Top-ranked Gilman will play host to Saturday’s Maryland Interscholastic Athletic Association Tournament, and for the first time in school history, they will do so as conference dual meet champions.
Coach Bryn Holmes not only presides over No. 1 Gilman's first-ever MIAA A conference dual meet title winners, but also, its first conference crown since 1990 when the Greyhounds reigned atop the former Maryland Scholastic Association's A Conference as dual meet kings.
"We've had a huge amount of support coming from our alumni," said Holmes, whose assistants are former champions Gerard Harrison, Zach Stavish and Kramer Whitelaw along with Henry Franklin, Bill Gamper and Stephen Yorkman.
"We haven't been on top in so long that it's drawn an incredible amount of excitement. Everyone is extremely enthusiastic, hoping that we're returning back to the glory days of Gilman wrestling in the 1970s and when they were strong as well through the 1990s.”
That's because on January 17, the Greyhounds handed the then-top-ranked Mount St. Joseph Gaels a 43-22 loss within days of being runners-up at the previous weekend's Gilman Duals following a 51-10 loss to Green Farms Academy from Connecticut.
“The Gilman Duals traditionally offer really tough matches, and Green Farms Academy is a really good team. They brought some very strong post-graduates with them. We beat them three years ago and they beat us last year,” Holmes said. “Even though they really handled us this year, we always want to test ourselves. We had set a goal that we wanted to be on top of the league at the end of the season, and I believe that it helped us to wrestle them in order to compete against the best teams in the state, starting with Mount St. Joe.”
Gilman's victory represented only the Greyhounds' third-ever over the Gaels in their schools' histories, and their first over the storied program since winning, 40-36, during the 2012-13 season. Gilman also defeated Mount St. Joseph in 1990.
The triumph was highlighted by the Greyhounds' Emmitt Sherlock's winning a 165-pound clash of defending state champion juniors by fall against the Gaels' Nicolas Barnabae for his 100th career victory, and freshman Liam McGettigan (113) rising up a weight for an 8-5 decision over sophomore MIAA runner-up and fifth place state finisher, Joseph Cooper.
McGettigan announced himself by winning the season-opening Ray Oliver Invitational at McDonogh.
McGettigan’s effort at Ray Oliver included a 70-second semifinal pin against Archbishop Spalding’s Eli Chesla, who was third at MIAAs and fourth at states, before winning a tight championship match, 4-2, over Eli Gabrielson of St. Mary’s Ryken. “Liam’s got a lot of national accolades from junior leagues,” Holmes said. “He’s going to be exciting to watch over the next three and a half years.”
Emmitt is the younger brother of Tyson Sherlock, a 144-pound who is a defending champion of crowns in the MIAA, private school and National High School Coaches Association tournaments.
“The two Sherlock boys came to the campus from Georgia when they were little guys in middle school. We had a great conversation with their parents,” Holmes said. “I didn’t know much about them in terms of wrestling, but they’re both team captains who have done a great job of cultivating our culture, making sure we have a tough mentality.”
The Greyhounds are 9-0 in the MIAA A conference and 12-1 overall, with other notable league victories coming against fourth-ranked Loyola (39-34), sixth-ranked Archbishop Spalding (47-27) and 13th-ranked St. Frances (63-9).
Holmes has reason to be encouraged when he considers, among other things, a pair of narrow losses by 190-pound Gabe Smith against the Gaels’ MIAA and private schools champ, Austin Lewis, by 5-3, and that of 150-pound junior John Jurkovic to the Gaels’ MIAA champion and third-place state finisher Cameron Cannaday, by 7-4.
“The mental aspect of this sport and others is so important,” Holmes said. “If you already have doubts, it’s not going to go your way – especially in the sports that I played.”
Holmes is in his 13th year as head coach of the Greyhounds, who look to continue their improvement on their MIAA tournament runner-up finish behind the Gaels and their fifth place finish at the Maryland Independent Schools State Tournament.
A 2006 graduate of league rival McDonogh, Holmes won three each in MIAA and private school state titles and twice earned National Preps crowns while placing third and fourth as a sophomore and freshman.
Named Outstanding Wrestler during each of his final two years winning the National Preps Tournament, Holmes also starred as a running back and linebacker in football as well as a midfielder in lacrosse, the latter being the sport he played at the University of Maryland.
Named First-Team All-Metro in all three sports, Holmes led the trio of sports teams to at least one each in MIAA A Conference crowns and was honored by the local newspaper as the Male Athlete Of The Year.
Holmes credits McDonogh’s Pete Welch, his coach throughout his wrestling career for the Eagles.
“Pete’s probably my favorite coach and one of the main reasons I got into coaching. I’ve called him multiple times throughout my coaching career asking for advice,” said Holmes, whose Greyhounds are 3-9 against the Eagles during his tenure. “This is my 13th year as head coach and we’ve beaten them three times in a row, but before that, I had never beaten them. A couple of years ago we lost, 70-0, to McDonogh, but the pendulum has swung over to our side, and we’ve beaten them the past three times.”
Gilman’s 2023-24 lineup
106- Liam McGettigan (35-4 record)
Legacy Wrestling Ranking: No. 1
Tournament Placements: 1st Ray Oliver, 7th Ironman, 4th Beast of the East, 1st Adam Janet, 1st Bissell Invitational
Notable Wins: Eli Chesla (Spalding), Eli Gabrielson (SMR), Ignacio Villasenor (Pomona), Justin Farnsworth (Germantown Academy), Joseph Cooper (MSJ 113).
Holmes’ comments: “Liam’s a freshman who is supposed to be the No. 3 seed at National Preps, having lost to each of the top two seeds in relatively close matches. Liam has a fighting chance to make an impact.”
113- JD Vassar (21-10)
Legacy Wrestling Ranking: No. 9
Tournament Placements:7th Ray Oliver, 6th Penn Manor,
Notable Wins: Rock Zang (Spalding), Kayla Batres (GFA)
Holmes’ comments: “JD is one of our freshmen who has made a huge difference in a class that is pretty strong. He could easily wrestle 106, but he’s a team player and a tough kid who is getting bigger and stronger.”
120- Anders Martin (7-18)
Legacy Wrestling Ranking: Unranked
Last year: 4th MIAAs, 8th MIS
Holmes’ comments: “Anders is a sophomore and a great kid who is very enthusiastic. He battles even though he doesn’t have quite the same experience as some of his teammates.”
126- Sawyer Enright (16-14)
Legacy Wrestling Ranking: Unranked
Last year: 5th MIAAs, 8th MIS
Holmes’ comments: “Sawyer is a solid member of our junior class who placed at states last year and could be a National Prep qualifier.”
132- Zach Glory (25-11)
Legacy Wrestling Ranking: No. 5
Last year: 3rd MIAAs, 5th MIS
Tournament Placements: 7th Ray Oliver, 7th Penn Manor, 2nd Adam Janet
Notable Wins: Nick Melfi (Severn), Hayden Haber (Wyoming Sem)
Holmes’ comments: “Zach is a junior who has been wrestling really well and has a chance to potentially win the MIAAs.”
138- Buck Franklin (18-12)
Legacy Wrestling Ranking: No. 18
Tournament Placements: 5th Adam Janet, 3rd Bissell Invitational
Notable Wins: Tyler Stevens (MSJ), Dominic Manna (McD)
Holmes’ comments: “Buck is a senior who has worked his tail off for all four years. He’s the son of Henry Franklin, a former head coach at Gilman.”
144-Tyson Sherlock (33-7)
Legacy Wrestling Ranking: No. 1
Last Year: 1st MIAAs, 1st MIS, 3rd National Preps, 1st NHSCAs.
Tournament Placements: 2nd Ray Oliver, 6th Beast of the East, 1st Adam Janet, 1st Bissell
Notable Wins: Calvin Kraisser (Cen), Will Levy (Landon)
Holmes’ comments: “Tyson is our senior leader with his brother, and he’s had a tremendous impact on our program.”
150- John Jurkovic (26-10)
Legacy Wrestling Ranking: No. 5
Tournament Placements: 5th Ray Oliver, 4th Penn Manor, 1st Adam Janet, 3rd Bissell Invitational
Notable Wins: Joshua Strong (SMR), Charlie Gessford (Spalding)
Holmes’ comments: “John has wrestled in some close matches and I’m looking forward to how he does in the tournaments. He’s a junior and a great wrestler.”
157- Arthur Konschak (27-11)
Legacy Wrestling Ranking: No. 16
Tournament Placements: 5th Ray Oliver (165), 5th Penn Manor, 1st Adam Janet, 3rd Bissell
Notable Wins: Devin Brown (Meade), Nevan McKneely (Loy)
Holmes’ comments: “Arthur is a freshman who is maybe one of the hardest working kids we have in the room. He could be among the top seeds for MIAAs.”
165- Emmitt Sherlock (36-4)
Legacy Wrestling Ranking: No. 1
Last Year: 1st MIAAs, 1st MIS, 6th National Preps, 3rd NHSCAs.
Tournament Placements: 1st Ray Oliver, 7th Ironman, 4th Beast of the East, 1st Adam Janet, 1st Bissell Invitational
Notable Wins: Lane Foard (Benedictine Prep), Maximus Nirman (Baylor School), Evan Rizzo (Brecksville), Nick Singer (Faith Christian Acad), Nicolas Barnabae (Mount Saint Joseph), Calvin Kraisser (Centennial), Mike Pizzuto (South Carroll)
Holmes’ comments: “Emmitt’s a leader in our strong junior class, and he’s wrestling at a different level right now. The sky’s the limit right now.”
175- Nick Haughey (22-13)
Legacy Wrestling Ranking: No. 13
Last year: 2nd MIAAs, 3rd MIS
Tournament Placements: 5th Penn Manor, 2nd Adam Janet
Notable Wins: Riley Miller (Loy), Aaron Moccia (John Carroll), Jett Buchanan (Landon)
Holmes’ comments: “Nick is a senior who came out of nowhere last year, upsetting the No. 1 seed in last year’s tournament. He’s an unorthodox wrestler who is capable of upsetting anybody.”
190- Gabriel Smith (23-9)
Legacy Wrestling Ranking: No. 4
Tournament Placements: 2nd Ray Oliver (215), 2nd Adam Janet, 3rd Bissell Invitational
Notable Wins: Tiller Smith (Landon)
Holmes’ comments: “Gabe is a junior who had a great match with Austin Lewis, and it could be another great matchup at MIAAs. Gabe’s been closing the gap on him.”
215- Sebastian Chaney (16-14)
Legacy Wrestling Ranking: No. 22
Notable Wins: Luke Emmons (Archbishop Spalding)
Holmes’ comments: “Sebastian is a senior to keep an eye on because he’s had some of the higher seeds at MIAA’s on their backs in some of the last three matches. He may be a surprise to some, but not to me.”
285- Isaiah Trusty (4-9)
Legacy Wrestling Ranking: Unranked
Tournament Placements: 7th Penn Manor
Holmes’ comments: “Isaiah is a sophomore who is wrestling really well, but we have a senior in Jameson Maumenee who is also wrestling well and has been in the program for four years.”
MIAA Championships Seeds Line-up
106
1-Liam McGettigan (Gilman)
2-Phil Key (Loyola)
3-Joseph Womack (St. Frances Academy)
4-Angelo Kibby (Mt. St. Joe)
5-Weylin Myers (Gerstell Academy)
6-Logan Kahatapitiya (McDonogh)
113
1-Jayden Jackson (Loyola)
2-Quentin Bailey (Spalding)
3-Joseph Cooper (Mt. St. Joe)
4-JD Vassar (Gilman)
5-Reid Swirnow (McDonogh)
6-Patrick Gross (St. Paul’s)
120
1-Jake Tamai (Mt. St. Joe)
2-Henry Gessford (Spalding)
3-Isisah Womack (St. Frances Academy)
4-Cayden Farver (Loyola)
5-Gemariah Griffin (Boys’ Latin)
6-Cooper Monroe (St. Paul’s)
7-Matthew Tees (McDonogh)
8-Adrian Stowbunenko-Saitschenko (Calvert Hall)
126
1-Sean Garretson (Spalding)
2-Bryan Santangelo (Mt. St. Joe)
3-Steve Lombardo (Boys’ Latin)
4-Oscar Davis (Curley)
5-Tyler Truitt (Loyola)
6-Sawyer Enright (Gilman)
7-Dominic Montgomery (Severn)
8-Evan Clarke (Mt. Carmel)
132
1-Vincent Paolucci (Spalding)
2-Tyler Stephens (Mt. St. Joe)
3-Nick Melfi (Severn)
4-Zach Glory (Gilman)
5-Josh Hale (Loyola)
6-Josh Jackson (Calvert Hall)
7-Maurice Womack (St. Frances Academy)
8-Cole Genua (McDonogh)
138
1-Carter Nogle (Mt. St. Joe)
2-Zane Leitzel (Spalding)
3-Griffin Stewart (Calvert Hall)
4-Noah Shird (St. Frances Academy)
5-Buck Franklin (Gilman)
6-Dominic Manna (McDonogh)
144
1-Tyson Sherlock (Gilman)
2-Walter Smith (St. Frances Academy)
3-Ryder Kolat (Spalding)
4-Evan Williams (Loyola)
5-Cadigan Kimball (St. Paul’s)
6-J.D. Faro (Curley)
150
1-Judah Aybar (Loyola)
2-Cameron Cannaday (Mt. St. Joe)
3-John Jurkovic (Gilman)
4-Charlie Gessford (Spalding)
5-Logan Brown (St. Frances Academy)
6-Rowen Myers (Gerstell Academy)
7-Aidan Kammar (Calvert Hall)
8-Darren List (Curley)
157
1-Nicolas Barnabae (Mt. St. Joe)
2-Chase Carpintieri (St. Frances Academy)
3-Arthur Konschak (Gilman)
4-Nevan McKneely (Loyola)
5-Jack Bruffey (Gerstell Academy)
6-Jack Hortiz (McDonogh)
165
1-Emmitt Sherlock (Gilman)
2-Dylan Fish (Curley)
3-Hayden Myers (St. Paul’s)
4-Riley Miller (Loyola)
5-Will Hudson (Mt. St. Joe)
6-Owen Galiani (Boys’ Latin)
175
1-JJ Dimonte (McDonogh)
2-Sisto Averno III (Calvert Hall)
3-Nick Haughey (Gilman)
4-Aaron Moccia (John Carroll)
5-Gabe McWhite (Mt. St. Joe)
6-Talin Krashoc (Severn)
190
1-Austin Lewis (Mt. St. Joe)
2-Gabe Smith (Gilman)
3-Howard Otto (Calvert Hall)
4-Noah Brannan (Loyola)
5-Aidan Shenck (Severn)
6-Bailen Boutz (Curley)
215
1-Noah Onkst (McDonogh)
2-Aiden Bird (Loyola)
3-Douglas Johnson (St. Frances Academy)
4-Sebastian Chaney (Gilman)
5-Brandon Lewis (Curley)
6-Donnell Dawkins (Mt. Carmel)
7-Peter Jerdal (Spalding)
8-Jack Hayman (Severn)
285
1-Luke Randazzo (Loyola)
2-Delmar White (Spalding)
3-Maxwell Garland (Calvert Hall)
4-Khalil Regan (Curley)
5-Will Bagby (Boys’ Latin)
6-William Broeckel (St. Paul’s)
MIAA Tournament Schedule
Saturday, February 10
7:00 AM Doors Open for Wrestlers and Coaches
7:30 AM Doors Open for Spectators
8:00 AM Weigh-ins, Skin Check, Hair and Nails
9:00 AM Tournament workers arrive
9:15 AM Coaches meeting
9:30 AM Matches begin on 4 Mats
12:30 PM Consolation Semi Finals (2 Mats)
3:00 PM Finals (1st, 3rd, 5th on 3 mats)
Yorumlar