arundel County title bout.
Combs had used a fall in 2:45 and decisions of 9-7 and 7-4 to reach the finals against Clark, who defeated Speed by the overtime score of 3-1 in their semifinal match.
"I feel like I am on top, and I deserved to be on top," said Combs, whose father, Chris, earned consecutive titles at Old Mill in 1997 and 1998. "It feels pretty amazing to be able to come back out and to bounce back like I did."
Peeples (35-3) used falls in 21 seconds, 3:10 and 5:04 to reach the finals, where he won a battle of freshmen, 10-8, over previously unbeaten Austin Hayes (40-1).
Peeples had added the previous weekend’s Class 4A-3A East Regional title to the Anne Arundel County crown he had won a week earlier. Peeples simply decimated his regional competition by 20-2 technical fall and pins in 91 seconds and in 3:17.
The son of his coach, Cortez Hayes, Austin won his Prince George’s County title by fall, and his Class 4A-3A South Regional title by decision.
4A/3A State Championship Results!
106-4A/3A
1st Place Match
Jackson Peeples (South River) 35-3, Fr. over Austin Hayes (Eleanor Roosevelt) 40-1, Fr. (Dec 10-8)
3rd Place Match
Josh Arthur (Linganore) 34-2, Jr. over Kanik Deschene (Bethesda-CC) 40-10, Fr. (Fall 3:27)
5th Place Match
Gabe Helmen (Urbana) 42-10, So. over Sean Torrez (Springbrook) 44-7, Jr. (MD 12-3)
113-4A/3A
1st Place Match
Solomon Randall (Walt Whitman) 43-1, So. over Ricky Dixon (Springbrook) 42-5, Sr. (Dec 4-3)
3rd Place Match
Harrison Spadoni (Quince Orchard) 41-6, Jr. over Rocky Alabaddi (Marriotts Ridge) 41-4, Sr. (Fall 0:40)
5th Place Match
Isaiah Brewster (Seneca Valley) 46-8, Jr. over Ethan Makle (Bethesda-CC) 35-16, Jr. (TB-1 4-3)
120-4A/3A
1st Place Match
Brennan Considine (Linganore) 38-3, Jr. over Branden Whyte-Taylor (Broadneck) 42-3, Jr. (Fall 5:20)
3rd Place Match
Jaden Cheung (Montgomery Blair) 32-6, Jr. over Jonathan Robles (High Point) 25-4, Sr. (Dec 6-1)
5th Place Match
Toby Eveleth (Catonsville) 27-3, Sr. over Xavier Ford (Tuscarora) 33-15, So. (Dec 4-0)
126-4A/3A
1st Place Match
Stone Yuen (Albert Einstein) 38-1, Jr. over Neil Sharma (Col. Zadok Magruder) 34-4, Jr. (Dec 5-0)
3rd Place Match
Michael Queen (Severna Park) 42-3, So. over Adam Mathew (Springbrook) 45-12, Sr. (MD 8-0)
5th Place Match
Angel Giron (Bowie) 31-7, Sr. over Michael Greenstreet (Chesapeake-AA) 36-5, Sr. (MD 14-4)
132-4A/3A
1st Place Match
Cooper VanScoyoc (Oakdale) 39-2, Jr. over Stephen Exum (Eleanor Roosevelt) 26-3, Sr. (Dec 7-5)
3rd Place Match
Andrew Dolezel (Reservoir) 44-1, Jr. over Gable Pauole (North Point) 34-5, Jr. (Dec 4-2)
5th Place Match
Daniel Wu (Montgomery Blair) 35-10, Jr. over Febian Dawit (Paint Branch) 41-6, Sr. (Dec 8-6)
138-4A/3A
1st Place Match
Drew Montgomery (Northern-Cal) 37-1, Jr. over Beau Schmidt (Northeast) 38-4, So. (Dec 2-0)
3rd Place Match
Owen Pelaez (Clarksburg) 48-1, Jr. over Luca Brown (Arundel) 19-8, Jr. (Dec 8-3)
5th Place Match
Dylan Rohn (Linganore) 34-7, Jr. over Nick Alahouzos (Urbana) 38-13, Sr. (Dec 5-1)
144-4A/3A
1st Place Match
Jonathan Chang (Clarksburg) 46-1, Sr. over Chris Nice (Bel Air) 45-2, Sr. (Dec 11-4)
3rd Place Match
Connor Chattin (Perry Hall) 35-4, Sr. over Linx Lawless (Broadneck) 43-4, Jr. (Dec 6-5)
5th Place Match
Meran Elakel (Walt Whitman) 41-8, Sr. over Chase Lineberry (Aberdeen) 37-8, Jr. (TF-1.5 3:57 (17-1))
150-4A/3A
1st Place Match
Taigh Merola (Winston Churchill) 49-0, Sr. over Nizhoni Deschene (Bethesda-CC) 41-7, Jr. (Dec 6-3)
3rd Place Match
AJ Kuntz (Leonardtown) 44-2, Jr. over Liam Peterson (Aberdeen) 38-8, Jr. (Fall 3:27)
5th Place Match
Mikey Herrera (Clarksburg) 34-14, Sr. over Garin Jeng (River Hill) 33-11, Sr. (MD 10-2)
157-4A/3A
1st Place Match
Victor Marks-Jenkins (Perry Hall) 47-0, So. over Seth Weaver (Bethesda-CC) 46-2, Sr. (Fall 5:30)
3rd Place Match
Peyton Pickett (Linganore) 24-4, Jr. over Brent Phillips (South River) 28-9, Sr. (Dec 4-1)
5th Place Match
Brooks Smith (Northeast) 35-12, Sr. over Devin Brown (Meade) 25-7, Sr. (Dec 5-2)
165-4A/3A
1st Place Match
Austin Combs (Broadneck) 47-1, . over Joe Clark (Oakland Mills) 39-1, Sr. (SV-1 4-2)
3rd Place Match
Dominick Cady (North Point) 40-6, over Vince Corso (Urbana) 46-5, Jr. (MD 9-0)
5th Place Match
Lincoln Wendel (Springbrook) 49-2, Jr. over Jacob Speed (Crofton) 34-4, Sr. (M. For.)
175-4A/3A
1st Place Match
Ethan Arneson (Linganore) 37-0, Sr. over Nathan Kohler (Severna Park) 33-6, Sr. (Fall 1:26)
3rd Place Match
Roman Kaminski (Dulaney) 37-6, Sr. over Philpose Mariyo (Paint Branch) 27-10, Sr. (Dec 7-0)
5th Place Match
Joel Tristan Ouandji Nana (Bel Air) 37-16, Jr. over Arif Mohammadi (Bladensburg) 28-4, Jr. (Dec 8-4)
190-4A/3A
1st Place Match
Isaac Ogunlade (Albert Einstein) 34-1, Jr. over Dominic Queen (North Point) 42-1, Sr. (SV-1 3-1)
3rd Place Match
Charlie Trenkamp (Winston Churchill) 47-3, Sr. over Aidan Healey (South River) 47-5, Sr. (Fall 3:37)
5th Place Match
Leonel Kanwa (Montgomery Blair) 38-6, Sr. over Chris Nwachukwu (Kenwood) 45-9, Sr. (Fall 2:21)
215-4A/3A
1st Place Match
Jamil Morrow (Bowie) 37-0, over Xander Dodd (Chesapeake-AA) 41-3, Jr. (Dec 5-1)
3rd Place Match
Wayne Tabb (Seneca Valley) 32-2, Sr. over Ian Nitz (Bel Air) 38-14, Sr. (Fall 4:31)
5th Place Match
Braeden Poorbaugh (Parkville) 43-6, Sr. over Sebastian Valdivia (Thomas S. Wootton) 29-11, Sr. (Dec 6-4)
285-4A/3A
1st Place Match
RJ Duncan (Old Mill) 45-1, Sr. over Busayo Balogun (South River) 38-8, Jr. (SV-1 3-1)
3rd Place Match
Abubakar Sherif (Seneca Valley) 42-1, Sr. over Andre Andrades (Dundalk) 30-3, Jr. (Fall 1:58)
5th Place Match
Anthony Mrozek (Northeast) 33-13, Sr. over Garcia Ndosa-Kadiobo (North Hagerstown) 28-8, Sr. (Fall 2:34)
Comments